46 / 60
44
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2016
P
otatoes are everywhere in Russia, even
in the vodka,which is also everywhere.
This past summer, my wife, Cindy,
and I took a food tour that included a stop
in St. Petersburg, the second largest city in
Russia. We visited Catherine’s Palace, Saint
Isaac’s Cathedral, the Hermitage, one of
the largest art museums in the world, and
the Spilled Blood Church where Emperor
Alexander II was murdered (hence the
name). We ate dinner at the Meathead
Restaurant, a cavernous steakhouse by the
Spilled Blood Church. We skipped the
steaks — I can cook those at home on my
grill or Big Green Egg — and ordered
herring with potatoes, borscht (a beet soup),
Piroshki (potato dumplings), and beef
stroganoff, which was served Russian-style
with mashed potatoes and garnish with
dill. There were shots of vodka waiting for
us at the table when we arrived (in Russia,
vodka is served room temperature), and we
ordered more to go with the meal.
Ypa!
It was summer, so crawfish, yes crawfish
(or crayfish as it’s spelled in the rest of the
world), were in season in Russia, though
most of the ones eaten in Russia are
imported. Crawfish are eaten all over the
world. In Russia they boil crawfish in water
(or milk!) with carrots, onions, parsley,
dill seeds, bay leaves, coriander and chili
peppers. Their mix is not
that
far off from
our seafood boil mix, although they don’t
use mustard seeds and occasionally add sour
cream. Sour cream and pickles are almost
as ubiquitous in Russia as potatoes, which
Stew In A Roux
Tim Acosta’s Hwy. 1
Beef Stroganoff
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2
pounds boneless beef sirloin or
bottom round steak
1½ teaspoons Rouses salt
½ teaspoon Rouses black pepper
2
tablespoon butter
1
tablespoon minced onion
1
cup white button mushrooms,
thinly sliced
2
tablespoons Rouses Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1
medium yellow or white onion,
thinly sliced
1
tablespoon all purpose flour
1
teaspoon mustard powder
½ cup dry red wine
1
cup beef stock
1
cup sour cream, warmed
HOW TO PREP
Place steaks between sheets of waxed paper
and pound until ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Heat butter in a small skillet over medium
heat. Add minced onion and mushrooms.
Cook over medium heat until onions are
browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over
medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook
until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add steak and cook
for 3 minutes, turning to brown evenly.
Remove beef from skillet; set aside. Add flour
to the skillet, stirring constantly, until you get
a roux. Return beef to the skillet and toss to
coat. Mix in mustard, wine and beef stock.
Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer
until meat is tender, about 40 minutes.
Add mushrooms to meat. Stir in warm sour
cream. Serve over mashed potatoes with dill
(Russian-style) or local rice (Gulf Coast-style).
are not, surprisingly enough, part of their
crawfish boil.
Crawfish were also popular in the Nordic
countries we visited this trip, though the
seasoning was different (salt, sugar and
ale). Don’t bother with crawfish in Russia,
Sweden, Denmark, Norway or Finland —
Rouses boils crawfish better than anyone
else in the world. We invited everyone we
met to come try them on the Gulf Coast.
Overall, the food on this trip overall was
blander than we’re used to; fortunately we
managed to find some Tabasco. Of all the
cities we stayed in on this trip, food-wise,
Helsinki was our favorite. Fish pies, smoked
fish, cured fish, fish sandwiches — if it has
fins, they eat it in Finland. They also sell it
at Helsinki’s open-air market, Hakaniemi.
The market is a must visit even if you aren’t
in the grocery business. It’s right on the
water, and fishing boats tie up to sell fresh
fish right there on the dock. We visited
the boats, toured the food stalls, and ate
karelian pies made with rye bread — and,
what else? — mashed potatoes, and
muikku
,
small crunchy fried fish served in in a paper
cone like French fries.
It was a great trip. We came
back with new friends, a new
appreciation for vodka
and potatoes, and a
new idea for a roux-
based version of
Beef Stroganoff.
“There are nearly 200 varieties
of crawfish, but without question
Louisiana’s are the best.”
—James,
Rouses Meat
& Seafood
Director
the
Around the World
issue
Meet
&
Potatoes
by
Tim Acosta, Marketing Director