Beyond borscht: 400 recipes including classic Russian cuisine, Azerbaijani pilafs, Armenian lentil and apricot soup, Ukrainian Chicken Kiev, Uzbek lamb kebabs, and much more. PLEASE TO THE TABLE encompasses the exhilarating pleasures of Soviet cooking—of robust Ukranian borschts and classic Russian cuisine, of healthy Georgian grains and yogurts and the delicately perfumed pilafs of Azerbaijan. Its 400 recipes are a revelation. From the Baltic Republics: Cold Veal Meat Loaf with Horseradish Sauce. Pork Chops with Apples Braised in Beer. Carrot Baba. Estonian Rye Cookies. Black Bread, Apple, and Cherry Pudding. From Russia: Sour Cherry Soup. Shchi. Chicken Cutlets Pozharsky. Steamed Salmon with Sorrel and Spinach Sauce. Fried Potatoes with Wild Mushrooms. Blini. Russian Cranberry Mousse. From the Caucasus: Armenian Lentil and Apricot Soup. Grilled Chicken with Garlic and Walnut Sauce. Grilled Trout with Tarragon. Asparagus with Egg, Garlic, and Lemon Sauce. Saffron Pudding. From Central Asia: Asian Radish Salad. Uzbek Lamb Kebabs. Spicy Carrots with Cumin Seeds. Chicken Pilaf with Nuts and Candied Orange Peel. Poached Quinces. From the Ukraine: Borscht with Apples and Beans. Potato, Feta, and Scallion Salad. Chicken Kiev. Roast Pork Loin with Caraway Seeds. Vareniki. Almond Raspberry Torte. Anya von Bremzen, a native of Moscow who emigrated to the West in the mid-1070s, is a food writer and food consultant. John Welchman is a travel and food writer who, like Ms. Von Bremzen, specializes in writing about the former Soviet Union. Together they spent three years working on PLEASE TO THE TABLE, traveling extensively through the former USSR, visiting professional chefs, touring markets, and sampling and gathering dishes. Is there more to Russian cookery than beets, cabbage, and sour cream? Please to the Table , a comprehensive guide that takes readers and cooks from the Baltics to Uzbekistan, should absolutely bury that question. Russia alone is bigger than the U.S. and Canada combined; its people claim more than 100 different nationalities and languages. Throw in the other 14 former Soviet republics, cook a feast, and you'll sample everything from Moldavian marinated peppers to cold yogurt and cucumber soup to Uzbek lamb stew to crawfish boiled in beer to open cheese tartlets, Russian tea, and, yes, beef stroganoff--nearly every major culinary style is represented here. Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman capture the soul of Mother Russia in 400 recipes joined together with a literate overview of each culinary piece in this magnificent jigsaw puzzle of a nation. The cook will be amply rewarded, and readers will travel far and wide through flavors and feasts only dimly imagined in the West. YA-- This creative cookbook has a wide variety of recipes covering many aspects of Soviet cooking. All are easy to read and follow, and are accompanied by a short history of the area or region in which the food originated as well as descriptions of feasts from literary works and sample menus for all occasions. Pages are peppered with short quotes from Russian and foreign authors extolling the virtue of the food. There are proverbs and folk sayings, as well as a helpful list of sources for some of the exotic herbs and spices used in the recipes. A perfect opportunity to absorb some history and culture while cooking. - Catherine Bryan, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Alexandria, VA Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. Although this is probably the first of a wave of Russian cookbooks, until now there have been relatively few decent books in this area. The authors, a Muscovite who emigrated to the United States and a British writer, traveled all over the Soviet Union and throughout Russian communities in the United States to collect these 400 recipes. The dishes are amazingly diverse; in addition to the recipes, this ambitious work includes historical background, notes on special ingredients, and sections on specific cuisines. An essential purchase. BOMC HomeStyle and Better Homes & Gardens selections. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. IN THE SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY PLEASE TO THE TABLE encompasses the exhilarating pleasures of Soviet cooking-of robust Ukranian borschts and classic Russian cuisine, of healthy Georgian grains and yogurts and the delicately perfumed pilafs of Azerbaijan. Its 400 recipes are a revelation. From the Baltic Republics: Cold Veal Meat Loaf with Horseradish Sauce. Pork Chops with Apples Braised in Beer. Carrot Baba. Estonian Rye Cookies. Black Bread, Apple, and Cherry Pudding. From Russia: Sour Cherry Soup. Shchi. Chicken Cutlets Pozharsky. Steamed Salmon with Sorrel and Spinach Sauce. Fried Potatoes with Wild Mushrooms. Blini. Russian Cranberry Mousse. From the Caucasus: Armenian Lentil and Apricot Soup. Grilled Chicken with Garlic and Walnut Sauce. Grilled Trout with Tarragon. Asparagus with Egg, Garlic, and Lemon Sauce. Saffron Pudding. From Central Asia: Asian Radish Salad. Uzbek L