Welcome to KinoVino at Home

A Classic Russian NYE Party

For anyone from the former Soviet Union, the New Year’s Eve party holds a sacred place in their hearts. For nearly a hundred years, in the absence of Christmas in the secular Soviet society the NYE party came to replace it, becoming the most beloved national holiday by far! 

One would start planning ahead months in advance for no particular reason other than uncontainable excitement and the old-age Soviet habit of keeping a stash of food goodies ‘for the special occasion’. The meal is nothing short of a ritual, a sacred ceremony of loading the table with a familiar selection of dishes that graces your table year after year, generation after generation. While there are some variations in each family, there is the Holly Trinity of ‘salads’ or starter dishes which remains uniform for pretty much any household - the Olivier Salad (aka the Russian salad), Herring under a Fur Coat (the name doesn’t do it justice, I admit) and Kholodets (essentially a meat jelly). These dishes would continue gracing the table until the early hours of the morning when the centre piece of a roast duck or goose with sauerkraut would be brought out at around 2am, the dinning ritual is always completed my the king of desserts - the Napoleon cake. The party is never really over but rather paused for a few hours in the morning when everyone gets some sleep, and the mighty trio of salads, always made in abundant quantities, is there to greet them when they wake up, along with a glass of cold champagne. 

The New Year’s Eve really is the ultimate KinoVino experience. As traditionally no celebration would be complete without a viewing of the iconic Soviet romantic comedy ‘The Irony of Fate’, set on the New Year’s Eve and featuring people enjoying the very same dishes described above. The soundtrack of the film alone is enough to get me in the festive NYE mode, no matter when I hear it! You can find the soundtrack here (skip the first track!)

Aside from the food, the film and the decor, the most important NYE ritual is to pause in the last minute of the year about to depart, to reflect on what’s happened and set some intentions for the new year. Some even write their wishes on a small piece of paper, burn it and then drink the ashes in with their champagne as the clock strikes 12! I’ve been there, and do not recommend it! But I always use that last minute to express gratitude for the year just passed and set a simple yet meaningful intension for the new one about to begin! 

WATCH NOW

The film is available online: YouTube

Recipes

The cooking method for this salad could not be simpler, yet also more time consuming. 

Peel and boil the potatoes and carrots in a lightly salted water. Depending on their sizes, they will need around 25-35 minutes.

You can reuse the water to boil the eggs, which will need about 8 minutes, or boil them at the same time in a different pot. Once their time is up place them under a stream of cold water for a few moments. Peel and set aside.

To defrost the peas simply place them in a colander and pour some boiling water over them. 

Once all the veggies and the eggs are cooked, dice them along with the cucumbers as identically as you can and mix in a large bowl (or a taz if you happen to have one).

I prefer my salad vegetarian but you can (as millions of Russians do) add the boiled chicken breast or some type of poached meat to the mix.

To make the dressing put all of the ingredients into a bowl and give them a good stir.

Add the dressing to the chopped veggies and mix thoroughly. 

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Wash your beetroot, rub with a little of oil and sprinkle with salt, send it to roast in the oven for 30 minutes wrapped in tin foil. Once ready, peel the beetroot and cut into 8 wedges. Dress with a little bit of oil and salt, and set aside. 

Scrub the baby carrots and baby potatoes and boil them in salted water in separate pots for 10 minutes, or until ready. Cut the carrots in half lengthways and chop the new potatoes in half or quarters depending on their size. 

The eggs will need to be boiled separately for 8 minutes. I know I am stating the obvious here but make sure to put the eggs in only once the water is boiling and then run them under cold water to ensure they peel easily. 

While the eggs and vegetables are cooking, make the dressing for the salad. To obtain a small shot of beetroot juice, you can either use a juicer, or finely grate a small raw beetroot and strain the pulp through a fine sieve. The amount of juice in the creme fraiche is really up to you, depending on the colour you prefer. Around 20g will turn the creme fraiche the most delightful light pink colour. Add minced garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. I usually add 2 pinches of Maldon salt, which is less salty and iodine-tasting than standard table salt.

Once the vegetables and the eggs are boiled, assemble the salad.

Place two dollops of the crème fraîche dressing on the plate and spread it over evenly. 

Cut the herring fillets in bite size chunks and scatter around. Add the carrots, beetroots and potatoes, making sure you are not overcrowding the plate. So I will leave the exact amount of each vegetable to your judgment and the size of the plate or platter on which the salad will be served. 

Peel and cut the eggs into wedges and place them on the plate, adding more texture and colour to the composition. The final touches to this dish would be a light flourish of dill as well as of thinly sliced shallots. Give it another grind of salt and pepper and a little drizzle of unrefined sunflower oil before serving. 

Place all the ingredients in a large pot, but only use 2 carrots and onions to begin with. Add the water and bring to boil. Skim the foam, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 8 hours. The trick to a clear stock is to change the onions and carrots every two hours, so as you discard the old batch add a new one. You will know the stock is ready when you dip your finger into the pot and can feel a sticky consistency. Remove the meat and discard all the vegetables. Strain the broth through a sieve and a muslin cloth. Pull the meat apart from the bone and arrange into an even layer at the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Top with the stock and refrigerate over night. Cross your fingers and go to bed! Your kholodets should be ready in the morning as it turns into a beautiful clear golden jello. Cut into 8-10 slices and serve with some rye bread and a good Eastern European mustard. 

Pulse the flour and butter together until you have a uniform crumb with no lumps of butter within the flour. Transfer the crumb to a bowl, mix the egg and white wine vinegar together and stir into the crumb incorporating the liquid quickly and thoroughly. Add enough water for the flakes of pastry to come together and form a ball.

Knead everything together until you get a shortcrust dough. Divide into 8 equal parts, wrap each in cling film and refrigerate for a few hours until firm.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Roll out each pastry ball into an even circle, which should be as thin as a French crêpe. Prick with a fork in a few places to prevent bubbles from forming. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the pastry starts to brown. Repeat with each layer and allow to cool on a baking rack. 

To make the custard, mix egg yokes, sugar, milk and flour in a pot and bring to boil, stirring continuously. Take off the heat, and let cool down slightly. Beat in the softened butter with vanilla essence, adding a few tbsp of at a time to avoid lumps.  You might want to return the pot to low heat, if you notice that the mix is cooling down too much. 

To assemble your Napoleon, generously smother each layer of pastry in custard and stack them up. Leave one of the layers aside and once everything else is shaped together crumble the last layer on top of the cake to resemble the snow which sealed the fate of Napoleon and his army back in 1812. Make sure to let the cake rest in the fridge over night or for 24 hours, and do enjoy as many slices as you physically can! 

Happy New Year! May you be Happy! May you be Healthy! And I hope there is always food on your table!