
This time on The Table Set podcast Nathan, Andy and I step a little bit outside our comfort zone when a conversation about The Cabbage Patch Kids turns to dining. Don’t worry no “kids” were harmed in the making of this conversation, but cabbage does bring to mind Russian food (at least for us it did for us).
Maybe it’s just the timing. Between the Sochi Olympics and the Valentine season, a feeling of love is developing around our table. Russian love. So despite the politics of the games this year, and the obvious implications from the (almost) similarly named James Bond flick, we decided to send this episode out “To Russia with Love”.
The episode gets its genesis at a local Russian restaurant in West Hollywood called Traktir. The three of us went there recently and enjoyed plates of sliced lamb, slippery pelmeni dumplings and a beef-brothed soup flavored with pickled vegetables. Well, if you know anything at all about The Table Set then you know we love a dining challenge. So a plan was hatched to throw a Russian themed dinner party with a прелестный (delicious) menu. Many of the dishes we put together were reinterpretations of some of the classic Russian fare we enjoyed at Traktir. I even tried my hand at Russian “Ketchup”. It seems the Russians love ketchup and put their sweeter, chunkier version on just about everything. I’ve included the recipe below.
We put together a creative video of the evening too. I think it captures the feeling of friends and food very well. It might even make you think we really went to Russia.
I hope you’ll bounce over to Homefries and listen to the latest episode of The Table Set, “To Russia With Love”. We invited friends to the table, drank some vodka and got very creative with Russian food. Na Zdorovie! GREG
Now I’m feeling nostalgic about Gorky’s.
Greg, I don’t use much ketchup but always have a small bottle of organic (no corn syrup) ketchup in the fridge for when I need some. This one sounds like one I could lap up all by itself!
Whoops! The internet gods ate my comment. Anyway, we use so little ketchup we always buy the famous brand. Downside is you can’t get the same sort of flavors you get when you make your own. Love the inclusion of prunes, and when it comes to cider vinegar I almost always use “maybe more!”
I could definitely get into that ketchup. Possibly even take a bath in it.