A Wild Russian Feast

New Year parties mean a lot of food and a lot of drink.The Russians amp this up with feast that rivals any holiday party or dinner.They create tables that literally groan with the weight of many dishes ~and of course vodka .

Julia Moskin wrote about this as well as interviewing chef Bonnie Frumpkin Morales!, owner of the popular Portland,Oregon eateries, Kachka and Kachinka.Her family came from Belarus,which was a separate country (emigres  use the blanket term Russia when asked where they're from).The Russian New Year revelry is less than one hundred years old, starting after the Russian Revolution.Vast properties of the Russian Orthodox Church were nationalized with religious instruction being outlawed, and the craziest - outlawing belief in miracles which probably meant the Virgin Birth. A decade later the Soviet regime completely banned Christmas.They twisted it into a day of work.New Year's Eve, however , was saved and declared a national holiday.   Gradually Christmas traditions snuck in.There were trees, presents and sweets.Father Christmas was transformed to Grandfather Frost who handed out gifts with the help of his granddaughter, the Snow Maiden.It is now a big to do night.That means the meal or the zakuski  course  may start in the early evening and last until midnight There are braised short ribs,  along with Georgian chicken tabaka, pressed flat and pan roasted with garlic.Another lush dish is chanterelle mushrooms and potatoes cooked in a Russian version of creme  fraiche,

Chef Frumpkin -Morales (her husband, Israel, is of Latino heritage and fromKansas City,Missouri ) and
her family create these dishes along with many others.Her parents brought over their dishes of pungent smelling fish along with their recipes for pickled fruit and vegetables.There was also jellied  calves feet and cured skeins of fish roe.One of the stars of any Russian New Year's feast is Salat  Olivier, which has become Russia's modern national dish.Poached chicken is folded with diced potatoes,pickles, eggs, carrots and whatever is dictated by family tradition.During the czarist  era, caviar and crayfish were  major additions for the wealthy.During the Soviet era, luxury was replaced with baloney and canned peas for everyone. There is also salo ,a cured pork fastback and dark, dense breads.All this is washed down with endless vodka shots.The meal has to be hearty to absorb all that strong alcohol.There are recipes that anyone can recreate, including the mushroom and potato one.There is also a herbed grain salad with mushrooms, hazelnuts and pears.Spinach and the Soviet staple.,barley is also tossed in.There is a neat  "cookie"  recipe called chocolate kolbasa that's a blend of shortbread, graham crackers and a fudgy mix of chocolate chips, chopped nuts and cocoa blended with butter and condensed milk.It's mixed together, filled into a log and then chilled.It can also star at kids  parties too.

The Rusians know how to do New Year"s right:. It is feasting and fun for all ages.They ring  in a holiday with gusto and passion .