Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore [A Cookbook] Hardcover – February 4, 2020

Having little to no experience with Russian cuisine, but a long affinity for the work of Ms. Goldstein via Gastronomica, I bought the digital version to scope it out. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the writing had me awake until 2 or 3 AM several nights in a row! I can't think of the last time I enjoyed reading a cookbook cover to cover like this, and I love the layout, the recipes, the tips on fermentation, and the decades of anecdotes so generously shared. I bought a hardcover copy and one for a friend. Discard your notions of what you think Russian and Eastern European cuisine is, get ready to buy a ton of mustards, and buy this immediately!

Russian cuisine was something I knew very little about. This book has changed all of that and my Russian friends love it!!! This has been so much fun to rad and to cook with... I highly recommend it!

This is a beautiful book - a coffee table cookbook, and I'm returning it. This isn't a cookbook for your average cook - probably not even your fine cook. The dilemma is that it's so authentic (I know, that's not supposed to be a bad thing) that the ingredients are beyond the reach of most of the cooks in the world outside Russia. Yes, the author includes a list of sources, so you can assemble things like sea buckthorn berries etc. at enormous trouble and expense, but why? Bottom line, many of the recipes are complicated and many of the ingredients are out of reach - so it's a cookbook you really can't cook from regularly. It's more of an historical document - an accurate snapshot of Russian food. Fascinating - but not of much use as a COOK book.

I will try a great number of recipes in this book. They are simple and emphasize the intrinsic character of the food.

Beautifully photographed cookbook with tempting recipes. Arrived promptly, in great condition!

When I first got this book, I enjoyed reading it and thought: ok. Some anecdotes, the recipes, the photos. I shelved it. But I did go back to it and cook some of the recipes. Now, almost a year later, I have become somewhat obsessed with it because the recipes are so delicious! They don't read particularly excitingly, and some of them look a little weird when preparing (I thought the vatruski dough looked way to wet and the brined fish had way to much pickle in it), but I was wrong. They were beautiful and delicious.I've cooked about eight recipes from this book now, most of them twice. The beet salad is so much more delicious than it looks on the page. The syrniki will be in my life forever. The brined fish is startlingly good (I ended up adding MORE pickle!).I have other Russian and Eastern European cookbooks by well-known authors. This is the one I keep coming back to.I do suggest the kindle version if you have hand issues, as it is a heavy book.

Each time I pick up Beyond the North Wind I find something new and intriguing that piques my interest, whether it’s about the culture of Northern Russia or a new way of thinking about food.This book is excellent for those who want to add fermented foods (and drinks!) with gut friendly pro-biotics to their diet. 

I decided to make the Bird Cherry Cake, Sasha’s Apple Cake, Raspberry Kvass, and the Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce and Puffed Buckwheat for my friends and family. There were a few things I was curious about making, however finding spruce needles, 350 organic dandelion blossoms, and raw milk (for farmer’s cheese) are tough to come by where I live. 

I still intend to make the "Pickle" Pies, Vatrushki, and the Farmer's Cheese Pancakes.Be aware that the ingredients can require some dedication to sourcing, foraging, and finding. I appreciate that authenticity, because I live in a vastly different climate and area than Russia. Although I have a very wide array of pantry items - both staples and somewhat unusual things, I enjoy the challenge. Some of my foraging was the more modern variety as I literally scraped the bottom of the bulk bins at Whole Foods for buckwheat groats.To create the Bird Cherry Cake, I ordered the flour via Amazon and procured the lingonberry from IKEA. It came together rather quickly and adults and kids alike asked for another slice. It has a rich flavor that has notes of almond, cherry, and pumpernickel with a toothsome quality. It’s also gluten free and a unique flavor that most everyone enjoyed.Sasha’s Apple Cake could very easily be created to be vegan. It kind of reminded me of something familiar that you’d have visiting a babushka (Grandmother). Super simple and effortless, but healthy. Definitely use Granny Smith apples for this one or it might be a tad too sweet.

The Raspberry Kvass has an effervescent quality that is refreshing, though it should definitely be served chilled. I was also confused why there was a need for 3 bottles, as mine easily fit into two.

Lastly, the Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce and Puffed Buckwheat seemed so fancy and is fun to present. Golden Delicious apples weren’t available near me so I used Opal apples (a cross between Golden Delicious and Topaz). The mix of textures is a fun twist with apples, which can be a bit boring. I didn’t anticipate my groats going from toasted to burned without more than a few popping as pictured in the book, so I went back to the store to find more buckwheat. I'm not someone who often makes anything deep fried, so I also read online that they could be dry roasted, but alas mine did not pop as pictured in the book, despite attempting 4 different methods. The mix of textures and methods is something I'll carry into other recipes I create. This book is a success if you’re looking for authentic recipes from Russia and willing to put in the work, including sourcing specific ingredients. I like the process and time that is needed in many of these recipes and being able to make them in advance for my review. It’s widened my cultural scope through food and given me an appreciation for the lengths people go for food and interesting methods of preservation. Thanks for the free book, @tenspeedpress! I always appreciate having my culinary and cultural creativity challenged and learning some new skills and information along the way.

I haven’t yet been able to cook anything from this book but will try to get some ingredients in my next shopping trip*. The photos are great, and for a keen cook, opening this book is like opening a door into a new kitchen with new ideas and combinations abounding.*Written during lockdown March 2020.

If you buy just one Russian cookbook, I think it should be this. The recipes are delicious, the instructions clear. I like how it combines many of the classics with recipes which haven’t had a look in or just never made it out of Russia. It’s not always the most important part of a cookbook but you can’t help but be mesmerised by the way Darra describes Russia, the stories, history, folklore and more is so interesting. It’s an impressive piece of work that I will cook from and read again and again.

Dark and oppressive both in photographs and prose. Bulked out with simple recipes. Returned.

Evocative, interesting, inspiring book!

I'd rank Dara Goldstein's cookbooks among the best--they blend social history with travelogue, and showcase accessible recipes that really create a sense of the cultures they celebrate. We've worked our way through another great volume of hers--Fire and Ice--and are now doing the same with Beyond the North Wind. I feel I really get a great deal of insight into these recipes and the importance of their components, and am super pleased. Not only can I make these dishes at home, but I now feel better informed in the Russian, Ukranian and even Polish delis and groceries in my neighbourhood and can actually talk about the dishes we enjoy. Some books just pass through my cookbook collection, but Dara's are here to stay. A+