Restaurateur
Saveliy Libkin

This is one of those dishes which are present in the menu of almost any Ukrainian restaurant. And this is not at all important are there fresh vegetables or not. Potatoes, carrot, cabbage and terrible imported sweet pepper are presented always…and who can say that this isn’t vegetables. The assembly charts direct one thing, but who read them when three tables ordered grilled vegetables at the same time? The waiters do their best. The cooks aren’t guilty. The chefs are not become clear yet what is more important: to follow the assembly charts or to please the guest. The managers of the restaurants don’t know at all what, where and to who is served. It is uncomfortable to «prevent» the chef. The owners-investors and others are de-le-ga-ted everything. The suppliers choose the products with which it is possible to «earn money». The guest eat cold dish of the same name and adapting gradually… The tourists examine the Odessa’s girls and didn’t notice what they have in their plates. What to do…  Surely in theory everyone understands how it must work. Surely the guests also know that there is no use to order grilled vegetables in winter in Ukraine. One people order, other people cook it. Or on the contrary… everybody cook it because everyone orders. Maybe we should remember for whom/what it is made? Maybe there is obvious solution when you shouldn’t lie and wriggle? Maybe the guests also will remember about seasonal prevalence…

And now it is excellent time for this dish. I prefer to salt the lemons and grill them long enough and at the end to put them on the vegetables together with grilled garlic. I prefer to serve this dish after 20-30 minutes of combined staying in the plate with oil, herbs and pepper.

But even now it isn’t enough restaurants where this dish is eatable, alas! And almost everyone can/know how to cook this dish delicious, but it doesn’t touch daily practice. Because as before were brought only cabbage, potatoes and imported sweet pepper… Not long ago I ordered this dish at one Odessa’s «gastronomic oasis», they didn’t include THIS to the check, but the mood was spoilt slightly. And the waiter following the instruction asked courteously with affirmative intonation: «Everything is fine?!» After the offer to take THIS away, the expression of astonishment which wasn’t directed by the instruction appeared on his face.

It isn’t always convenient to take pictures of food in the restaurants… moreover it can be difficult to tear yourself away from the plate, but however in the present case I picked up the camera from the floor. On the first photo is one of the most famous dishes in the L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges by Bocuse « Bresse Chicken». It is boiled, and at that after the order, in the pig’s bladder, served with morels, vegetables and rice. The absence of  any greens, chips and other beauty is noticeable. The chicken is dressed and served by the waiters near the table. This dish is called Bresse chicken cooked in a bladder a «la Mere Fillioux» in the menu. It is more interesting to eat 165 Euros per four persons then per two.

Further is «Sweetbreads» or ris of calf with black truffles and celery purée in the rather contemporary restaurant of young chef Fabien Blanc La Remanence.  The French name of this dish is Ris de veau. In the menu it is written like this: Ris de veau croustillant cuit au beurre noisette, Crumble de pieds de mouton, jus truffé. Almost in all respectable restaurants of Lyon the menu is in French solely…and there is no flirting with the tourists. Décor and other flowers are absent in the dish also.

In the Guy Lassausaie near Lyon which is agnominated by the chef’s name I tasted another interpretation of Sweetbreads.  This time with artichokes, salsify and morels with morels’ juice. The original name in the menu is Ris de veau de lait rôti en cocotte, artichaut, salsifis et jus aux morilles. The salsify’s leaves in the dish didn’t look like decoration…

In the best restaurants a huge attention is paid to the temperature and quality of the paltes, quality of the tablecloths and attention of the personnel. And design-décor of the dishes almost in every respectable restaurant comes to the duo product-sauce or to the triumvirate product-garnish-sauce.

How this dish is called in original?

What does unite macaroon Amaretti, remains of stewed meat or beef ragout, cuttings of sausage, a little of minced meat fried all over, and also raisins, pears, sage, Parmesan and all these with garlic, parsley, rind of lemon and bacon?

The rest of products are less typical and therefore they don’t mentioned.

One more specification, in the Russian-language Internet this dish is absent.

At the same time this is one of the key dishes from one of Northern regions of Italy.

One more tip, this dish isn’t cooked at all and it isn’t served in Ukrainian and Russian Italian restaurants.

One who will give the right answer will get a small prize.

Also please mention where you tasted this dish or how did you know about its existing.

Please send the answer just to e-mail savva.libkin@gmail.com

The answers from the employees of our Company aren’t considered!

So that to cook the dish, which according to legend was invented by Italian prostitutes, in Odessa you’ll need for 4 portions at least 400 hryvnyas. And this is only for products for one dish. If to proceed from that after a shift a bottle of wine is necessary also and so that some money will be available, then it looks like they were paid rather many…

I can’t enclose the check from the shop as there are also the products for other purposes. So, for 4 portions you’ll need at the least 600 grams of flour type 00 of Italian origin – 14 -16 hryvnyas and 14-15 yolks of domestic eggs, which cost approximately – 20-25 hryvnyas. For sauce you’ll need a jar of anchovies – approximately 50 hryvnyas and a jar of capers which also cost from 40 up to 55 hryvnas. Then a jar of tinned peeled tomatoes also from Italy, which costs 38-55 hryvynas and about 400 grams of proper fresh tomatoes like on the photo – 60 hryvnyas in winter and cheaper in summer. Then you’ll need about 200-250 grams of olive oil no worse then Monini DOP, and this is more 80-90 hryvnyas and also 300 grams of shallot – 30 hryvnyas and decent olives for 30 hryvnyas more. I don’t count spices, garlic and parsley. Altogether is about 380 – 400 hryvnyas*. So that the dish will come out in the right way also necessary hands and skill, but I offer don’t appraise in the context of the post’s subject:)

From the olives which left over after the cooking of pasta, you can cook my favorite sandwiches for breakfast. Of course if fresh butter and bread are found.

*Prices mentioned in the post are typical for the shop Delight and Besarabsky Market in Kiev and for the shop Kosmos and Noviy Market in Odessa.

Kommersant Weekend, Kiev: about opening of the next restaurant without subject in the food in the capital. The total creative disorder reigns in the selection of dishes — the quotation from the note on the page, but on the cover is the essence of the city — the opening of salon Aston Martin. When I wrote the name I felt rather uncomfortable…

La Сucina Italiana, Italian edition for USA: about daily menu in the Italian interpretation, about recipes of pasta and seafood, about versions of cooking frittata and about advertisement of Grana Padano.

Simple Wine, Moscow: about threat from China in the production of wine and about that Jeannie Cho Lee, main wine critic of China, who has bought on the auction in Alba the truffle for 105 000 Euros, works for Robert Parker, also about food with flowers performed by guru and about that it is in fashion to use hay as a aroma additive when baking meat or fish. The main material about New Year meals performed by famous Moscow chefs…

Gastronom, Moscow: about gastronomic view of Starck, a little about trends, about onion and onion soup, about snack to vodka and about trainer for cooks from Denmark, about Umbria and Amazon.

Afisha Eda, Moscow: about winter fishing and local!!! fish, about food in Israel and in Bangkok, about bread with foreign names and about pearl barley, again about local product.

Restorator Ukraine: about Internet and holiday cares, about molecular (I can hardly keep myself from writing bactericidal) cuisine and « queues» for it, about food stylists and about their tricks…

Caffe&Bar, Ukraine: about cigars and hotel stars, about truffles and about increasing of sales of vodka up on 70-80% in comparison with August.

In the result I didn’t understand about what generally write local editions, but this is off topic….

The stove Viking and everything that can be placed on it.