Solyenka

Spending the holiday seasons alone and abroad is pretty intimidating. It’s nice to have local friends to fill one’s free time. One night some of my friends came over to teach me how to make solyenka, a Russian meat soup.

I tried this soup first in a restaurant in Kazan and wasn’t impressed. But after discussing recipes at the banya with the ladies, I decided to give this soup another try, and it was so worth it. Think of it as a Russian pizza soup (minus the cheese and mayo). Or as some Russians advise me, it’s the best soup to cure a hangover.

Ingredients  (8-10 servings)

Four pieces of beef with bone (look for little fat, or cut this off before, and mostly bone)

1 lbs of beef, cubed

10 cups of water

A log of pepperoni, cut into matchsticks

4 hot dogs (We bought two different kinds, milk and “normal”), slice like coins

1/3 lb of cured ham, about a cm cubed

A jar of pickles (salted pickles, rather than vinegar pickles is more common here), cut into matchsticks

1 onion, diced

¼ cup of tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 jar of whole green olives, sliced in half long-ways

1 can of black olives, sliced in half long-ways (Save the juice)

Salt to your taste

Lemon, capers, and sour cream for plating

1.       Place the beef in a large pot with water. Let water boil into a broth for about 2 hours. While the broth is developing take a spoon and scoop off the foam that forms on top. The foam isn’t necessarily a problem. Without it, the broth is more pure and looks prettier. You can make the broth at any time, just refrigerate until use.

2.      Preheat oven to 250 degrees F

3.       Place cured meats in a pan and place into the oven for 10-15 minutes. This allows you to throw away some of the fat.

4.       Place onion, pickles and tomato paste into a frying pan until onions are cooked. Add to broth.

5.       Add meats, bay leaves, olive juice and olives to soup.

6.       Let it simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt to your taste.

7.       Cut the insides of the lemon in to eighths (no rind or pith). Place a lemon slice and a spoonful of capers at the bottom of each bowl. Then ladle the soup on top and add a dollop of sour cream on top.  Enjoy!

Home Sweet Home

People say that it takes a village to raise a child. I would argue for an expat, making a house (or an apartment) a home also takes a village. A little over two weeks ago, my flatmate and I moved into our new apartment. We were looking for more independence than living with a host family had afforded us.

My new apartment is in a district outside of the city center. It’s a spacious (2-bedroom, balcony, kitchen, and full bath+ washer) first-floor apartment close to the bus stop. As soon as we paid the retailer (9,000 rubles—highway robbery) and the owner left, the benefits ended.

In the midst of grading final exams we moved-in. We found ourselves with a mold-ridden bathroom, a seat-less toilet, a leaky faucet, see-through curtains, and furniture infested with fleas and bed bugs. Our freedom had turned into an arduous challenge.

Over break I have made it my mission to make the apartment livable. Many people have helped us clean the apartment. Others have donated accessories and information about where to find cleaning supplies. Honestly, I have never been more excited in my life to receive a new pillow and blankets for Christmas/New Year’s presents.

So now, after the extermination of the bugs, I can finally make a cocoon in my bed and relax for the rest of winter break. 

Pictures of us hanging up curtains that are not see-through.

Sled Babies

As many people know, I love baby and toddler accessories from Northern Europe. This year, I have not been disappointed. During my time in Estonia, Finland, and Bishkek (Fine, it’s not Northern Europe, but it still gets snow and ice.), I have never seen anything as functional and adorable as these winter sleds/strollers for children. In general, I have observed that parks are usually full of families taking a stroll with the newborn during spring, summer, and fall, but these sleds provide a wonderful option for winter. Of course, there are many styles depending on the child’s height and weight, but the main components include runners with wheels attached to the back (for non-snowy areas), a seating place, and a handle. Here are some of my latest creeper shots from my romps around Dobroe: 

The Beginnings of Winter in Vladimir, Russia

     After completing my internship in Bishkek, I moved to Vladimir, a small historical city in Russia, to work for a company called The American Home. As you can see, the building actually looks like an American home. 

     Our fall semester is quickly coming to an end. In general, this means piles of journals and quizzes to grade, but it also means snow has come for good. As one who has lived in the South for half of her life, the first day of snow was exciting and terrifying. Usually, two fallen snowflakes in North Carolina bring about school delays, bank closures, and a massive rush to buy all of the bread and milk in the grocery stores. Luckily, I am not the only teacher from the South. We all comiserated the day we looked out the window, saw three inches of snow, and gasped as the trolley buses were still working. 

      Now that we have become accustomed to the snow, I've begun to notice that there are vast differences in snowfalls. In North Carolina, we just have the big, slow, falling flakes that encourage you to grab an oversized sweater and some hot chocolate. But in Russia,during the “warm” winter nights, you can sometimes see glittery snow. It’s the kind of snow you would see in old 1940s or 1950s Hollywood films (but probably in those cases it was actual glitter). It’s the kind that is perfect for a jaunt around your Soviet apartment block.

Summertime in the States

I am back in the States for the summer break. Before I leave for my next contract in Russia, I am slowly getting closer to a successful recipe for lepyoshka (лепёшка) without a tandori. 

Sewing and Felt Handicrafts Course

While shopping at the bazaars, one can't help but notice all of the felt products Kyrgyzstan has to offer. People in the streets wear felt hats and coats. Inside homes, people wear felt slippers on felt rugs. I've even seen people wear felt jewelry and children carry felt dolls. Felt products are not touristy souvenirs, but have been a part of everyday Kyrgyz life for centuries. 

Last month, a good friend of mine (one of the international students) took an embroidery and felt-making class at one of the local art schools. Often at hookah bars or while watching Game of Thrones, she would pull out her latest homework assignment and begin sewing. The pieces she was creating were beautiful and intricate. 

So in my admiration and lack of internet at home, I decided to take the course this month. All I can say is that I am addicted. I cannot find enough designs to sew or enough people to make things for. Two other teachers from my school and myself are taking the course twice a week. We began with talismans, then earrings, flowers, camels, and now yurts! If I had more time, the teacher, a small gentile Kyrgyz woman, said that we could have learned how to make slippers or shyrdaks (felt rugs), but alas June is coming quickly.  

Here are some of the things I've made thus far: 

Cafe Review: Chaixana Cafe Jalal-Abad

Chaixana/Cafe Jalal-Abad

Cnr of Kiev and Togolok Moldo, Bishkek

As the weather has gotten warmer, Bishkek is abound with outdoor cafes. Cafe Jalal-Abad was recommended to us through a local teacher at the school. Now, a group of us go there biweekly to enjoy the atmosphere and food.

Jalal-Abad has both indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating resembles traditional chaixanas, where customers are expected to take off their shoes before sitting on the raised couches. On the weekends or pretty days, the outdoor seating can fill up pretty quickly. The indoor seating resembles a Western cafe with tables and chairs.

The menu ranges from southern Kyrgyz food to Uyghur dishes. I recommend the shashlik (meat on a stick), the plov (best plov in Bishkek), or the manti (Central Asian dumplings). There are vegetarian options like the pumpkin or potato manti. If you sit outside, you can watch your samsa (meat pie) or shashlik being cooked. I also recommend ordering a dip under the salad section (the name escapes me) made of tvorog (farmer's cheese) and smetana (sour cream). It's excellent to add to your plov if you find it spicy or dipping lepyoshka (Central Asian bread) in it.

Occasionally, we've had price disputes over the bill; however all such problems have been resolved. 

 The architecture is Southern Kyrgyz                                             Cooking samsa in a tandori

Side of rice with different salads                                  Traditional summer salad with shashlik

Plov with green tea and tvorog/smetana dip

A Uyghir dish                                                                                         Vegetarian Manti