31 chef's corner New Year, Old Traditions Photo by Bradley Hawks Happy New Year! This is a time of joy, celebration and new beginnings. All around the world people gather with loved ones, food and drinks specially prepared for this one night to say good-bye to an old year, and welcome in all the hopes for the future. Ringing in the New Year for my family and me is full of nostalgic traditions, as well as symbolic and sentimental foods. Growing up in Kiev, every New Year’s Eve we gathered around a table with friends and family. Traditional Russian Olivier potato salad, herring, caviar and pork dishes covered the table from edge to edge. At midnight, “Ded Moroz” or Santa, miraculously dropped off gifts for the kids under the tree. The adults drank champagne and ice-cold vodka, confetti and sparklers lit up the tiny Soviet rooms, as the kids played in the snow and fell asleep after fi lling their bellies with dumplings. Although the late 1980s in the ex-Soviet Union were years of depression and turmoil, in my childhood memories, the holidays were full of enchantment and, delicious and elegant specialty foods. New Year’s Eve 1990 was one of those unforgettable nights that will stick with me forever. On December 31, my parents, brother and me said goodbye to not just the old year but to our entire life and family. With hopes for a better future in America, the four of us boarded a midnight train from Kiev to Paris en route to New York. Instead of spending the night celebrating with family, we were escaping. We were political refugees, the U.S. welcomed us to safety only if we were able to cross the border. The USSR did not give us permission to visit the U.S., so we had to trick the authorities into thinking we were going on vacation to Paris. Our refugee visa was smuggled in our suitcase lining. Part of our escape strategy was to not show sadness or grief. As the train began to move, I pressed my face to the window and watched my cousin gait along the platform as we quickly disappeared into the snowy night. Before the train guards could notice my tears, papa moved me into our car and gently, but with stress and fear in his eyes, reminded me what we had to do. The night before we left Kiev, papa went to visit my Uncle Slavick, a big and jovial man who loved to cook, and was incredibly good at it. He worked as a stock boy at a local meat market and was therefore able to get some of the best cuts. As a parting gift he prepared us traditional roasted garlic-spiked pork loin with black pepper and parsley. He wrapped it in paper and string. As we crossed the border into Germany, we sliced the loin and ate it with bread. I will never forget that meal. We had to throw the Soviets off our trail, so in a layover in Berlin we slipped out from our train car and crossed the tracks to board another to Frankfurt-am-Main where we met an art collector named Konstantin. He had fallen in love with my father’s work and was slowly buying off his collection. When Konstantin found out our plan to escape he offered to buy us plane tickets to NYC in return for several of my father’s paintings. On January 2, 1991, Papa’s 40th birthday, we landed in JFK and were transferred by Immigration Services to a nearby refugee motel on Astoria Boulevard, our fi rst home in America. Uncle Slavick’s pork loin traveled with us the entire way to this motel. Our daily meal consisted of Roy Roger’s fried chicken in the New Year of 1991 and it was awesome! I instantly fell in love with the totally different and unfamiliar fl avors. Twenty years later, I opened my restaurant in Queens, where every New Year’s Eve I serve a roasted garlic-spiced pork loin with parsley. It’s a tradition that is not only delicious, but has a lot of meaning for me and my family. I hope 2014 brings you lots of love, joy and happiness, and many amazing meals with family and friends! Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky Executive Chef and Owner of Bear Restaurant 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City www.bearnyc.com CHEF NATASHA POGREBINSKY Garlic Spiked Pork Loin with Parsley Serves 8 Ingredients: A deep roasting pan, large enough to cover the loin Parchment paper Trimmed Pork Loin, about 5 lbs 1 head of garlic 1 bunch of fresh parsley Fresh ground black peppercorns 1 large yellow onion 4 bay leaves Spice mix: coriander, caraway, fresh ground black pepper, yellow mustard seeds, cumin, salt Sunfl ower Oil Foil Preparation: • Pre-heat oven to 375 F • Make sure your pork loin has a medium layer of fat • Take a teaspoon of each spice and mix in bowl • Slice all garlic about 1/4 inch thick • With a narrow, sharp knife make 10 small incision pockets on each side of pork loin • Insert sliced garlic into the pockets, reserve some garlic • Place parchment paper on bottom of pan • Rub the pork loin with oil and spice mix • Place extra garlic on the bottom of pan, lay the pork loin down, cover with extra garlic, whole parsley bunch, pinch of salt and a little fresh ground pepper. Cover the entire pan tightly with a lid or foil • Cook in oven for 40 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes or pasta. Use the juices at the bottom of the pan as sauce or gravy.
LIC012014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above