In my earlier life I didn’t need to know how to deal with dozens and dozens of long-stemmed roses at a time. Russian women confront this problem from time to time, such as on birthdays and on the 8th of March, which is Women’s Day.
Roses last longer if they’re allowed to rest at night in a water-filled bathtub. Not only does the bath keep them from wilting, it refreshes them if they have started to wilt. This amazing factoid is one for which I have little use in the U.S.
Every self-respecting Russian housewife makes her own jams from fresh berries. The grocery store where we shop doesn’t even carry factory-produced jams and preserves. Fortunately Slava likes honey.
It is a proud local tradition in the Urals for women to make Russian-style ravioli, known here as pelmeni. No, pelmeni and ravioli aren’t the same, and Slava has a hard time ever eating ravioli because for him it’s a poor substitute for pelmeni. To be really good the pelmeni meat filling must be ground by hand, and the yeast dough wrappings made from scratch. Every Russian husband in this region, except mine, says that his wife’s pelmeni is the best. Making pelmeni is a labor of love, but I figure that love can be a side dish to store-bought pelmeni.
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