Snowdrops and Chilled Borscht

This borscht is way more virtuous than what A.D. Miller's decadent, morally suspect Snowdrops called for.  The book is set in Moscow after the fall of communism, in the Putin era, when everyone was out to get rich and there were no truly "legitimate" businesses.  In this setting Miller puts Nick Platt, a British attorney in his late 30's who meets two beautiful Russian women on the subway platform and is quickly pulled into a deadly scam.  Nick knows that these women are using him, but he lets himself be used - because they are so beautiful, because he is so lonely.  The book is written as a confessional by Nick to his fiance in London years after his time in Moscow.  In order for her to really know him, he figures, she needs to know the worst of him.  The book starts with Nick describing a "snowdrop" which in wintry Moscow is a dead body found when a pile of snow melts as winter thaws.  From here Nick moves backward to tell the story of who the snowdrop was and how Nick lost himself completely once he met Masha.  More about the book and borscht after the jump.

A.D. Miller's Snowdrops is a sexy thriller about a boy who lost his way.  That is what Nick Platt really is at heart - a lost boy.  He ends up in Moscow after a middling career as an attorney in London.  He comes alone, with no attachments, and works for shady companies needing lawyers to make their deals appear more legitimate.  The fact that he is foreign, wealthy and lonely makes him the perfect target for "Masha" and her sister "Katya."  As soon as they spoke to him he was a goner.  Nick becomes involved with Masha and soon she introduces him to her "aunt" Tatiana, who is a former communist official who has a beautiful apartment.  As Nick becomes more involved with Masha, he also is caught up at work with a deal for a questionable character simply named "The Cossack."  This guy clearly fits into a stereotype of a bad Russian guy and would fit in perfectly as a villain in a James Bond movie.   Nick almost immediately senses that what he is doing at work and in his personal life is not write.  He starts to notice that Masha and Katya's stories have some holes in it - they are not really sisters but cousins for example.   He never goes to there apartment.  As he admits in the narrative to his fiance, he lets himself be lied to, and doesn't do a thing about it.  Even when he realizes that someone else could be hurt through their scheme, he still plays his part.  The story here is a bit predictable, but I still found myself compelled to keep reading to find out what happens.   Although Nick is a totally unsympathetic character, I really enjoyed Miller's narrative construct that this was all a big confession to his future bride.  I have never been to Moscow so I do not know whether Miller's portrayal is accurate, but he creates a vivid sense of place and a Moscow of the early 2000's exactly how I would imagine it to be - lawless, full of excess, and brutal. 

Borscht with Vegetable Salad, adapted from www.foodandwine.com
I don't think there is any borscht in Snowdrops - what the consume the most of is of course, vodka, but also blini and caviar.  I was not in a caviar mood (ha!) so decided to go with the cold borscht (also as a tribute to my Dad, see two posts ago).  I love beets, but have never been a big fan of borscht. Alas, that is still the case.  While I did not love the beet soup part of this recipe, I totally fell in love with the chopped vegetable salad, and ended up mixing the leftovers with some leftover sour cream for a real knockout of a salad.  It will be my go to summer salad this year, and you can dress it with something creamy like mayonnaise or lemon juice and olive oil.  It was a real winner - the borscht I think would be good if you like borscht - try it and decide for yourself!

Ingredients:

2 pounds medium beets, peeled and quartered

11 cups water

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound Kirby cucumbers—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup finely diced radishes

4 scallions, thinly sliced

3 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup coarsely chopped dill

1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving

Directions:

1. Combine the beets and the water in a large pot, bring to a boil and cook the beets until tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Remove the beets and let cool.  
3. Using a food processor shred the beets and return to the pot. Add the sugar, lemon juice, cider vinegar and salt and pepper.  Stir.
4. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. To make vegetable salad, cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender.
6. Combine in a bowl the cooked potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, scallions, eggs, dill and parlsey and fold together gently.
7. To serve the borscht, place the beet soup in a bowl, add about 1 cup of the salad to the middle.  
8. Top with sour cream.