Profile

Olga Massov

Olga Massov is the founder of Sassy Radish - a home-cooking blog that brings you familiar classics with a twist, in-season favorites, and some traditional Russian dishes. She wants to take the scary out of the kitchen and put you in it.

  • Website
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
  • Favorite foods: Too many to list, but here is a sampling. Herring, pelmeni, soup dumplings, green curry, chana masala, anything pickled, bahn mi, roast chicken, salad Olivier, fried egg on just about anything, pulled pork, bacon, chocolate, oysters.
  • Last bite on earth: Not fair. I would like all of the above, with maybe some foie gras, some lovely runny cheese, vanilla ice cream, cake and other foods. Picking a last bite on earth would mean I would be eating for a month. I'd have to make it worth my while.

Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: It's Damn Good, Damn It!

not sure i agree with the thoughts on the compost cookie - i thought it was phenomenal!! and my friend who got other cookies, agreed that the compost cookie was the best of the bunch!

Seriously Italian: Cinnamon Breakfast Toasts

oh my -- given how i'm pretty much obsessed with Gina's almond olive oil cake (and so is everyone who tried it) - i will have to make this. I hope she publishes a cookbook soon - I would absolutely love one!

Serious Grape: Pinotage, the Wine for Coffee Lovers

i've been a longtime fan of Pinotage and have been drinking it a lot, but particularly, I enjoy it at Thanksgiving - it goes really well with turkey!

Cook the Book: 'My Last Supper'

I'd want to start with a fresh corn with she-crab bisque (from The Hominy Grill in Charleston), followed by some braised short ribs (Jerry's in Soho) and in-season tomatoes with sea-salt, and for dessert, i would want a pumpkin-bread-pudding with chocolate chips. To seal the meal shut, I'd have a cup of lapsang souchong tea and a burnt caramel with sea salt chocolate (from The Chocolate Room in Park Slope).

Are Chef Brands Inherently Evil?

While i don't think ill of the branding, I do have a certain soft spot for restaurants that keep things simple, small, local. Blue Hill is a good example, as are Anissa and Prune. I think that something magical gets lost when restaurants/chefs become 'chains' and empires.

Grocery Ninja: Marinated Slippery Jacks

Hi, i love "maslyata" and grew up on them in Russia - my parents would marinate their own (and pick their own too!). Anyway, "maslyata" don't just mean "buttery ones" - "maslo" in Russian can be used for "butter" or "oil" - you would use "slivochnoye maslo" to describe butter as "slivochnoye" means "of the cream". If you had olive oil, sunflower oil, etc, you would use that word description in front of "maslo". I've always thought that the term Maslyata referred to the slipperiness of the mushroom - its cap is slick and slippery as if it's been oiled. And I think they're that slippery when you find them in the wild. I can always check with my Dad (the master mushroom picker of our family) to see if they're so "oily" in their natural state.

Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in L.A., N.Y., and Everywhere: Where's Your Favorite?

I have to say that I make a pretty mean grilled cheese, with Fontina/Gruyere blend, a thin slice of apple on a nice sourdough bread. I also like to do a cheese sandwich with a slice of onion and a slice of tomato as well. Perfect rainy day food!

Cook the Book: 'Pure Dessert'

Apple or hazelnut anything. Pies, tarts, apple coffee cake - I have just written up about a spanish apple cake i just made with Calvados. Baked apples or apple butter. I was thinking about trying to make an apple/cardamom flavored creme brulee or an apple sorbet, even though the weather is turning for the colder.

What's Your Go-To Weekday Breakfast?

Ronnybrook Farms Plain Yogurt (not low fat - full blast, baby!) with a spoonful of blueberry jam. I also quite like farmer's cheese with some raspberry jam, but it's only the farmer's cheese that's made my parents' local Russian grocery store.

Is There a Lemon Sorbet You Love?

I don't like Sharon's Lemon Sorbet at all - and lemon sorbet happens to be my favorite frozen dessert... so... i don't enjoy haagen daz either - because it tastes more like ice cream than sorbet. Ciao Bella, is really good, I think... But nothing beats making your own at home! It's unparalleled.

Häagen-Dazs vs. Ben & Jerry's: Which Are You Down With?

curiously enough, i find both to be overly sweet, however, were i to choose, i would stick with Haagen Dazs.

i do, however, prefer to just make my own!

tomato soup

tomato soup

this soup is incredibly simple, but is the best tomato soup i've ever had, letting the clean, hearty tomato flavor shine. comes together in a pinch - perfect for weeknights!

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