This recipe comes from my friend Marisa, who shares a love of pickled things. It is very simple and does double-duty as hearty, but also somehow refreshing due to the tangy kraut. In my recipe I used some winter savory and chervil from my garden, which I have included on the blog just to annoy […]
Eastern European
Stschi – Meat and Cabbage Stew
My lovely brother accused me of posting elitist bourgeoise recipes using the steam oven, so here’s a recipe for the people–LITERALLY. This is from DDR Kochbuch – Das Original, a cookbook of East German recipes that we got in Weimar. This clearly influenced by the multitude of Russian recipes for shchi, or cabbage soup. Being […]
Solyanka Russian Soup
This hearty soup can miraculously turn bits and bobs from your winter larder into a satisfying, savory meal. This is one of the few examples of cooking with pickles–don’t turn your nose up! Their zingy flavor blends pleasingly into the soup and adds some delightful crunch. The soup is made with a variety of meats, […]
Vinegret – Russian Marinated Vegetable Salad
This is a wonderful salad made with cooked vegetables and a zingy dressing. It’s great as a side dish and keeps well for several days. It’s also colorful and well-suited to Minnesota vegetables! Try to cut everything into 1 cm cubes (except for the peas of course). I probably could have diced these better–but taste […]
Sauerkraut and Bratwurst Brötchen Sandwiches
I created these (with heavy inspiration from Kramarczuk’s) for a German themed dinner party. I made the hard rolls from scratch from the Joy of Cooking recipe, though you could buy them for a faster meal. I couldn’t help spicing them up, so maybe they have some Hungarian influence? 1 dozen small hard rolls (see […]
Czech Style Dumplings
These dumplings are a nice addition to stewy meals, especially for example goulash. The way I had them in Prague was sitting in the broth of the goulash in thin(1″) slices. The recipe is adapted from here. Note that I’ve mostly halved the recipe – I left the yeast high, since it’ll rise faster. This […]
Making Pelmeni, Basic Pasta Dough
For mom’s birthday I decided to make her some pelmeni (Russian dumplings) with my awesome new pelmeni-maker. I learned about this clever device when we had crazy Russian neighbors on Jackson Street, and the babushka of the house invited us over and made a batch of pelmeni. I hadn’t come across the mold in any […]
Pierogies and Kielbasa with Summer Veggies
This one-dish recipe accomplishes three valuable things: a) uses frozen convenience foods, b) uses fresh summer vegetables, and c) feeds you tastily and quickly. I use packaged turkey kielbasa (the regular kind seems unnecessarily greasy to me), but it would be good with Kramarczuk’s Ukranian sausage. You can omit and substitute ingredients according to what […]
Circassian Chicken
I’ve never been the Caucasus, but if I go, I intend to eat non-stop. So far all the recipes I’ve had from that region are a fantastic melding of East and West that highlight some of my favorite ingredients. Alex once made this dish, and I remember it taking him all day because he didn’t […]
Braised Cabbage and Apples
Here’s a tasty winter side dish that adds some magenta to the plate. It’s not quick-cooking but it’s worth the wait. This is my interpretation of the version in The Art of Jewish Cooking. Preheat the oven to 350. 1 small-ish red cabbage, chopped finely4 Tbsp. butter1 red onion, slivered2 tart apples, chopped finely3/4 c. […]