Author: Nadia
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Lazy Ravioli with Cheese
It is 95 F today in Boston. Feels like Florida. Even more so since our portable a/c has not arrived yet. So, what’s for dinner today?.. Well, something simple with minimum cooking. I happened to have a package of farmers cheese in the fridge, and something lazy came to mind. I have omitted the most…
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Okroshka
Okroshka is a traditional cold Russian summer soup that doesn’t need to be boiled. It is usually made on hot days when nobody wants to move, let alone cook something serious in the kitchen. This soup contains mostly raw vegetables, boiled eggs, and fermented drink kvas. It makes a quintessential healthy food. This soup is…
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Kolache – Czech Pastries
Funny enough, we couldn’t find kolache, one of traditional Czech pastries, in any Prague bakeries that were on our way. Maybe we just didn’t know the right place… or maybe they became one of those things people make at home. Anyway, I decided to bake them on return from our trip, armed by a recipe…
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Knedliky – Czech Dumplings
What could be more Czech than knedliky! They are often served as a side dish to meat with gravy, but there is also a sweet fruity variation that was introduced to us by Stania, one of our guides in Prague. Sweet Knedliky can make a nice breakfast, lunch or even dinner, they are very nutritious…
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Fiddlehead Fern Salad
This recipe is another experiment with fiddlehead fern salad. The first one was a complete fiasco. This time it was dashed off intuitively, with Asian cuisine in mind. To my taste, it turned out quite well. If you are in this particular mood, follow me… What you need: 1.5 cups fiddlehead fern 1 big clove…
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Quick Olady – Mini Buttermilk Pancakes
Olady (pronounced [aladyi]) is one of many Russian traditional flour treats, usually served for breakfast. There are classic and simple olady. Classic are made with yeast, and simple are made with baking soda and buttermilk or sour cream. Today’s recipe is fast and simple, the final product is light and airy, and just begs to…
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Happy Easter!
Happy Easter, folks! May Peace, Love and Prosperity follow you at all times. I love Easter: winter with its snow aggravation is behind, the sun shines more, and people look happier. Today we had a lovely Easter branch with painted eggs, buns, and a variation of no-bake cheese cake Russian style that is traditionally prepared…
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Golubtsy – Cabbage Rolls with Meat
Russian golubtsy that are known in America mostly as Polish golabki, are simply cabbage rolls with meat and are popular in many European countries. I consider golubtsy one of Russian traditional and loved dishes. It takes some effort and patience, but the payoff is just great: steaming hot rolls with most delightful meat filling accompanied…
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Solyanka – Meat Soup with Pickles
After battling with the snow on our roof and driveway, we had a little break of warmth and sunshine. Not for long! The weekend was disappointingly windy and cold. Our aching bodies begged for a proper fuel… Browsing through famous Cookbook by Elena Molokhovets, I suddenly remembered this soup: loaded with different meats, cucumbers, olives,…
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Mushroom Soup Russian Style
The first rays of the sun are piercing the crowns of Siberian pines… A mооsе family trotted afar, and disappeared in the morning fog… An early lizard darted onto the stump, and froze, catching the sunshine… The air is fresh and brisk… I am walking along the path overgrown with blue moss… I am looking…
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Spiced Lamb Chops
Spices were never used a lot in my cooking, with the exception of black pepper and salt, which I do not even consider spices. That’s how I grew up – in my mom’s kitchen where wonderful things were cooked, we didn’t use unusual stuff. Spices like coriander or cumin could be bought only at the…
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Cookie Cake
Exhausted by two major storms last week, I was not inclined to stand long hours in the kitchen on the weekend. But the cold weather and snowy surroundings called for something sweet. When shopping at my favorite Russian market, I glanced at a shelf with plain Russian cookies, cookies that I remember since my nursery…
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Cloaked Herring
This Holiday Season was marred for me by a nasty flu that has been keeping me disabled in terms of elaborate cooking. Alas. I will see better days… Only Masha’s presence and inspiration made it possible to create something worth mentioning. The herring dish I am sharing with you today is one of the favorite…
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Vinegret – Jazzy Holiday Salad
Without vinegret, a winter vegetable salad, Russian traditional table is missing one of its important components. As far as I remember my precious self, vinegret (please do not confuse it with vinaigrette – a dressing made of oil and vinegar)was always in my mama’s festive winter menu, especially on New Year’s eve. Colorful, refreshing and…
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Butter Cookies
These cookies definitely belong to sinful food. Not your everyday food, as Julia Child would say. So if you are scared that your arteries will be suddenly clogged with fats, and your waist will expand unexpectedly, please don’t bother to read the recipe. But those of you who sometimes give in and let your desires rule…
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Fresh Stuffed Peppers
This recipe was inspired by my trip to then Checkoslovakia long time ago when yours truly was pregnant with the other chef of this blog. 🙂 I felt not well (to say the least), but was able to notice blooming cherries, the beauty of Prague, and gastronomic things we were offered in restaurants – koláče…
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Kholodets – Meat Jelly
Meat jelly is no other than boiled meat pieces in aspic. This is one of the dishes I love and remember from my mom’s holiday menu. Kholodets that derives in Russian from the word kholod (cold) is a traditional winter treat, loved by many. It takes one day and half a night to prepare, but the result is…
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Beef Liver Patties
As much as I liked pea soup, I hated liver in my early years. Oh God, I remember so vividly how I was sitting over my plate in desperation, unable to get this hateful piece of fried liver down. I was a rather sickly child, and mama fed me with half-done liver for anemia. That’s…
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Pea Soup
Traditional pea soup with pork hocks, perfect for warming body and spirit, but requires some patience… Pea soup has been one of my favourites since nursery school. I still remember its wonderful smell when we the kids used to fall into the building from our outing in the snow. Oh, was it good to throw off…
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Apple Turnovers
Apple season is almost over, but one can still buy fresh apples, just from a tree. Those apples are quite different from what you will buy in a store in winter. Juicy, crunchy, and I would say live. Even preserves and pie fillings are tastier if made from those fresh apples. I had another opportunity…
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