Category: taste of home
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Czech Cucumbers Stuffed with Meat
This is the final, and probably the most peculiar dish in our Czech series: thoroughly cooked stuffed cucumbers. I found this in several cookbooks on Czech cuisine, so it most likely is traditionally Czech. As usual, I make a few additions to the recipe, but nothing drastic to detract much from its classic taste. Attempt this…
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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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Czech Meat and Cabbage Loaf
The recipe for this meatloaf, sekaná in Czech, is adapted from the Czech cookbook (Česká domácí kuchařka díl 1.) mom and I bought while in Prague. To a Russian speaker, translating the ingredients from Czech is rather trivial, and the combination of cabbage, bread and milk in a meatloaf immediately struck me as original and…
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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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Charlotte – Easy Apple Pie
This is a Russian favorite (pronounced Shar-lot-ka), and also probably the easiest cake you will ever bake. It requires hardly any preparation and only the most basic ingredients. And yet… the distinctive pink crust and lovely tartness of the apples make it a perfect home-made companion to tea and coffee. Ready to try? What you…
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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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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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Olivier – Russian Salad
Most of the potato salads served in American Restaurants under the name “Russian Salad“, are simplified variations of this 20th century Russian classic. In Russia this salad is most commonly called Olivier Salad, and no self-respecting Russian feast can go without it. Where I come from, we call it simply the Winter Salad. Indeed, every…
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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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Mazurka – Dried Fruit Cake
No, I am not talking about a Polish folk dance. Mazurka is a sweet quick bread made with a lot of nuts and dried fruit. The nuts and fruit constitute as much as half of the dough. Mazurka is astonishingly easy to make, and is not meant to be a sophisticated cake. The bread consistency…
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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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Rassolnik – Chicken Soup with Pickles
Rassolnik is a fairly common traditional Russian soup. Its name comes from the Russian word rassol, or brine in which pickled cucumbers are kept. It is true that brine can be used in preparing this soup, but it is not essential. In practice, pickled cucumbers alone are sufficient to give the broth the tangy acidity…
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Kulesh the Warrior Food
Funny name? Maybe. According to one of the theories, this hearty millet dish originates from Cossack‘s cuisine. Easy to do, tasty, and very filling, kulesh could be cooked in the woods and fields on the open fire in cauldrons, and can be considered a warrior food. But the name probably derives from Hungarian koeles (millet porridge). It is cooked in Ukraine, Belorussia,…
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