On a recent trip to Argentina, I expected to eat large portions of meat and drink wine at every meal. Still, I was surprised by the culinary diversity offered in restaurants, which dispelled the all-meat stereotype of Argentinian cuisine. Beef and other meats, of course, are on all menus, but so is seafood, an amazing …
These Medovi Pryanyky–honey spice cookies — have been an integral part of Ukrainian holiday traditions for centuries. Also called medianyky, medivnychky and medovyky, these names stem from the Ukrainian word for honey, med, meaning “made from honey” and announce that the dough contains honey, which makes sweet, long-lasting, easy-to-shape cookies. The word pryanyky (plural, pryanyk …
This Mocha Almond Waffle Torte is made with thin, waffled-wheat-flour wafers. Ukrainian cooks layer these versatile wafers, round or square, with an assortment of buttercream fillings, jams and sometimes almond or other nut pastes pressed together as a no-bake dessert. Some versions are served as a torte; others are cut into bars as cookies. I …
No-bake Mocha Almond Waffle Torte –Pischinger, Andruty or Wafer? Read More »
This Cherry Tart, Ukrainian Style (vyshnevyi pliatsok – вишневий пляцок) is a popular summer dessert in Ukraine where the cherry season runs from June through July. The Ukrainian word pliatsok describes a flat pastry, sweet or savory. The English word tart is the closest translation since the finished product more closely resembles thin European …
Cherry Tart, Ukrainian Style — Vyshnevyi Pliatsok Read More »
This Mazurok — Lemon Glazed Almond Raisin Cake is a pastry baked just before Easter in Ukraine. It is one of several sweet treats often included on the Easter table. We are a week away from Orthodox Easter, usually the most joyous and uplifting holiday of light and resurrection, but for many Ukrainian refugees this …
I always looked forward to my mother-in-law Solie Johnson’s visits to Chicago, usually in early February for our daughter Sophia’s birthday. Solie would arrive with a suitcase laden with Weldon’s favorite cookies and lefse, a Norwegian potato flatbread. Her presence was a blessing. It meant that for the time of her visit, Weldon and I …
The old proverb that one man’s trash is another’s treasure applies to kitchen tools and holiday cookies, too. Several years ago, on one of my occasional wanderings through a Kyiv flea market, I spotted an unusual artifact amid a jumble of old kitchen utensils spread out on a blanket on the ground. What attracted my …
When I first visited my mother-in-law Solveig Johnson’s house at 4821 N. 14th street in Tacoma WA, I knew I was at the home of serious cook. Her large sunny yellow eat-in kitchen that overlooked a vegetable garden was fully equipped with plenty of counters, ample storage space and a big pantry. The kitchen also …