This Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas recipe is this year’s addition to my plant-forward repertoire. It illustrates how seasoning with an unusual spice blend can amplify the flavor of a common vegetable. When I was growing up in Maryland, Mama and other family cooks cooked vegetables they knew. Thus, my vegetable diet …
Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas Read More »
My daughter Sophia teases me whenever I choose a beet dish from a restaurant menu, saying, “So Ukrainian of you!”. But I love the sweetness and earthiness of beets, which have been a part of my diet in soups, main dishes, and salads since childhood. This Winter Beet and Dried Plum Salad with Walnut Dressing …
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I first encountered this Korean Carrot Salad (in Ukrainian морква по-корейськи, корейський салат з моркви; also called morkovcha in transliteration from Russian) when I started to work in Ukraine over two decades ago. In those days, most fresh vegetables vanished from Ukraine’s markets by the end of October and those that remained were imported and …
I became curious about salting and fermenting vegetables when I lived in Ukraine and this post summarizes what I learned and provides my adaptation of classic recipes to small batches. The first summer I worked in Ukraine, a female colleague returned to the office with red-stained hands after a weekend in their family village. When …
Making Summer Last — Salting and Fermenting Vegetables in Ukraine Read More »
This Chilled Crayfish Soup (холодник з раками – cold soup with crayfish) is one of many cold soups enjoyed by Ukrainians and their Eastern European neighbors. On a hot summer day, Ukrainians substitute a hot meal with a cold soup – kholodnik (холодник from the root word холод, meaning cold in Ukrainian) to refresh and …
Sometimes an unconventional combination of simple ingredients produces a winning dish. So, it was with a savory pastry known in Ukraine by two names: Potato Kasha Knysh or Yavoriv Pie. The common thread between the two is a mashed potato-buckwheat groat (kasha) filling. No one knows the name of the cook who first combined mashed …
These Ukrainian Potato Zrazy – Potato Pancakes Stuffed with Mushrooms — are traditionally eaten by Ukrainian families in the spring, especially during Lent, which many Ukrainians consider a time for cleansing, penitence and fasting. This year this tradition was disrupted by war, and I am posting this Ukrainian Zrazy recipe to honor Ukraine’s culinary traditions …
Ukrainian Potato Zrazy — Potato Pancakes Stuffed with Mushrooms Read More »
I had another post planned this month, but the start of Russia’s horrific, unprovoked war against Ukraine on February 24, caused me to reflect on my culinary heritage, and I prepared a pot of Ukrainian Borshch, Ukraine’s national dish, in solidarity with my countrymen who are fighting to preserve life, country, culture and democracy. Ukrainian …
I don’t remember every great meal I’ve ever enjoyed, but some meals are more memorable than others. The Wisconsin Corn Chowder I enjoyed at the home of my sister Maria’s in-laws, Arlene and Edward Oliver on a fall day decades ago in Albany, Wisconsin made a lasting impression and I’ve often tried to replicate it …
This Tomato Goat Cheese Tart is my home lockdown project. During the pandemic lockdown, I expanded our small low-maintenance, urban perennial and shrub garden in Chicago by tucking in a few pots of tomatoes and herbs. This small pot enhancement to our garden provided a welcome diversion between streams of on-line activities. The herbs — …