svekolnik cold beet soup

Svekolnik Cold Beet Soup

Leave a Comment / Russian /

Svekolnik cold beet soup–sometimes erroneously called “cold borscht”–makes a perfect meal for a warm summer day. This refreshing dish of chilled beet-flavored broth and fresh chopped vegetables, attributed to Russian or Polish cuisine, is enjoyed throughout the region. Though often served with a garnish of sliced hard-boiled egg and smetana (sour cream) you can prepare it entirely vegan. Like its cousin okroshka, it is salad in liquid form.

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Květáková polévka

Cauliflower soup Květáková polévka

2 Comments / West Slavic /

Czech cauliflower soup (květáková polévka) is simple yet very satisfying. The Slovaks also enjoy this soup (they call it karfiolová polievka). When a single fresh vegetable is in season–or when scarcity provides only one–soup can turn it into an entire meal. Soup can serve as a light dinner on a warm night or after a larger lunch. Or it can serve as a starter to a more substantial meal. Unlike much of Europe, in America we tend to eat our largest meal at suppertime. But cauliflower soup makes a perfect evening supper in a Czech or Slovak household.

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Syrnyky sweet cheese pancakes

Syrnyky Sweet Cheese Pancakes

Leave a Comment / East Slavic /

Syrnyky fried cheese pancakes, made from sweet farmer’s cheese, are popular in several East Slavic as well as other cuisines. The fresh, unaged curd cheese in this recipe goes by many names: quark, tvorog (творог), syr (сир), white cheese and farmer’s cheese among them. Even strained cottage cheese would work in syrnyky, the Ukrainian name for these sweet cheese pancakes.

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Beef Tallow Banner

Beef Tallow

Leave a Comment / Ingredient /

Beef tallow or rendered beef fat is the bovine equivalent of lard. It’s solid at room temperature and keeps well in a closed container. If you have a big cut of meat with a lot of excess fat, save the trimmings and make your own. Even if you have a small amount of trimmed beef fat, you can save it tightly wrapped in the freezer until you have enough to make it worth your while.

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dobostorta

Hungarian Dobostorta (Dobos torte)

Leave a Comment / Hungarian /

Hungarian Dobostorta (Dobos torte) is a spectacular layer cake combining delicate sponge cake, buttercream frosting and a caramel topping. Eastern European cuisine is characterized by hearty, simple dishes–“peasant food” one might say. Lots of stewed meats, fermented foods and root vegetables populate the pages of this blog. Yet there are a few notable exceptions (beef stroganoff being one of them) where the dish was created intentionally and meant to be something “extra,” something elite or upscale. Chef József Dobos created the impressive dessert in 1885 for a national exhibition in Budapest, serving it first to the Emperor and Empress of Hungary. If Hungary has a national cake, this is it.

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