Blog Archives

Golubtsi

Last week I made Golubtsi, also known as stuffed cabbage rolls. Golubtsi - is a delicious comfort food popular in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, Ukraine. Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the Balkans, Central Asia, Egypt, North Africa, China, and Korea. Polish – Golabki, Ukrainian – Holubtsi, Romanian – Sarmale, Georgia – Tolma, Balkans – Sarma, Hungary...
Read more

Vareniki / Pierogi with potatoes and mushrooms or cherries and blueberries

Vareniki ( varenyky, pierogi, perogies ) are stuffed dumplings from Ukraine made from unleavened dough and different fillings. Some of the more popular fillings are vegetables, boiled potatoes, salted cabbage, baked pumpkin, fruits and berries, meat, mushroom, cheese, poppy seed, or buckwheat. My favorite fillings are meat, potatoes with onions and mushrooms, cottage cheese or curd cheese with cherries....
Read more

Khinkali

Khinkali are Georgian dumplings, but also popular in Armenian and Azerbaijani cuisine. Eating Khinkali is an art - using only your hands, hold the handle with the your fingers, then biting the pocket. You aren't supposed to use a knife or fork, since it will release all the broth. This is what differentiates it from Read more

Crispy Fried Onions

Crispy, slightly sweet onion. This is a great addition to burgers or salads. My kids like to add it to their pasta or mashed potatoes. The next day the  onions are not as crispy like on the first day so try to use the same day but if not, they can still be used in various dishes and stored...
Read more

Chicken Pho

Vietnamese Pho soup is a nourishing meat or chicken broth soup with rice noodles. Importantly this soup also contains herbs, chili pepper, and lime. Pho soup is a popular street food in Vietnam. In the South they eat the soup for breakfast and sometimes for lunch and the north of Vietnam consume it at any time of day. The soup...
Read more

Uzbek Plov

Plov is a central Asian dish made mostly from rice is cooked in a seasoned broth, called zirvak (Uzbek). Depending on the region it may also contain meat, fish, vegetables, pasta, and even dried fruits. In the east, plov is almost a daily staple but at the same time is served for special events like a wedding, funeral, child birth etc. Since...
Read more

Pico de Gallo

This recipe is great with chips and is perfect for summer barbecues and parties or winter Super Bowl Sunday party. Jalepeno peppers can be substituted with serrano peppers or even habanero if you like it very hot. The key to this recipe is not to blend the ingredients and not to cut the pieces too large, it's important the...
Read more