Quick peek at latest recipes posted - questions, comments invited! Looking forward to hearing from you!
Growing up, kohlrabi was always added to Sunday’s chicken soup and I would happily consume it and the cooked carrots along with (what we called) “soup meat” - the chicken from the soup pot.
I can’t recall when I first encountered kohlrabi soup - it may have been while visiting relatives in Hungary. It is so light that it makes for a lovely spring soup.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
In 2021, our Family Day tradition of making sausages with friends could not happen, but Mr. KB and I channelled our sausage energy into replicating - for the first time ever - my family’s hurka sausage.
A few times we helped my grandparents/parents make this sausage, but I was left with not 100% clear memories (other than the wonderful taste) and two somewhat vague/confusing recipes in my mom’s handwriting. Adding to that some research and we’re happy with the results.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
To welcome in 2021, I decided to resurrect a dessert recipe that we have not made for years - Chestnut Purée. For years, this was a traditional dessert on Xmas Eve, and I thought it was a Hungarian dish.
Turns out it has Italian roots and is popular in many countries.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
This has been on the blog since 2015 and it is the only recipe I have ever used for ribs. It was in my old handwritten recipe notebook, and I was gobsmacked to see it was from a 1979 (!!) Gourmet Magazine. Established in 1941 , it was very suddenly closed down in 2009.
Prep the rub and sauce the day before and you have an easy meal.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
Springtime in Hungary? This soup appears often - a broth filled with delicate flavours, fresh sweet peas, and the texture of little dumplings (csipetke or nokedli).
Lovely with spring peas, it is just as tasty with frozen peas.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I’m sure there’s some technical difference between a crisp and a crumble, but right now I don’t care.
All I know is that I can’t stop making/eating this. It’s similar to the crumble recipe already on this blog, but uses a bit less fruit and somehow feels faster.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I find “pulling” pork to be a bit difficult/ tedious. Pulling chicken is easy. I like using the more tasty thigh meat.
The only thing you may not have on hand to make this is the bottle of liquid smoke, but it’s easy to find at most grocer’s. Serve these on the brioche-type buns. You can make this the day ahead!
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
Need comfort food during COVID-19? Last year I broadened my interest from corn on the cob, to corn “off the cob” - as in cutting kernels off fresh corn cobs. Mind you, frozen corn is terrific - making this a year-round comfort food! And then there’s BACON. And cream! Enough said!
This is meant to be eaten warm, though it’s still good at room temperature.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I get daily newsletters from the wonderful Saveur and their team always impresses especially with East European recipes. I could not ignore this recipe and have already made it more than once - with a few tweaks.
This is a beef goulash which is technically more traditional since the origins of the dish are linked to the “cowboys” herding cattle. In Hungary, goulash is a soup - period. No debate.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
This fabulous treat is based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen who was inspired to make it when faced with leftover ricotta.
I too love to make things with ricotta, plus for a review of local bakeries I’d been eating a lot of cannoli. I was hooked! Made it and love it!! The recipe also uses olive oil which is considered healthier than butter.
Is it a “cake” or “bread. Read more…
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I had discovered the wonders of miso and now was on the lookout for how else to use it.
I’ve lost count of how often I have made this addictive recipe - even with frozen corn now that the corn harvest has ended. If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can pull this together quickly as a side or a snack.
Great warm or at room temperature.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
Orzo is great in salads and this pretty combo is always a hit with family and guests. You may like fennel but are not sure how to use it. If you’ve never had fennel, try this salad where it adds a pleasant crunch.
This can be served at room temperature or chilled so it’s also good for potlucks or picnics.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
This Hungarian cucumber salad is iconic. It will appear without fail at any home-cooked feast.
With a tangy - sweet flavour, it's a great accompaniment to any kind of breaded meat (think schnitzel or fried chicken), and the perfect side for Chicken Paprikas. I was not fond of it as a child since I hated cucumber seeds, but these days most of us use "English Cucumbers" which are almost seedless.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
For years, this appeared every Xmas, made by my mother-in-law. Once she stopped baking, it was missed, so I made it my business to figure it out. Maybe one day someone else in the family will join me in carrying on the tradition.
There’s quite a story about this 125 year old confection. If you have ever been to Budapest, you undoubtedly went to the famous Cafe Gerbeaud. This is one of their signature desserts.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I love the look of coloured heirloom carrots. Clearly, they can be cooked in any way, but I needed a stove-top method.
This is a simple recipe with respect to instructions and is ready to serve in about 10 minutes. Cutting the vegetables into matchsticks can be a bit time-consuming but can be done ahead of time.
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I’d be happy to eat squash every day. There are so many varieties and variations, You can get fancy, but there’s nothing wrong with a quick toss in oil, some salt/pepper and an oven bake.
This recipe is a tiny bit more interesting, and includes cardamom. It also works best with Delicata Squash - which has an edible skin - translation - no need to peel the squash!
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I’m posting this just after peak zucchini season, but zucchini are available all year so you can make this great veggie side dish anytime!
I have to admit that the prep is a wee bit fiddly. You have to slice the zucchini thinly and then coat each in crumbs. Just go into Zen mode and you’ll be a half hour away from a heavenly treat.
I have now made them several times, so will share the variations and what worked for me!
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
It’s harvest season and cabbages are appearing. While that veggie is tremendously versatile, there are moments when "cabbage” + “pasta” come to mind. (It’s a Hungarian “thing”.)
No surprise that this combo also appears in far east cuisine in the form of dumplings. We enjoy dumplings, though do not often get to restaurants that excel at making them. Truth is it can be fun to make them at home and it’s surprisingly easy!
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
Summer days and dreams of Shrimp Rolls.
As if they were a super special treat.
Fact is - they are so crazy easy, you could have them every day - which is Mr. KB's advice - and wish!
Though Lobster Rolls may come to mind first, they are more costly. These rolls made with salad shrimp are economical and are just as satisfying!
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.
I am always, always distracted by Italian Cookies. How have I not known about Zaleti?
Variously referred to as Zaeti, Zaleti, Xaleti, and Xaeti, these cookies are considered Venetian and were popular in poor families who tended to have the ingredients - cornmeal being the main one. In fact the cookie name is linked to their word for "yellow" - the colour of cornmeal.
Zaleti are not too sweet. They have great texture from the cornmeal - and they're Italian! Bet you can't eat just one!
Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.