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 …
This Pistachio Napoleon Torte is my twist on the traditional Ukrainian Napoleon. In my childhood, Napoleon Torte was the epitome of a fancy dessert made only for special occasions by my aunt Titka Maria or Mama. Years later, when I began working in Ukraine, I learned this torte was adored by other Ukrainians and prepared …
Pistachio Napoleon Torte – a Twist on a Ukrainian Classic Read More »
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 post presents a delectable apple and bread dessert known by various names. I call it Apple Babka, but similar recipes also are called Apple Zapikanka (pudding) or Apple Sharlotka (charlotte). The names often are confused because the recipes include similar ingredients: apples, bread or flour, butter, sugar and some also add eggs and/or milk. …
Apple Babka or Zapikanka or Sharlotka? – Ukrainian Apple Cake Read More »
Crimean Tatars, descendants of Mongol-Tatar nomadic tribes, left a legacy of chebureki (plural; singular; cheburek), their special savory meat-filled hand pies wherever they lived in Central Asia, including Ukraine. Chebureki resemble other hand pies eaten worldwide such as British Cornish pasty, Latin American empanada, Middle Eastern börek, Indian samosa, Italian calzone and Ukrainian pyrizhki. While there appears to …
This Cherry Almond Solozhenik (вишнево- міґдаловий соложеник in Ukrainian) is a vintage rustic dessert now regaining popularity as Ukrainian cooks highlight their culinary traditions and practices, refuting Russia’s repeated declarations that Ukraine is an invented country, and has no distinctive ethnic culture or traditions. The name “solozhenik” applies to a range of traditional Ukrainian sweets. …
Cherry Almond Solozhenik — a Rustic Ukrainian Dessert Read More »
In my childhood home, a bowl of Green Borshch and a piece of Egg, Scallion and Dill Tart were the harbingers of spring – a sign that the meat and potato dishes of winter months were put aside for lighter meals. Green Borshch or sorrel soup (Ukrainian: зелений борщ or щавелевий суп) is a variation …
Plachinda (плачинда in Ukrainian; plăcintă in Romanian) is a ubiquitous pastry with sweet or savory fillings, prepared in countries along the western coast of the Black Sea. Before current country borders were established after World War II, Bessarabia (Romanian: Basarabia; Ukrainian: Бессарабія; romanized: Bessarabia), as this region was known, served as a trade route between …