So Many Recipes, So Little Time
Grilling days — exploring marinades. Vinegary ones are probably my favorite. They do a quick job — four-five hours tops — flavoring meat. Garlic, mustard, thyme, and lemon flavors are here from the best Julia Child’s dressing. Sugar — to give it some color. Onion — for umami. And the last but not least is mayo:…
Italy meets Columbia meets Vietnam — in my bowl. Escarole with Cargamantos and Ot Hiem peppers preserved in fish sauce. That was a complete improvisation and what a success! At the market, I scored three beautiful heads of escarole. Yes, cannellini would be classic but I did not have them. Instead, I soaked a bag…
There is a word in Russian language — “zavodilovka.” I am not really sure if it’s a real word or my mom made it up. She was great with that — Google Translate got stumped. It means a non-urgent mostly useless undertaking that involves many steps and a lot of unnecessary hassle. This word immediately…
A little backyard pizza party. It takes some planning, especially with the dough. To have it on a Saturday, the dough should be prepared on a Wednesday and spend a few days in the refrigerator to develop a nice flavor. Most of the toppings take a few minutes to prepare and they can be done…
“Jos ei viina, terva ja sauna auta, nib tauti on kuolemaksi” — If alcohol, tar, and sauna can’t help, the disease is fatal. So says an old Finnish proverb about alternative medical treatments. While sauna and alcohol are nothing new, tar sounds interesting. Considered a sweat from an epic Kalevala character, an old wise man…
Is it Horta or Xorta? And how did l live all these years not knowing it? I do love my greens. Not for health reasons — the feeling is sincere. Wilted spinach is my favorite movie popcorn. A die hard carnivore, for broccoli rabe and escarole I can forgo a steak. Love fried chicken but…
Lately, I’ve been on a mission cooking Greek. Simplicity and taste intertwine in Greek food like in no other. It is my uneducated guess that a lot has to do with olive oil. This guess justifies my scheduled trip to Astoria at the beginning of the spring-summer cooking season to stock up on the good…
The grilling season is officially open. Pulling out mangal and warming up with my favorite chicken shashlyk flavored with cumin, paprika, loads of garlic, and lemon juice. All sealed into the meat with the best grilling accessory — mayo. There’s a little story here. Everyone knows and makes fun of a heavily mayo-based Soviet cuisine…
Another day — another lasagna. Nothing special: good sausage, good cheese, home made marinara — that’s what it is. Another family favorite workhorse. This recipe is huge and good for large gatherings. It also stores well and, in our clan, its leftovers have never been frozen, beautifully survived transportation to college campuses, and never went…
Ever since my first days in the United States, I have not been comfortable with food packed in bags. Not that I did not like it — I actually loved it. But that food was intimidating — so new and different. When we were out for dinner to family or friends’ houses, I always admired…