We experience food not just with our palates, but with all our senses. We taste first with our eyes, embracing the colors and shapes of a dish and imagining the flavors to follow. If a dish has history or deep cultural meaning, we also taste intellectually. Zucchini caviar aka Kabachkovaya Ikra definitely caries cultural meaning [Continue Reading…]
Lula Kebabs
Fire up the barbecue, summer’s arrived! Nothing quite beats taking the kitchen outside and enjoying the scent of freshly grilled meat. I love the flavor of meat cooked over a fire. When you bite into the juicy and moist meat, you can taste the seared and smoky flavor infusing it all the way through each bite. Summer [Continue Reading…]
Gluten-Free Bread
When I learned that gluten is my body’s enemy, the first thing that brought tears to my eyes is the thought of giving up bread. Thats when my journey of exploring new and nourishing foods began. I stepped on the road of natural way suppling our family with more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, legumes, [Continue Reading…]
Salmon Gravlax
We love curing and fermenting food! We’ve cured meats and fish, vegetables and cheese, and even drinks before. Check out our recipes for fermented Apple Kvass, Farmers Cheese, and Cured Pork Fat (Salo). There are many health benefits to fermented and cured foods. They contain natural healthy bacteria that provide essential nourishment for your immune system. Trying dishes from all over the world is [Continue Reading…]
Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings
Hi Guys, HAPPY FRIDAY! It’s May 1, which means spring in full force and we are approaching SUMMER very quickly! In the presence of amazing weather I’ve been doing some garden work outside. My tomato and cucumber plants already smell like tomatoes and cucumbers! I’m so excited! They seem to be recovering from a ridiculous [Continue Reading…]
Meat Aspic (Kholodets)
Meat Aspic or Kholodets is another traditional vintage dish for various eastern european countries. It represents a simple healthy broth cooked from parts of meat which is then cooled down to jellify. Most recipes call for adding a pack of gelatin to jellify the broth, but I like my kholodets the old-fashioned, natural way by simply [Continue Reading…]
Cured Pork Fat (Salo)
Many countries have their own national varieties of cured pork fat – lardo, bacon, pancetta and many more. It seems that almost every culture has its own way of curing pork fat. Salo is the Ukrainian cured pork fat and is the ultimate national food of Ukraine. Salo is so important to Ukraine that if you ever [Continue Reading…]
Farmers Cheese or Tvorog
Farmers cheese or tvorog, is an eastern european dairy product which is known as a cross between cottage and ricotta cheeses in North America. It could be enjoyed on its own, sprinkled over your salads, used in desserts, stuffed into pierogis and much more. Plus it’s super healthy for your digestive system! The key here is a natural fermentation [Continue Reading…]
Ukrainian Horseradish Sauce – Adjika
Common varieties of Adjika resemble Italian red pesto in appearance and consistency. I call this pesto-like spread “magic sauce” because it makes so many things taste amazing! From Abkhazia to as far as Moldova, they all produce homemade adjikas. And they all have their own recipes, some with tomatoes, carrots and apples, and others with dried peppers [Continue Reading…]