Extra Schmaltz!

This recipe comes from my friend Marisa, who shares a love of pickled things. It is very simple and does double-duty as hearty, but also somehow refreshing due to the tangy kraut. In my recipe I used some winter savory and chervil from my garden, which I have included on the blog just to annoy Alex, because I know he loves obscure ingredients. The recipe will be just fine without them, though (or try experimenting with other herbs!). 1 ring kielbasa 1 large can or jar of sauerkraut, drained 1 large onion, sliced 2 carrots (optional, for color), peeled and sliced 6-8 small white potatoes 2-3 qts chicken broth 2 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. winter savory, leaves only 1 handful chervil fronds 1 tsp. white pepper 1 pinch of nutmeg Place the kielbasa on the grill (or in a hot frying pan) for a few minutes to get some color around the edges, then slice. Meanwhile, saute the onion in some butter in a Dutch oven until they begin to soften. Rinse the sauerkraut, maybe 30 seconds if you...

My lovely brother accused me of posting elitist bourgeoise recipes using the steam oven, so here's a recipe for the people--LITERALLY. This is from DDR Kochbuch - Das Original , a cookbook of East German recipes that we got in Weimar. This clearly influenced by the multitude of Russian recipes for shchi , or cabbage soup. Being on the eastward side of the iron curtain, many GDR recipes were influenced by cuisine from within the USSR. I believe this could be made with sauerkraut rather than fresh cabbage. If you use kraut, rinse it a couple of times first, and then don't add vinegar later on. The humble appearance of this soup belies wonderfully rich flavor. For this version we used pork loin, but can be made with other cuts of pork, or with beef or veal. The meat is cooked until tender, but still with some chew to it. 2 lbs.  boneless stew meat: beef, pork, or veal (or 3-5 lbs bone-in) 1 large celery root (celeriac), cubed 1 large leek, separate the leaves, wash tho...

This hearty soup can miraculously turn bits and bobs from your winter larder into a satisfying, savory meal. This is one of the few examples of cooking with pickles--don't turn your nose up! Their zingy flavor blends pleasingly into the soup and adds some delightful crunch. The soup is made with a variety of meats, especially cured ones such as ham, smoked turkey, bacon, mild salami...whatever you have on hand. You can also add uncured pork, beef, or chicken. Garnished with capers and jalapenos. Also suggested are: olives, lemon slices, pickled mushrooms, smetana/sour cream. Use 3 lb of a variety of smoked and fresh meats, such as: Cubed pork shoulder Bone-in stew beef cut, such as round or chuck Slab bacon Smoked turkey Ham hock Smoked sausage (Krakovska from Kramarczuks is good for this) 2 medium onions 3 large carrots 1 c. dill pickles, chopped 1 c. frozen green beans (optional) 4 roma tomatoes, or 1 can crushed tomatoes 1/2 c. pickled mushrooms, or fresh mus...

This is a wonderful salad made with cooked vegetables and a zingy dressing. It's great as a side dish and keeps well for several days. It's also colorful and well-suited to Minnesota vegetables! Try to cut everything into 1 cm cubes (except for the peas of course). I probably could have diced these better--but taste was outstanding! Vegetables 1 can beets (or 1-2 beets cooked and peeled) 2-3 red potatoes, skinned boiled just until cooked 2 carrots, boiled until tender 1/2 red onion 1/3 cup dill pickle or cornichons 1/3 cup frozen peas 3 green onions 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill Salt and pepper to tate Dressing 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or pickle juice) 1 tsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard 1/4 cup safflower oil or light olive oil Soak the diced red onions in cold water for 30 seconds and drain (to lessen the bite). Combine cooked, cubed vegetables with, peas and dill. Add dressing and salt and pepper, and toss gently. Let marinate for at least ...

I created these (with heavy inspiration from Kramarczuk's) for a German themed dinner party. I made the hard rolls from scratch from the Joy of Cooking recipe, though you could buy them for a faster meal. I couldn't help spicing them up, so maybe they have some Hungarian influence? 1 dozen small hard rolls (see below) 5-6 uncooked bratwurst 1 large can sauerkraut 1 large carrot, grated 1 medium onion, sliced thinly 1/2 c. white wine or vermouth 1/3 c. water 2 Tbsp. oil 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika 2 tsp. sharp paprika 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 Tbsp. salt 2 bay leaves Optional: Hot mustard or horseradish from Kramarczuk's Begin by browning the sausages whole in the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.  Turn the sausage occasionally so that they brown and sear. Once they are browned nicely (they do not have to be cooked through), remove them from the pot and allow them to cool enough to handle. Chop them coarsely. ...

These dumplings are a nice addition to stewy meals, especially for example goulash . The way I had them in Prague was sitting in the broth of the goulash in thin(1") slices. The recipe is adapted from here. Note that I've mostly halved the recipe - I left the yeast high, since it'll rise faster. This is a yeast bread, so it needs time to rise - plan ahead! 1 pk yeast (or 2.25 tsp yeast) 1 ts sugar 1/4 c milk; scalded and cooled 1/2 c milk; warm 1 egg 1/2 ts salt 1.5 c flour 1 slices white bread; cubed Mix first three ingredients, let stand 10 minutes. Mix in everything else but bread cubes. Once mixed, add bread cubes, knead like bread. Let rise until doubled. Knead again, divide into equal sized logs (they suggest three in the original recipe - it depends on how wide you want the resulting circles.) Let rise again, for about half an hour. Boil gently for around 15 minutes. Now, when done, what you're supposed to do is use a piece of thread to loop around the resultin...

For mom's birthday I decided to make her some pelmeni (Russian dumplings) with my awesome new pelmeni-maker. I learned about this clever device when we had crazy Russian neighbors on Jackson Street, and the babushka of the house invited us over and made a batch of pelmeni. I hadn't come across the mold in any of the Russian stores around town so I turned to eBay and sure enough I found it there. I ordered it and it was delivered within 3 weeks for under $25. It's a fantastic way to decrease the labor involved in making tasty, tasty little dumplings. The instructions that came with it were very poorly translated into English, but Joe's roommate was able to translate them much better from the original Russian. So far I've only made meat-filled pelmeni, but the possibilities for fillings are boundless and could involve potatoes, vegetables, kasha, or whatever you can think up. Here's the step-by-step process I used with recipes along the way: The Dough This is a ba...

This one-dish recipe accomplishes three valuable things: a) uses frozen convenience foods, b) uses fresh summer vegetables, and c) feeds you tastily and quickly. I use packaged turkey kielbasa (the regular kind seems unnecessarily greasy to me), but it would be good with Kramarczuk's Ukranian sausage. You can omit and substitute ingredients according to what you have--I'm simply posting it how I made it last night as inspiration. I try to fry the ingredients more or less separately, but if you're feeling lazy and unconcerned by things getting mushy you can put it all together at once. 1 package potato & onion pierogies 1 turkey kielbasa, in 1/4" diagonal slices 3 small yellow summer squash, in 1/4" slices 3 shallots, minced coarsely 1 tomato, diced 1 handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used marjoram and parsley) a few glugs Vermouth or white wine S & P oil for frying Use your biggest frying pan and add a thin coating of oil. Fry the kielbasa in a single lay...

I've never been the Caucasus, but if I go, I intend to eat non-stop. So far all the recipes I've had from that region are a fantastic melding of East and West that highlight some of my favorite ingredients. Alex once made this dish, and I remember it taking him all day because he didn't use the food processor. I have one here, so I've been having fun with it. This recipe makes a mild-but-rich-and-flavorful chicken dip that's traditionally served as a mezze, but I served it as a side dish with Zingy Lentil and Bulghur Soup with Mint . These two recipes go well together because you need chicken broth for both. The chicken dish can be made ahead of time (which I recommend) and would be a great potluck offering. The walnuts make it very rich, so a little goes a long way. First, make a broth using chicken breasts. You can use other parts but these shred nicely. You can season it how you like, but this is how I do it (PS the onion skin makes the broth yellow). This is bes...

Here's a tasty winter side dish that adds some magenta to the plate. It's not quick-cooking but it's worth the wait. This is my interpretation of the version in The Art of Jewish Cooking. Preheat the oven to 350. 1 small-ish red cabbage, chopped finely 4 Tbsp. butter 1 red onion, slivered 2 tart apples, chopped finely 3/4 c. broth or water 1/4 c. red wine vinegar 1/4 c. red wine mixed with 1 Tbsp. flour until smooth 1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 t. salt 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds (optional but fun to eat) In an oven-safe, heavy pot with a lid (not cast iron, unless it's enameled), melt the butter and sweat the onions until they're translucent. Mix in the cabbage and apples and simmer 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and heat until boiling. Put the lid on and place in the oven for 45-60 minutes (or longer if you're distracted, like me), stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings with salt and vinegar at the end. It's great to see everyone posting with t...

Here's the perfect dish for a cold night and several subsequent cold days as tasty planned-overs. I use an 'authentic' (supposedly) version, rather than the Lutheran church cookbook version that has all kinds of crazy things in it, like macaroni and tomato sauce. In this version the only thickening comes from the potatoes as they break down from cooking. I make mine a touch spicy, since that's just how I roll, but that's probably not 'authentic'. The dish will be much yummier if you add some stew-bones or oxtail, so try not to omit those. I threw in some parsnips, which added a lot to the flavor. 2-3 oxtails or stew-bones 2 lbs cubed boneless chuck 2 Tbsp. lard, shortening, bacon drippings, or oil 2 large onions 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (you can also sub-in parsnips, rutabagas, or turnips for some of the taters) 3 heaping Tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika (I sub-in 2 tsp. sharp paprika) 1 qt. water S & P In a large, heavy pot, br...

Here is a fantastic side-dish that has the added benefit (?) of smelling like every Jewish home I visited as a kid. It also uses buckwheat groats (when cooked, called kasha), which is a nutritional and agricultural powerhouse. Like quinoa, buckwheat is a seed rather than a grain, and contains tons of high-quality protein and many vitamins and minerals (and if you go by the articles about it, cures and prevents nearly every ill). Buckwheat is a great cover-crop for farmers and it grow very quickly. The recipe calls for bow-tie noodles, which--face it--are just plain fun. It goes really well with roasted chicken. This is modified from The Art of Jewish Cooking by Jennie Grossinger: 1/2 box of bow-tie noodles, cooked in salted water 1/3 c. butter or schmaltz 1 large onion, diced or sliced finely 1 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. black pepper salt to taste 1 1/2 c. roasted buckwheat groats, whole or cut 2 1/2 c. boiling water 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 egg, beaten First, cook your noodles. Heat up a large pot an...

This recipe has countless variations, so I present the version that mom taught me. Some people add tahini, but I think that ruins it--I like the zingy flavor this version has. This recipe is best made in late summer, when you have the grill going. 2 or more pounds eggplant, preferably small tender ones 3 bell peppers, green or red 1/2 red onion, diced finely 1 lemon, juiced 1/3 c. good olive oil 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped finely salt and pepper - be generous with both 1/2 tsp. ground coriander pinch of sugar pinch of cayenne Place the eggplants and 2 of the bell peppers on the grill and roast until blackened all over. You can use a gas stove or a broiler, but make sure to pull the batteries out of the smoke detector! Remove from the grill and place in a plastic bag for several minutes until they're cool enough to handle. Remove the roasted skins from the eggplants and peppers, and chop them finely into a bowl. Rinse the onion in cold water to reduce its stinkiness, then add to...

This recipe has one of the greatest deliciousness:ease ratios that I know of. I learned it from our Hungarian cousin Kriszti, and I can't remember the Magyar name for the life of me, so I made this one up myself. All you need is: 1.5 lbs pork shoulder roast, cubed or sliced fresh Polish sausage 2 big jars/cans of sauerkraut Optional: 1 bay leaf white pepper nutmeg In the example photos I used the Polish sausage and home-made sauerruben (pickled turnips), because I'm an overachiever. Brown the pork/sausage in oil or fat in a heavy pot. Rinse the kraut in a colander and squeeze out (if you like it milder, rinse less. Knowing our family, you won't rinse at all). Dump the kraut on top but do not stir. Grind some white pepper and nutmeg on top and stick a bay leaf in, if desired. Trust me--even without any seasonings this is delicious. Add some water or broth so that there is moisture in the pot, but I wouldn't add more than a cup. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer ...

This week we got beets from the CSA. They're still small but already perfect for borscht! These ones have light-colored insides, so they're better for beef borscht (rather than the all-veggie cold borscht, which I prefer to be magenta). First I made beef broth from scratch. I think this step really makes the soup, but obviously it's more convenient to use canned or crystalized. I roasted oxtails and boiled them with the usual: 2 bay leaves, 4 whole cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley, carrots, celery, and onions. Meanwhile, I boiled the beets in one pot, and peeled potatoes in another pot (add a lot of salt to the potatoes). Drain each when cooked. The potatoes will be sliced into the soup at the very end. Once the beets are tender and cooled, slip their skins off (I think this step is the most fun part) and slice (or grate) into thin shreds. Pretty, huh? Next you need to prepare the other vegetables--2 carrots, one large onion, and 1/2 of a small cabbage (green or red). These will a...