Top 10 Eastern European Recipes in 2011
The top 10 recipes on this Eastern European food site for 2011, as determined by number of page views over a year's time, are listed below. Traditional, Old World recipes were the most popular with stuffed cabbage leading the pack, but more mainstream recipes also made a showing. My royal icing recipe, the mortar that holds gingerbread house pieces together, came in second. Here are the Top 10 Eastern European Recipes from 2010.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are the epitome of comfort food. Pork and beef mixed with rice or barley are nestled in a cabbage leaf and cooked in the oven or on the stove until tender. Poles call them gołąbki (which literally means "little pigeons"). For Czechs and Slovaks, it's holubky, while Serbs and Croatians refer to them as sarma. Usually, the sauce is what sets them apart. Here are more stuffed cabbage recipes. And here are step-by-step instructions for making stuffed cabbage.More »
This recipe for basic Polish pierogi dough is a simple combination of flour, eggs, water and salt. You may need to add a little more water or a little more flour based on the humidity of the day, the weight of the flour, etc. The dough should not be crumbly, nor should it be sticky. Get the kids involved in this project. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make pierogi.More »
In the United States, Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, is the day to indulge before Lent by eating rich, greasy foods. In Poland, this takes place on Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before Lent) or Tłusty Czwartek, which begins zapusty or the last six days of Carnival, which began on Twelfth Night or Jan. 6. Americans celebrate Pączki Day on Fat Tuesday but Poles eat herring then and do their pączki eating on Fat Thursday. Pączki are fried rounds of yeast dough with rosehip, prune, apricot, strawberry, raspberry or sweet cheese filling.More »
An Eastern European dessert table would invariably include something sweet made with poppyseeds, either ground or whole. This poppyseed yeast bread or roll, known as makowiec in Polish, is also popular in most other Eastern European cuisines.More »
When I was little, my mother made placki kartoflane, or placki ziemniaczane, on meatless days. They were thin and crispy and sprinkled with granulated sugar. Since then, I've come to love Jewish latkes infused with onion or garlic and served with sour cream and applesauce, and the puffy Czech and Bohemian varieties. Potato pancakes make great sides or they can stand alone.More »
This smoked Polish sausage and sauerkraut recipe has definite American overtones. It can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled and still come out great. It's perfect for potlucks and tailgating, football parties and family reunions, or just dinner with the family. It's best cooked the night before and then warmed in a slow cooker for serving. Take this virtual tour of a sauerkraut factory.More »
Bigos is considered the national dish of Poland. It's a hearty, long-simmered meat-and-sauerkraut stew that goes back centuries. It was traditionally served at the start of the hunting season, from fall through Mardi Gras, or until the family's supply of barrel-cured sauerkraut ran out! Today, it's enjoyed year-round. Here are step-by-step instructions for making hunter's stew.More »
Burek is a Serbian meat, cheese or vegetable pie made with flaky filo dough. There are myriad versions, including the coiled variety, among Bulgarians, Bosnians, Serbs, and others. And, of course, there are the famous triangle-shaped Greek spanakopitas. This cheese version is typically served with a cold glass of kefir, which is essentially liquid yogurt. Here are step-by-step instructions for making cheese burek.More »
1. Polish Stuffed Cabbage Recipe - Golabki
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are the epitome of comfort food. Pork and beef mixed with rice or barley are nestled in a cabbage leaf and cooked in the oven or on the stove until tender. Poles call them gołąbki (which literally means "little pigeons"). For Czechs and Slovaks, it's holubky, while Serbs and Croatians refer to them as sarma. Usually, the sauce is what sets them apart. Here are more stuffed cabbage recipes. And here are step-by-step instructions for making stuffed cabbage.More »
2. Royal Icing Recipe
Royal icing is the glue or mortar that holds a gingerbead house together, among other uses. It got its name from being used on fruitcake -- the traditional wedding cake of English royalty -- to keep it moist. I prefer using pasteurized egg whites (now available at grocery stores in cartons) instead of meringue powder because the result is smoother and it has better "stickability." Be careful not to overwhip your royal icing, or it will crack as it dries and your house will collapse, but be sure to add enough confectioners' sugar so the icing holds peaks and doesn't drip.More »
3. Basic Pierogi Dough Recipe
This recipe for basic Polish pierogi dough is a simple combination of flour, eggs, water and salt. You may need to add a little more water or a little more flour based on the humidity of the day, the weight of the flour, etc. The dough should not be crumbly, nor should it be sticky. Get the kids involved in this project. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make pierogi.More »
4. Polish Doughnuts - Paczki
In the United States, Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, is the day to indulge before Lent by eating rich, greasy foods. In Poland, this takes place on Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before Lent) or Tłusty Czwartek, which begins zapusty or the last six days of Carnival, which began on Twelfth Night or Jan. 6. Americans celebrate Pączki Day on Fat Tuesday but Poles eat herring then and do their pączki eating on Fat Thursday. Pączki are fried rounds of yeast dough with rosehip, prune, apricot, strawberry, raspberry or sweet cheese filling.More »
5. Polish Kolaczki Recipe
There is some debate as to who invented kolaczki (plural for kolaczek). Poles claim it but so do Croatians, Czechs and others. Kolaczki can be round, square or diamond-shaped, and the dough can be flaky or yeast-risen, and the spelling varies widely.More »
6. Poppyseed Roll Recipe - Makowiec
An Eastern European dessert table would invariably include something sweet made with poppyseeds, either ground or whole. This poppyseed yeast bread or roll, known as makowiec in Polish, is also popular in most other Eastern European cuisines.More »
7. Polish Potato Pancakes Recipe - Placki Kartoflane or Ziemniaczane
When I was little, my mother made placki kartoflane, or placki ziemniaczane, on meatless days. They were thin and crispy and sprinkled with granulated sugar. Since then, I've come to love Jewish latkes infused with onion or garlic and served with sour cream and applesauce, and the puffy Czech and Bohemian varieties. Potato pancakes make great sides or they can stand alone.More »
8. Polish-American Smoked Sausage and Sauerkraut Recipe
This smoked Polish sausage and sauerkraut recipe has definite American overtones. It can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled and still come out great. It's perfect for potlucks and tailgating, football parties and family reunions, or just dinner with the family. It's best cooked the night before and then warmed in a slow cooker for serving. Take this virtual tour of a sauerkraut factory.More »
9. Polish Hunter's Stew Recipe - Bigos
Bigos is considered the national dish of Poland. It's a hearty, long-simmered meat-and-sauerkraut stew that goes back centuries. It was traditionally served at the start of the hunting season, from fall through Mardi Gras, or until the family's supply of barrel-cured sauerkraut ran out! Today, it's enjoyed year-round. Here are step-by-step instructions for making hunter's stew.More »
10. Serbian Cheese Burek Recipe - Burek sa Sirom
Burek is a Serbian meat, cheese or vegetable pie made with flaky filo dough. There are myriad versions, including the coiled variety, among Bulgarians, Bosnians, Serbs, and others. And, of course, there are the famous triangle-shaped Greek spanakopitas. This cheese version is typically served with a cold glass of kefir, which is essentially liquid yogurt. Here are step-by-step instructions for making cheese burek.More »
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