Eastern European Recipes

Romanian White bean dip (Fasole Batuta) is a frequent part of a traditional appetizer platter. Romanians love their platters to be piled high with cold cuts, rustic meatballs (chiftele), assorted cheeses and often several kinds of dips or spreads.  White Bean dip, along with a simple spread featuring eggplant (salata de vinete), and a colorful …

Salate de Vinete, a Romanian eggplant dip, is a very simple traditional Romania dish. It is similar to the Middle Eastern dish, Baba Ghanoush, but without tahini (toasted sesame seed paste).  Our version of Romanian Eggplant Dip also includes green onions for a little extra color and flavor.  Salate de Vinete (or Aubergine dip) is …

Budinca de Dovlecei is a traditional Romanian food that is similar to crustless zucchini quiche. The difference is less eggs, more vegetables, and a lot more cheese. In order to pack a lot of zucchini into the recipe, the vegetables are shredded. Excess water is squeezed out of the zucchini and then mixed with sour …

Traditional Romanian cuisine is particularly known for its meaty dishes. Roasted pork knuckle, a variety of sausages, cabbages stuffed with pork, or savory meatballs (chiftale) are on the top of the menu.  Alongside such dishes are often very simple salads, which are meant to offset the heavy entrées. Romanian White Cabbage Salad (Salatǎ de Varzǎ) …

These traditional Romanian meatballs, called chiftele, are pretty unique, as well as being absolutely delicious. Most cuisines have their own version of ground meat rolled into a ball, but there are many regional differences in meatballs The ingredients and the spices in meatballs are a great indicator of the flavors that dominate a region’s cuisine. …

Zacusca is a slow cooked eggplant and red pepper spread. This traditional Romanian dish is made in Autumn when its main ingredients, eggplants and gogosari peppers are in season. Gogosari peppers very similar to red bell peppers, which is what I use in this recipe. During our time in Romania, we came to enjoy having …

If you love beets, beetroot salad is another way to enjoy this healthy delicious vegetable. Best of all, the recipe has only a few simple ingredients and is very easy to make. Beyond the beetroot, our favorite part of the salad is the addition of horseradish. It gives the salad a spicy kick and makes …

Georgian Salad with Walnut Dressing (Salati Nigvzit) is a refreshing simple salad with with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a fragrant blended walnut dressing. Dishes from the country of Georgia, which is situated above Turkey between Europe and Asia, tend to be on the heavy side. Fans of comfort food will find plenty to enjoy …

Savory Blackberry Sauce (Rachuli Sauce) was one of the first sauces we tried when we arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia. For those that are unfamiliar, Georgia (formally the Republic of Georgia) is a post-Soviet country nestled between Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Black Sea. Before we arrived, we knew about the cheesy bread (khachapuri) and …

Nokedli are fluffy Hungarian egg noodle dumplings that are commonly used when making one of the country’s favorite dishes, Chicken Paprikash. The dumplings are also often used in German Cuisine where they are known as “spaetzle“ or “spätzle.” The primitive shape of these homemade Hungarian dumplings give an idea of how long they have been …