These homemade habanero pickles with garlic will change your view on pickles, regardless if you are an aficionado or merely tolerate these crunchy snacks. Store-bought pickles come in all sorts of flavors and varieties, but in my opinion, most don’t come close to the homemade version. These spicy pickles remind me of the “half sour” … Read more
Romanian White bean dip (Fasole Batatu) is a frequent part of a traditional appetizer platter. Romanian’s 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 … Read more
Romanian Eggplant Spread, or Salate de Vinete, is a very simple traditional Romania dish. It is similar to the Middle Eastern dish, Baba Ghanoush, but without tahini (toasted sesame seed paste). This version also includes green onions for a little extra color and flavor. Salate de Vinete (or Aubergine dip) is a very light spread … Read more
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 … Read more
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) … Read more
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. … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Korean beef stew (or Korean braised short ribs) brings together many classic flavors of Korea. While there are many variations of the recipe, most combine spicy chili paste (gochujang), garlic, Korean soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine (among other ingredients). The resulting stew has a deep rich flavor with subtle hints of nuts, spice, … Read more
Cajun BBQ Shrimp is one of the many unique and ubiquitous foods for which New Orleans is known. The Crescent City has many famous dishes — Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole, Étouffée, Gumbo, as just a few examples. Seafood really shines here. Crawfish, oysters, and of course, shrimp, play leading roles in Cajun cuisine. This barbecued shrimp … Read more