Salmon Gravlax is a delicious appetizer, with origins in Scandinavia. I love making homemade Gravlax, and serving it on a bagel with cream cheese and thinly sliced red onions. This is my favorite way to eat bagels. More commonly it’s served as an appetizer. Gravlax on dark rye bread is a delicious appetizer I love…
Fermented & Pickled
Balsamic Onion Jam
Have you ever heard of Onion Jam? It’s not typical sweet jam that you eat on toast, but more of a savory condiment. I eat it with grilled meats, sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers or just slathered on a piece of crusty bread. Even over cream cheese on a cracker or baguette, the possibilities are endless….
Homemade Dill Pickles
Homemade Dill Pickles are easy to make, and every Russian, Ukrainian and Polish person has their own way to prepare them. Some recipes require fermenting and cellaring, other recipes use canning as a way to preserve. There are even quick refrigerator pickle recipes. Don’t get me started on the flavors, everything from sweet and sour…
How to Make Kombucha
How to Make Kombucha Ever wonder how to make Kombucha? This Kombucha recipe is a delicious fermented black tea beverage, which many people drink for the immune boosting health benefits it provides. So easy to make at home, enjoyed by the whole family. There’s no other food flavor reference I can think of when trying…
Homemade Sour Cream Recipe
Ever wondered how to make Homemade Sour Cream? The original Russian name for it is Smetana (Сметана) and it’s easier to make than you think. Creamier and tastier than sour cream you buy in a store. It’s a delicious Russian export! Yup, Sour Cream has it’s origins in Russia/Eastern Europe and is called Smetana. It’s a…
Bread Kvass with Blackcurrants
Bread Kvass with Blackcurrants ( хлебный Квас смородиновый) is a delicious fermented rye bread drink recipe, sweetened with fresh blackcurrants. A perfectly refreshing drink, a twist on a traditional Russian Kvass. This recipe can be made with many different ingredients and in different ways. A different healthy version is made only with beets and is…
Texas Caviar (Cowboy Caviar)
This Cowboy Caviar recipe has a really strange name for a appetizer. It’s also eaten as dip with tortilla chips, and is an absolutely must try recipe. It originated in Texas, created by the food director for Nieman Marcus. According to Wikipedia, it was given its name, “Texas Caviar,” as a humorous comparison to true…
Quick Pickled Chillies Recipe
Quick Pickled Chillies are a tasty condiment for spicing up stir fry dishes, soups, Asian rice dishes, burgers, or Russian ones such as Plov. It’s also a great way to punch up a hot dog in a bun, much tastier than plain ketchup and mustard (so spicy)! I love pickled foods. Dill Pickles and Quick Pickled…
Kvass Recipe (Квас)
Russian Kvass Recipe (Квас) or Kvas is a refreshing fermented drink that is usually made from Rye bread. It’s popularity is almost like a version of Russian Coca-Cola that has been drunk for hundreds of years in Eastern Europe. It’s classed as a non-alcoholic drink, and usually contains about 0.05% alcohol, like your de-alcoholized beer…
Holodnik – Cold Soup with Beets
In the world of cold soups, Russia seems to punch above it’s weight in contribution. Classic Beet Borscht served hot is what most people think of when talking about Russian soups, but there are so many different types of Russian soups that are eaten cold. Gazpacho is probably the most famous Italian cold soup most of…
Russian Pickled Tomatoes
There are so many different ways to make Russian Pickled Tomatoes (солёные помидоры), which in Russian, translates to ‘salted tomatoes’. It’s a perfect recipe for when you have lots of tomatoes in your garden, and need to use them up quickly. Russian Pickled Tomatoes are great for storing for the winter. There are multiple recipes in…
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
I love sauces, especially this Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. I’ve been told I drown my food in sauces, but I can’t help it, I really love tasty sauces. I remember the first time I had Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce, it was here in Australia. We were invited to a bbq, where I ate the most delicious bbq…
Fermented Tomatoes
Russian Fermented Tomatoes literally translate to ‘Salted Tomatoes’ in Russian, as they are make in a salt brine. The Russian way of pickling doesn’t traditionally involve vinegar, but some recipes add vinegar too now, especially if you are going to be canning them for the winter. My tomato recipe is called Fermented Tomatoes (Квашеные помидоры), but…
Canning Salsa Recipe
If you haven’t had a Homemade Canning Salsa Recipe, then you haven’t lived. There are so many different types of salsas out there, with so many different flavours. In my experience, the tomato salsa sold here in Australian grocery stores is very….ordinary. There are only a 2-3 brands with the exact same flavour, it’s like they…
Summer Pickled Squash
Quick Pickled Summer Squash is a great way to preserve summer vegetables. Perhaps you’ve seen Summer Squash in the grocery store when it’s in season, and cheap, and wondered what you could do different with it? Maybe I should start by explaining what is Summer Squash. The most common one is Zucchini, followed by Pattypan Squash,…
Spicy Sauerkraut
Fermented Spicy Sauerkraut is so incredibly healthy to eat, and not a new trendy idea. Many cultures around the world have a way of preserving and fermenting cabbage. Historically this provided food to get through the winter. Eastern Europe and Germany have Sauerkraut, Korea has Kimchi, and Central America has Curtido. Sauerkraut is made by…
Easy Farmers Cheese Tvorog
Farmers Cheese or Tvorog (творог) is such a time saver when making fresh cheese. There are many different ways to make fresh cheeses, and they’re called by many names from different cultures. Tvorog or Quark, White Cheese, Gvina Levana, Twarog, Fresh Cheese and many more names. This easy Tvorog is a soft, tasty cheese that…
Beet Kvass Recipe
I have fond memories drinking deep pink Russian Beet Kvass Recipe that my grandfather made from beets (beetroot). The fermentation of Beet Kvass is similar to making fermented kimchi or Kombucha. The color is an amazing bright fuchsia colour changing to a deep red. While I don’t have my dedushka’s exact recipe, I have played around with several recipe variations…
Hren Recipe (Хрен)
Hren Horseradish and Beets (Хрен со свеклой) is a tasty Russian condiment. ‘Hren’ is also how you say horseradish in Russian. Kind of confusing but I suppose nobody would eat just the horseradish root on its own. As a condiment, its mixed with grated beets, and eaten with a variety of meats. Horseradish is a…
7 Bean Salad Recipe
Summertime always brings invites to barbecues, picnics or potlucks, and usually you need to bring something like a coleslaw or a dessert. I’ve talked about how I hate potlucks, but I love this easy 7 Bean Salad Recipe. It’s so incredibly easy to make, and so much cheaper and tastier than what is pre-made, ready…
Tvorog from Greek Yogurt
There are many ways to make fresh cheeses like Tvorog, and they’re called by many names from different cultures. Known as Quark, Farmer’s Cheese, White Cheese, Fresh Cheese and many more names. I grew up eating Tvorog stuffed in blini or Vareniki, or ate them as fried Syrniki. We went to Russian school every Wednesday…
Whole Marinated Tomatoes
Marinated Tomatoes, my version of Russian quick pickled tomatoes (маринованный помидоры). It’s an easy and delicious way to prepare tomatoes. A cross between fresh tomatoes and Canned Pickled Russian Tomatoes. This recipe needs to remain refrigerated, and gets tastier the longer it marinates. Pickling vegetables is a staple in Russian foods. Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes…
Korean Kimchi Recipe
It’s really easy to follow this Fermented Korean Kimchi Recipe, and your health will thank you. When I was young I felt invincible, eating whatever I liked, usually. As I grew older and maybe wiser and couldn’t keep up with the twenty-somethings anymore, my interest in health miraculously came alive. So how can I combine my love of cooking…
