This year's strawberry season has been so good and so long. Ample sunshine and an uncharacteristically warm spring made the berries ripen earlier than usual and brought about very good crops, even in areas that aren't normally considered 'strawberry-friendly'. To get hands-on experience of the harvest, we went to a self-pick farm about an hour … Continue reading Delicate Strawberry Pie
There is a host of traditions and beliefs linked to Slovak Easter. Some are Christian with traces of Jewish mythology, others have pagan roots. It seems to me though that they all celebrate Easter as a spring festival that brings new life. The Slovak name for the Thursday before Easter is Zelený štvrtok, which literally translates … Continue reading Potato Kugel
When I was a child, I never questioned the origins of a strange, non-Slovak sounding name my Mum used for the delicious spread she often made for our snacks or evening meals. All I knew about šmirkas at that age was that it was made with bryndza. We would spread šmirkas on slices of fresh rye bread, crowned … Continue reading Piquant Bryndza Cheese Spread
A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from a lady who is married to an American with Slovak roots. She asked about a 'kiflick' cake she wanted to make, but couldn't find a recipe for. It sounded like it was an ancient recipe from her husband's aunt, which she had taken to the … Continue reading Butter Rolls with Poppy Seeds
I'm well-stocked with bear garlic right now. Two of my friends have brought handfuls of the herb straight from their gardens, the bright green leaves still glistening with raindrops when they came. Bear garlic, wild garlic, ramsons or whatever you like to call it is prolific after all the rain we've experienced in Slovakia this … Continue reading Bear Garlic Pesto
This is another recipe that will appear in the forthcoming book about Slovak cuisine, although with different photographs. Wheat kasha is deeply rooted in my childhood memories as a simple yet nourishing breakfast, or a light, satisfying evening dish. I know children are fed with all sorts of ready-made cereal mixtures these days, but perhaps … Continue reading Wheat Kasha
Some may argue that Slovak dishes are heavy and not very healthy to eat. Well, I'd say there's something to feel guilty about in each cuisine if you go by today's health guidelines or some freak new diets. True, we don't eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables now as, say Italians, Spanish or Greeks. … Continue reading Easter Wreath
This recipe could also be subtitled 'when the winter asks you what you were doing in the summer'. My answer would be (as that of many other Slovak home cooks): making jam, bottling and preserving all the summer produce from our gardens. As I said in one of my previous posts, last year was very … Continue reading Low-Sugar Non-Dairy Plum Pie
Before we start gorging on more festive desserts, let's have this simple yet satisfying apple cake that's fit for a Sunday breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a light dessert anytime around. It's an old Slovak recipe that has been in my personal cookbook since I started learning to bake years ago. I got it from … Continue reading Light Apple Cake
Another recipe from Vierka's rural kitchen is for traditional savoury cakes called Škvarkové pagáče, which would loosely translate as 'Pork Cracklings Cakes'. The vital ingredient for Škvarkové pagáče is škvarky or 'shkvarki'. They are similar to pork cracklings except that shkvarki are made by melting and roasting fatty bacon WITHOUT its rind/skin on. It does change the taste and texture of … Continue reading Savoury Pagatche Cakes
