When I was a child growing up in the socialistic Czechoslovakia, there were no fresh vegetables available during December, January and February. Our fields and gardens were covered in snow and the temperatures stayed below zero for the better part of winter. There were no imported or indoor-grown vegetables in the winter months either. Instead, … Continue reading Chickpea Soup with Root Vegetables
The book that provided inspiration for this recipe is very old. It was, in fact, the first cookbook written in the Slovak language. The author Ján Babilon published it in 1870 in Pest (today's Budapest), where he owned a restaurant and worked as a chef. There are 90 different soup recipes in Babilon's cookbook, and … Continue reading Creamy Walnut and Leek Soup
When I bought my first vegetarian cookbook years ago, I quickly found out that cooking meatless can be fun and yummy. At the beginning, I followed the recipe instructions in the book step by step, but it didn't take long until I unbridled my imagination and started experimenting. The recipe below is a result of … Continue reading Baked Lentil Loaf on Caramelized Sauerkraut
It was through PEMAK farm that I first learned about the Slow Food movement in Slovakia. I was documenting poppyseed farming for the autumnal book of A Taste of Slovakia when I came across this family-run business in Patince, a small village situated in the southernmost corner of Slovakia, just across the border with Hungary. … Continue reading Slow Food Pressburg
When I was experimenting with various apple cake recipes for the autumnal book of A Taste of Slovakia series, I made this simple pie filled with apples from my friend's garden. They didn't look as impeccable and glossy as those polished apples you buy in supermarkets, but their scent and taste was so pleasant that the … Continue reading Criss-crossed Apple Pie
This is one of the vegetarian recipes that's still in my cooking repertoire. I first tried it years ago when, right after the Fall of Communism in my country, we were exposed to new, alternative ways of cooking. Even though my family didn't always share my excitement over new food, this particular dish has always … Continue reading Oatflake Patties with Mashed Potatoes
Chestnut trees are a common sight in our woods and parks, but very few produce fruits fit to human consumption. Most of the chestnuts in Slovakia are only good for playing with and creating works of arts. When they ripen and fall off in late September, children from schools and kindergartens are the first to … Continue reading Chestnut Parcels
Buckwheat is another ancient food staple returning to our cuisine. It used to be a common ingredient of our ancestors, as Ján Babilon - the author of the first cookbook in the Slovak language says. He was a chef and the owner of a restaurant in Pest (today's Budapest), where he published Prvá kuchárka v slovenskej … Continue reading Buckwheat Groats with Braised Cauliflower and Carrots
With October coming to a close the cold, wet weather has sneaked in, and shops have filled with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Very few of them will end up as jack-o'-lanterns here in Slovakia, only perhaps in Bratislava, Košice and a couple of more cities with small expat communities from the West. The … Continue reading Butternut Squash Soup
The Slow Food movement started in 1989 as a response to the opening of McDonald's restaurant in Rome. Carlo Petrini, the Italian journalist who launched the movement, thought it was unfortunate that a city with high-quality local cuisine had opened its doors to mass-produced food. Since then, the Slow Food movement has spread to more … Continue reading Slow Food Slovakia
