The culinary crossroads of Central Europe
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Category — Soups & Salads

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

This soup started out as gazpacho, at some point in our cooking past. Maybe it could still be called gazpacho, I haven’t consulted with the Wordwide Soup Taxonomical Organization (if such a thing exists). It’s the ideal tonic at the end of a hot day, with its deep red color and a sweet/sour snap. True, you do have to generate a little heat roasting the veggies, but it’s well worth it, I’m telling you. (I can tell you because even though this is Valerian’s recipe, I’m writing it up today).


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August 24, 2010   No Comments

Shopska – Šopska – chopped salad with cheese

taste of balkan on your picnic

One of the first questions I get when I introduce my wife is “Where did you two meet?”. I don’t know why, is an American-Slovak-Hungarian combo that weird? So make it even more weird — I say “in Kosovo”.  That always takes the conversation away from us and transforms it to a discussion about Kosovo. Yes it is true, we met in the Balkans and we worked together and we fell in love with each other, then got married, had kids and started this blog.  Maybe when someone asks me how I met my wife, I should say “while we were eating Shopska salad”. Is this true? Most likely yes, because being in the Balkans was all about eating a lot of Shopska salad.

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July 19, 2010   4 Comments

The Best Summer Pea Soup

We planted peas among our roses to improve the soil, and we actually are getting a nice little crop of fresh peas right now! The kids love to spot the chubby pods that are ready to pick, and they’re still at the age when shelling peas is more fun than work. This recipe is most delicious with the freshest peas you can find, but of course sometimes those will be ones from the freezer.

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July 8, 2010   1 Comment

Bean Soup a la Jokai – Jokai Bableves

hungarian bean soup Jokai babeves

Today, warm up with one of the most famous soups in Hungary -  bean soup a la Jokai. [Read more →]

January 8, 2010   No Comments

Caraway Seed Soup

caraway soup

Katy asked me to come up with a recipe for the day after Thanksgiving, something light, something to soothe a possibly upset stomach. [Read more →]

November 27, 2009   No Comments