Eastern European Recipes
101 recipes found
Pan-Seared Chicken With Mujdei Green Beans
Easy to make and deeply satisfying, mujdei is a cornerstone sauce in Romanian cuisine. Just a quick glance at the amount of garlic in the ingredient list explains its potency. Crushed fine and whisked with salt, oil and water, the garlic blend makes an evocative pairing for vegetables, seafood or meat. Here, it's a lovely coating for blistered green beans and avocado to eat with skillet brown chicken thighs. Whenever mujdei finds its way onto your fork, it will leave a nice light tingle on your lips.
Strawberry Pasta
This Polish childhood staple of creamy strawberry sauce over pasta is a fast, fuss-free way to make the most of peak summer berries.
Lobio (Georgian Bean Stew) with Mchadi Cornbread
Simple and hearty kidney bean and walnut stew recipe, served with classic Georgian-style pan fried cornbread.
Smoky Spiced Eggplant Dip
Any Romanian gathering or celebration will inevitably contain an eggplant dish, the most common ones being salată de vinete (eggplant salad — a charred eggplant dip that’s similar to baba ghanouj but uses mayonnaise instead of tahini) and zacuscă (a charred eggplant and pepper dip, similar to ajvar). This family recipe, adapted from “Pass the Plate” by Carolina Gelen (Clarkson Potter, 2024), falls somewhere between the two: The charred eggplant is sweetened with shallots, brightened with tomatoes and spiced with paprika and cumin (sometimes caraway). It’s not as heavy as the mayonnaise-laced dip and not as labor-intensive as zacuscă, making it a faster, lighter alternative to whip up on any occasion. Get ready for one of the most inviting smells you will experience in the kitchen.
Zingy Sour Veggie Soup
In Romania, and many other European countries, fermenting cabbage at home during winter months is a common practice. As temperatures start dropping, massive bags of shaved cabbage start popping up across farmers’ markets. Home cooks bring them home to make sauerkraut, roughly massaging the cabbage with salt and starting the fermentation process in their kitchens. They later store their giant sauerkraut-filled barrels outside, on patios and balconies throughout winter. The sauerkraut-consumption comes in many forms, from sauerkraut-stuffed flatbreads, cabbage rolls and sautéed sauerkraut with various meats, to soups like ciorbă de varză acră, a sour cabbage soup. There are as many versions as you might imagine: Some use cream, and some use sausage or smoked meats, but this recipe, adapted from “Pass the Plate” by Carolina Gelen (Clarkson Potter, 2024), delivers a bowl of comfort using paprika-spiced vegetables. When cooking with sauerkraut brine, taste the broth as you go to ensure a balanced salt level. Serve your soup with crusty bread and sweet, jammy garlic.
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Topik (Armenian Chickpea and Potato Dumplings)
These Armenian chickpea and potato dumplings are a classic Armenian Lenten dish. Filled with onions, currants, and warm spices, topik are sweet and savory, with a rich, velvety texture reminiscent of pâté.
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Dolma (Rice-and-Meat Stuffed Vegetables)
Stuff vegetables with a hearty mixture of ground meat and rice, then braise them in a savory, tangy tomato broth to make dolmas, a staple throughout Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.
Chicken Kiev
The secret of chicken Kiev lies within the walls of its crispy exterior — once sliced, out pours a pool of warm, herby butter. Accounts vary on when and where chicken Kiev first appeared, some attributing it to a hotel in Kyiv and others claiming it’s a riff on a Parisian veal dish. Regardless of the dish’s origin, it became a fine-dining staple in the United States in the 1950s. In this traditional preparation, chicken breasts are pounded thin, wrapped around a stick of chilled garlicky butter speckled with chives and parsley, then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. While the rolling and chilling is fairly labor-intensive, the recipe’s saving grace is that most of the work can be done in advance.
Sauerkraut
While this beloved fermented cabbage dish is often associated with German cuisine, it is eaten all across Eastern Europe while its roots go back to ancient China, when laborers building the Great Wall of China used rice wine to preserve the vegetable in the winter months. Making sauerkraut is both simple and hands-off. In this recipe, shredded cabbage is mixed with kosher salt and stored in a ventilated jar. In a week’s time, naturally occurring bacteria on the leaves convert the cabbage’s sugars into lactic acid, which gives sauerkraut its distinct sour flavor. The flavor will continue to develop the longer the cabbage ferments; taste along the way and when the sauerkraut reaches the desired pungency, transfer it to the refrigerator to slow the fermentation process. Serve sauerkraut with pork chops or sausages, use it in sandwiches or soups to add crunch and brininess, or try it in this Alsatian-inspired pasta.
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Ghapama (Armenian Stuffed Pumpkin)
As beautiful as it is delicious, this honey-butter–glazed pumpkin stuffed with rice, dried fruits, and nuts makes for a gorgeous centerpiece on a holiday table during pumpkin season.
Golden Beet Borscht
Borscht is a name for many different types of soup found across Ukraine, Russia and more broadly Eastern Europe. The ones we know best in the United States are often made from red beets. But this version uses underappreciated golden beets, which are earthier and less sugary than their red cousins. Seasoned with coriander and caraway seeds, it makes a savory, wintry soup. Carrots add a touch of sweetness, while a dash of apple cider vinegar gives it just the right zip. A generous dollop of sour cream or yogurt makes the broth nice and silky. This soup gets better as it sits, so, if you can, make it a day or two ahead of serving.
Cozonac (Walnut and Raisin Easter Bread)
In Romania, this festive sweet braided loaf, cozonac, is most commonly baked for Easter and Christmas. There are countless versions among families and across regions and this one, from Irina Georgescu’s “Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania and Beyond” (Hardie Grant, 2022) is swirled with a blend of walnuts and raisins bound by sweetened and beaten egg whites. Tender and delicately sweet, this loaf is perfumed with both orange zest and orange blossom water. According to Ms. Georgescu, cozonac has been connected to pre-Christian celebrations and its baking process is still considered superstitious by some. She recommends making the sign of the cross over the dough before letting it rise for luck. Even if you skip that step, your bread will turn out just fine as long as your yeast is fresh.
Chebureki
Chebureki are the southern Ukrainian branch of the global family of empanadas, potstickers, pasties and salteñas — dough pockets filled with meat and deep-fried until golden and juicy. A blistered, chewy crust is the sign of a really good cheburek according to Olga Koutseridi, who grew up in Mariupol, Ukraine, and adapted this recipe for her home kitchen in Austin, Texas. The dough for this recipe is relatively stiff, which means it will take a bit of time to mix it by hand. You could also use a stand mixer, but your mixer may struggle. After the first few, these pies become much easier to assemble, and you can roll and fill the next one while one is frying. It is best to fry one or two at a time, which helps control the oil temperature and ensures the freshest chebureki. They should be eaten within just a few minutes of their emergence from the fryer.
Borsch With Fish
Every Ukrainian family has its own style of borsch. Olga Koutseridi, who grew up in Mariupol, is a historian and collector of Ukrainian recipes; she’s documented more than 70 recipes, including her mother’s “tomato-centric and cabbage-centric” borsch, as well as this version often eaten in Mariupol. Borsch with fish is traditional in southern Ukraine, where Black Sea ports like Mariupol and Odessa have relied on fishing since ancient times. Modern cooks often use canned versions of local species like anchovies, gobies and sprats. With bell peppers and carrots along with the usual beets and cabbage, this soup is hearty and chunky, but also very light.
Hrutka - Slovak Egg Cheese
This Hrutka recipe can be prepared sweet or savory, plain or seasoned (from black pepper, paprika, curry, saffron act). This is the plain version.
Beet Kvass
Beet kvass is a fermented drink that tastes sweet and earthy. It's is full of probiotic bacteria, and easier to make at home than you might imagine.
Šnenokle - Croatian Meringue and Custard
This snenokle recipe celebrates milk, eggs, and honey better than any other dish. If you haven't tried Croatian meringue and custard, you must right now!
Zesty Cranberry Sauce in the manner of Georgian Plum Sauce (Tkemali)
Tkemali is a condiment eaten with meat in Georgia & Azerbaijan. My grandmother made hers with cherry plums. I substitute cranberries for the plums in my recipe.
Radish & Cucumber Salad
In Russian you call someone “rediska”, which means radish, when they’re naughty and misbehaving. At least that’s what my mother does. I never could understand why, but perhaps it’s because radishes are sharp and peppery. Anyway, being called a radish doesn’t hurt my feelings any because I happen to love radishes. I grew up eating this cool and refreshing radish salad, and as far as I can tell, it’s a Russian classic. My mother makes it with Kirby cucumbers, but I usually use English cucumbers because they’re much easier to find. And Mom never used the dill, though it is a common addition. I can’t remember what Mom served this with, and she’s being a radish and not answering her phone right now so I can’t ask, but I think it’s great on the side with roast chicken. One large bunch of radishes is usually enough to make the recipe. - Lucy Vaserfirer
Liptauer Cheese
The journalist Joseph Wechsberg introduced many Americans to the pleasures of Austro-Hungarian food, including this liptauer spread. The recipe is adapted from "The Cooking of Vienna's Empire," Mr. Wechsberg's 1968 entry in the Time-Life Foods of the World series. Cottage cheese and butter are the base for paprika, caraway seeds and briny capers. This dip is a fine accompaniment for crudités or hearty slices of rye on a brisk autumn afternoon.
Turkish Bride Soup
Stuffed Peppers With Paprika and Sour Cream
Goulash Soup
