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Happy Holidays 2024 | Food Perestroika
I'm popping my head above the water for the traditional holiday post! It's been a busy year. Over the past twelve months, I've created something like fifty recipes covering Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania; I've taken two more trips that included four of those countries; I've written all the text for
Slovenian Žlikrofi and Onion Textures | Food Perestroika
In the hinterland of the Slovenian coast, the town of Idrija is (relatively) known for two things: its mercury mine, and its žlikrofi, bicorne-hat-shaped ravioli stuffed with a mixture of mashed potatoes and bacon. Idrijski žlikrofi have become one of the most popular dishes in Slovenia, and the first in the country to obtain the
New Cookbook Announcement | Food Perestroika
Following the global success of The Goulash Archipelago, I'm happy to announce that my co-author Valnoir and I have signed a contract with Les Editions Noir sur Blanc to write a new cookbook! I won't reveal the title yet (feel free to share your guesses in the comments below), but it will cover the countries
Slovenia’s Stars, Part 2: Strelec | Food Perestroika
Ljubljana Castle is the most visited attraction in Slovenia. A historic monument towering over the city, it's also used for weddings and cultural events. Standing right next to the entrance, the 15th-century Archers’ Tower hosts one of the city's best restaurants: Strelec (literally "the archer" in Slovenian), run by chef Igor Jagodic. Jagodic's story will
Happy Holidays 2023 | Food Perestroika
Happy holidays! I've been pretty busy of late, and haven't been posting as much as I used to. One of the reasons is that I'm working on a new cookbook, and there's a lot of cooking to be done! I'll write more about this project soon, but looking at my recent activity you can probably
Saint Martin’s Duck with Mlinci | Food Perestroika
Saint Martin of Tours is best known for cutting his cloak in two with his sword, to give half to a beggar clad only in rags in the depths of winter. While many paintings and stained glass windows illustrate this noble action, they ignore a more comical episode from his life. According to legend, not
Slovenian beef tongue and potato salads | Food Perestroika
After my review of Skaručna, you probably began to understand the importance of beef in Slovenian gastronomy: from my dinner there, two of the appetizers, the soup, and the main course all contained beef. Cattle are raised throughout the country, except in the westernmost part. Cow's milk produces skuta (Slovenia's farmer cheese) and many local
Warm Adriatic Mussel Salad | Food Perestroika
Though inspired by a dish I ate at Pelegrini restaurant in Šibenik in Croatia several years ago, this recipe morphed into my own original creation, for the simple reason that I forgot what Pelegrini's tasted like! I remember there was the marinated bivalve, the vegetable brunoise, the chives, and a purée whose composition was somewhat
Slovenia’s Stars, Part 1: Gostilna Skaručna | Food Perestroika
Having just landed in Slovenia and settled into our accommodation in Ljubljana, we were having second thoughts about venturing back out to visit Gostilna Skaručna (Skaručna Inn), located in the eponymous village – population 277 – halfway between the city center and the airport. This wasn't a place you stumbled upon by chance or where
Slovenian Pizza | Food Perestroika
I love pizza. There were phases in my life when I had a New York slice for lunch or dinner at least five times a week. I have since transitioned to a more reasonable cadence of one individual pie on weekends, usually of the Neapolitan persuasion. That's not to say that just because the city
Pelješac Peninsula, Part 2: The Yankee, the Centenarian, and the Donkey | Food Perestroika
In the first part of this series, I introduced you to Croatia's Pelješac peninsula and Plavac Mali, the red wine varietal for which it's known. This time, I'll take you to three of the region's most famous wineries: Korta Katarina, Grgić, and Matuško. Or, as I like to call them, the Yankee, the Centenarian, and
Pelješac Peninsula, Part 1: The Land of Plavac Mali | Food Perestroika
Most tourists don't visit Dalmatia specifically for its wine. Sure, they'll enjoy local vino at restaurants, and they might even visit the occasional winery if it's not too far from the beach or if Anthony Bourdain ate and drank there. But driving (yes, they'd need a car) an hour to the middle of nowhere to
Pag Island Lamb Trio with Spring Vegetables | Food Perestroika
In my post about Pag cheese a few years ago, I introduced you to Croatia's Pag Island, home to an autochthonous breed of sheep whose population far exceeds that of the human locals and whose milk is used to make the famous Paški sir. But these sheep are also praised for their meat, and I
Pelješac Peninsula, Part 3: Moment of Truth | Food Perestroika
A winery tasting is, when you think about it, a very peculiar exercise, with a lot of situational subjectivity. Maybe you're vacationing in a place you've been dreaming about for months, being poured glass after glass of wines with fancy labels in an atmospheric room. Or maybe you're tasting just a couple of wines in
Happy Holidays 2022 | Food Perestroika
It’s that time of year again! Here’s my selection of dishes to make for the holidays, and a recap of my most popular posts! The launch ofThe Goulash Archipelagotook a substantial amount of my time (should I mention again that with its 300+ illustrations and unique design, it makes for a great gift?)
Goose Schnitzel and Celery Root Spaetzle | Food Perestroika
After thekielbasa, here’s another wild goose recipe to reserve for slightly more tender birds: a classic schnitzel with spaetzle. It won’t be the first schnitzel on this blog; over ten years ago, I published both awild turkey schnitzel with Finger Lakes Riesling sauerkraut and red currant jelly, and
Ukrainian Duck Golubtsy and Red Beet Risotto | Food Perestroika
With the holiday season now upon us, I’d like to once again plug my cookbook,The Goulash Archipelago. Yes, it’s written in French, but A) Amazon France ships worldwide, B) the book boasts over 300 superb pictures and an outstanding design, and C) most people make only a couple of recipes from cookbo
Sarajevo Mule | Food Perestroika
Sarajevo’s founding date is often considered to be1461, during the Ottoman conquest of the region. Many artisans arrived then to build the new city and produce everyday goods for its inhabitants. Of particulart note were thekazandžije(coppersmiths), artisans who took their name from thekazani(kettle
Croatia’s Stars, Part 1: LD Restaurant | Food Perestroika
Croatia currently countsten restaurants that have been awarded a Michelin star: one inland in Zagreb, and nine scattered across the coast and islands of Dalmatia and Istria. Having now visited four of them, the time has come for me to report on my meals there. Starting withLD Restaurantin beautiful
The Goulash Archipelago, Released October 20th | Food Perestroika
As I’ve already announced on social media, my cookbookL’Archipel du Goulache(The Goulash Archipelago) is coming out in France on October 20th. Sadly, there’s no English edition planned at the moment. But if you speak French or just want to buy it for the beautiful design byValnoirand the 300+ gorgeo
Dalmatian Trio: Fish Terrine, Tuna Carpaccio, and Shrimp | Food Perestroika
Inspired bymy meal at LD Restaurant, this dish started out as my own version of their red porgy sashimi. In Marko Gajski’s kitchen, the fish, cured with cherries and rolled together with a caper leaf, was garnished with lemon cream and wild fennel fronds, and sat on top of a red porgy parfait glazed
Goose Kielbasa, Goat Cheese Pierogi, and Creamed Leeks | Food Perestroika
I seriously believe that having a good sausage recipe is essential for goose hunters.As I explained in this post, the meat of those Canada and snow geese can be really, really tough, and for the older birds, grinding is the only viable option. Since an electric smoker is a hunter’s best friend, why
North Country Hunting, and How I Became a Goose Hunter | Food Perestroika
Although I haven’t posted about my hunting trips recently, I still head to Upstate New York a couple times a year to shoot waterfowl. In fact I was sitting in a blind in the middle of a field when the NYS lockdown was announced in March 2020 (needless to say, in rural farmland 300 miles north of NYC
Dalmatian Porgy with Fennel, Asparagus Salad, and Egg Sabayon | Food Perestroika
All right, one more post reminiscing about the joy of summer in Croatia, then I’ll switch to more autumnal themes! Just like my recentDalmatian Trio, this is another dish idea that sprung frommy meal at LD Restaurantbefore I turned it into something else. Remember the grilled monkfish with a salad o