Eastern European Recipes & Cookbooks

In Czechoslovakia, a country known for fine cooks, a copy of Varime Zdrave Chutne a Hospodarne graces nearly every kitchen. Now this best-selling Czechoslovak cookbook has been adapted for American use. The Czechoslovak Cookbook contains over 500 authentic recipes that convey the essence of Czechoslovak cuisine.

Hearty soups made from modest ingredients are one of the hallmarks of Czechoslovak cuisine. Contained in this volume are recipes for such favorites as Garlic Soup, Creamed Fish Soup, and Rye Bread Soup. Robust meat dishes include Ginger Roast Beef, Braised Beef with Vegetables and Sour Cream, Beef Goulash, Tartar Beefsteak, Mutton with Marjoram, Veal Cutlets with Mushrooms, Stuffed Breast of Veal, Veal Paprika, Roast Pork with Capers, Braised Sweetbreads, and a variety of pates.

The poultry and game chapter contains recipes for Chicken Paprika, Roast Capon, Roast Goose. Stuffed Roast Squab, Roast Hare with Sour Cream, and Leg of Venison with Red Wine.

The Czechs are particularly fond of meals centered around egg dishes and dumplings, for instance Baked Eggs with Chicken Livers, Farina Omelet, Noodle Souffle with Cherries and Nuts, Noodles with Farmer Cheese, Napkin Dumplings, Dumplings with Smoked Meat, and Sour Cream Pancakes. Rounded out with a vegetable dish like Sauteed Cabbage, Green Beans Paprika, or Stuffed Kale Rolls, these entrees make a tasty and inexpensive dinner.

The Czechs are justifiably famous for their baking, and The Czechoslovak Cookbook is full of delectable baked goods: Bohemian Biscuits. Crisp Potato Sticks, Salt Rolls, Pretzels, Christmas Twist, Checkerboard Cookies, Bishop's Bread, and Honey Cake.

Suitable for both the experienced cook and the novice who hasn't ventured beyond broiling a steak, The Czechoslovak Cookbook is a valuable asset to any kitchen.

The Bulgarian kitchen is heavily influenced by Mediterranean cooking, not a surprise since the neighboring Turks occupied it for 500 years. Greece is also a neighbor, along with Romania and Yugoslavia. Bulgarians favor the slow cooking of stews and soups. They use fresh vegetables, particularly tomatoes, sweet red peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes. Stuffed grape leaves, phyllo pies, and mousaka--the Bulgarian spelling--will be familiar. Forristal offers a meatless mousaka made with zucchini and several kinds of plakiya, stews that are vibrant with tomatoes and onions, similar to dishes you find in Greek restaurants. The gyuveches are baked stews that resemble their Romanian counterparts. The typical meatless one made with string beans, tomatoes, eggplant, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, red and green bell peppers, and zucchini, resembles a ratatouille. The one made with sausages and red peppers is much simpler.

If you enjoy discovering new dishes, tutmanik, a quickbread made with cheese, and Baked Peppers Stuffed with White Beans are alluring. The potato salad seasoned with oregano and paprika is also different from the usual. Do ignore one technique Forristal uses: peeling roasted peppers under running water washes away much of their flavor. Better to leave a few charred specks of skin than to do this. --Dana Jacobi