The pinnacle of comfort foods, this Croatian Goulash is savory and simple–braised beef cubes are combined with the holy trinity of Central European cooking: onion, pepper, garlic. The meat is braised in red wine and then slow cooked in beef broth until the most succulent …
No matter the light that entered my family’s house, no matter which of my father’s houses that the light entered; if a holiday morning, a quiet Sunday, a winter’s chill, or after one of my mother’s European midday meals– My family’s Croatian link was Sljivovica. …
A Companion Essay to Cevapcici Feast Day By Maryana Lucia Vestic Cevapcici recipes found here Outskirts The crumbling facade of the apartment block stood idle under the pale Bosnian morning. No shadows existed, whether made by the Igman mountain, the remaining scorched birch trees, or …
A Journey Into Time As I crack open the window in the pentagon shaped living room, the room that feels like a cabin on a ship perched high in the trees above the street, I feel cold, but no wind. There is a soft, periwinkle …
A Christmas Eve Tradition Christmas Eve in Westchester, 1985. It was our last Christmas in the only home I had ever known in life and childhood, the big California style house on the hill, the one with modern additions thanks to my Croatian born father’s …
On Raglan Road On Raglan Road, in DECEMBER…I sat on the soft, blue upholstered seats of the Ballsbridge bus from central Dublin. I picked it up across the street from the Trinity College wall facing, Westmoreland Street? The one that connected the main way of …
Rush Hour As I slam my car door shut, I look down the hilly street towards the waters off Bay Ridge, which I can only just see if I arch my head over from the balcony. Just as when I lived in Red Hook, the …
A History (or lack of) I have a confession to make. My mother never made a Burek in her life. I never ate Burek growing up, even though our family prepped, cooked, baked, and consumed all manner of Croatian feasts. In 1982, after our summer …
A classic Turkish egg breakfast of onions, hot peppers, tomatoes, a dash of paprika and sumac spice, feta, and a little mozzarella for some extra creaminess. Eggs are dropped in, then swirled around in a figure 8 shape, making for a Turkish breakfast mosaic like …
A History of Lasagna Growing up in Westchester, my Queens-Croatian mother made lasagna on the regular. It was delicious, and most fondly remembered in the 1980’s. Ronzoni lasagna sheets that she draped over the sides of the tall pasta pot to dry out after cooking, …