Notes about Recipes in this book

• Joe's beets, cornichons, feta and potatoes

  • grindabod on January 29, 2023

    Could not be simpler, and it's a very tasty and satisfying meal. Feta mashed with yoghurt is one of my favourite things ever, so any excuse to have that as an accompaniment is great, really. And it goes so well with the beets. Lovely.

  • snackbaby on July 02, 2023

    this is absolutely dreamy even though it is so simple. I added a bit of red, garlicky sauerkraut to the beet mixture, which gave it some extra tang.

• Pasta with confit garlic, goat cheese and thyme

  • Babeng.Bubba on August 19, 2023

    Didn’t have thyme so used dried oregano. Very good and easy

  • snackbaby on April 18, 2024

    such a dreamy decadent dish, loved the lettuce leaves. used the leftover oil for a focaccia

• Lamb chops in kefir and harissa marinade

  • joneshayley on August 27, 2022

    Really juicy and more ish chops- easy to make and easier to eat. Yum.

• Green bean salad with apples, fennel and nuts

  • snackbaby on July 02, 2023

    so good! super crunchy, a joy to eat. the toasted nuts with some chili and salt are a great addition. loved eating this with some focaccia.

  • carlythecook on June 21, 2024

    A great winter salad. Very fresh and crunchy. Double the nut mix for snacking or sprinkling on other meals.

• Squid stew

  • kshell on May 10, 2023

    Omitted bell pepper and cinnamon to suit my family's tastes, but I personally would have welcomed both. Served with brown rice. A nice reminder that there is a big, wide world for squid beyond fried calamari.

• Steamed aubergines

  • kshell on October 22, 2023

    Will steam whole eggplant again, this was so easy! Dressing was nice. Subbed maple syrup for honey, lemon for lime juice. If you balance the acid/sweet you have free reign. Topped with cilantro but the mint, had mine still been alive on the patio, would have been welcome.

  • snackbaby on March 28, 2025

    nice! lovely simple and flavourful dish, mint does add a good and unique note

• Butter bean dip with garlic and paprika oil

  • joneshayley on August 27, 2022

    A great dip, served with crunchy veg sticks for a nice lunch, and could be a great part of a mezze style spread, or topper for crostini

• Chicken pörkölt

  • joneshayley on November 08, 2022

    I’m so enamoured with this recipe! It’s soothing and easy to pull together. The juices not to be left In the pan! A recipe I make over and over

• Armenian chard and lentil soup

  • Emily Hope on April 19, 2023

    I loved this soup -- the potatoes, Harissa, and the mint topping all made it just a bit different from the other lentil soups I make. Sadly the family didn't agree -- potatoes and mint both got panned. Still, may make again. Served with a tomato cucumber salad.

  • snackbaby on July 02, 2023

    loved this! super easy and super flavorful. mint garlic butter on top is brilliant. one of the best new soups I tried in a while.

  • carlythecook on June 21, 2024

    One of the best soups ever. Comforting, nourishing, but still fresh tasting due to the mint.

• Mother Taralezhkova's potatoes

  • jenburkholder on January 19, 2023

    Delicious. The potatoes are a bit rich, but the sauce is a definite repeat.

• Pumpkin stuffed with sour dried fruit, nuts and rice

  • jenburkholder on November 25, 2022

    So, this was tasty but we had some issues. The Korean brown rice we used did not like cooking with the barberries. The acidity meant that we had to cook. And cook. And cook the rice. Like at least an hour and a half to cook rice that usually takes 35 minutes. Eventually it got cooked sufficiently that we felt we could proceed. Our pumpkin was really a random squash from the market, more starchy and less sweet than some. Overall it was good and nice flavor, but not certain if I’d repeat.

• Vegetable gratin Balkan-style

  • jenburkholder on August 25, 2023

    Excellent. My tomatoes were very juicy, so I salted them and let drain before layering. Otherwise made (I think!) all according to recipe. Potatoes were a mix of Yukon Gold and russets, and I think almost anything would work. Hearty, delicious use of summer produce.

• Spaghetti alla San Giovanni

  • stepharama1 on May 17, 2025

    Delicious, fast and made with pantry ingredients (except for the salted capers). this is definitely a make again dish.

• Bobbie's chicken and pork adobo

  • Babeng.Bubba on May 21, 2023

    Very very good! Used both chicken and pork belly. Marinated only for a few hours and it still completely infused the meat. Lots of sauce at the end so fished out everything and cooked some baby marrows in sauce while it thickened.

  • jenburkholder on November 10, 2025

    Delicious, though I've really never met an adobo I didn't like. I had about 1.25 pounds of pork belly which was just fine. Made a day ahead and refrigerated - then pulled off most of the (LOTS) layer of fat before reheating. I think the flavor of adobo only gets better with that day of rest and with all of the fat it worked well. I did use coconut vinegar since I had it. Served with garlic butter rice from Filipinx - so good - and sauteed gailan. The slight bitterness of the veg was an excellent counterpoint. Definitely recommend this recipe!

• Potatoes of my childhood

  • joneshayley on November 08, 2022

    Served with anything, but particularly the chicken porkolt from the book, these are delicious. Simple yet satisfying. On my electric hob they take a lot longer, but they are not labour intensive and evoke a nostalgia from my own childhood that I can’t quite put my finger on. To be made often, in excess.

  • snackbaby on November 07, 2023

    these are delightful and very comforting.

• Nina's cabbage pie

  • snackbaby on April 18, 2024

    lovely pie, easily veganized and adapted to whatever you have in the fridge. v. nice lunch the next day

• Cabbage fritters

  • jenburkholder on November 26, 2022

    Good, simple fritters. We used buckwheat flour, whose flavor complemented the cabbage and spiced yogurt well. More “pancake-y” than cabbagey.

• Lamb shoulder with herbs and preserved lemons

  • Babeng.Bubba on August 20, 2023

    Used ginger, garlic and coriander paste, ginger and garlic paste and more garlic. Didn’t have tarragon so just used mint and dill. Added water to paste. Very easy to make and tasty.

• Dark greens and noodles with yogurt

  • grindabod on February 18, 2023

    I've made a few recipes before from different parts of the world where pasta and yoghurt are combined, and I always love them - this one is no different. There's a bit of time involved (especially if you're making fresh pasta, although the alternatives would be just as delicious) but it's worth it. Those caramelised onions, along with the garlicky yoghurt and the sumac... this is pretty much my idea of heaven.

  • carlythecook on June 21, 2024

    This would be included on my dream menu. The pasta is not difficult to make - I don't use a pasta machine but roll the dough as thin as possible. I usually double the caramelised onion and use about two thirds for this dish. For the greens I use silverbeet or chard leaves.

• Bread for eating

  • ThePatheticBaker on November 30, 2022

    Love the title/name of this loaf "Bread for Eating", which is apparently the literal translation of the original Japanese name.

• Hedvig's brown butter, miso and walnut cake

  • katmagdunn on December 20, 2025

    At first, this case seemed a bit weird. Then it became totally addictive. One for the salty sweet lovers!

• Life-giving rhubarb crumble cake

  • friendlytoast on May 28, 2026

    Delicious! I thought I’d miss the fact that there are no spices added (cinnamon, cardamom, etc.) but it is perfect with just the rhubarb flavor. Easy despite needing to make three separate components.

• Greta's Lithuanian buckwheat cake

  • jenburkholder on January 19, 2023

    Delicious, simple cake. You can taste the buckwheat flour, but it isn't overwhelming. Rises well and has a lovely texture.

• Quince trifle

  • jenburkholder on January 19, 2023

    Not good as written. The custard is way too starchy and bland. The quince method doesn't work hardly at all - I ended up simmering them on the stove. Once assembled, the flavors go fine together but it's hardly a revelation. The buckwheat cake alone with a nice quince compote would be a much tastier dish.

• Self-care marbled semolina cake

  • snackbaby on July 02, 2023

    I made this twice but I am not sure if I like it, although it looked absolutely beautiful, and I cannot quite put my finger on what is off here. First one was definitely too salty and not sweet enough. The second one was better, but just... not great. It's super easy to whip up though.

• Tromsø's seeded rye bread

  • jenburkholder on December 08, 2023

    This was excellent, especially given how easy it was. Obviously didn’t have quite as deep of a flavor as a sourdough rye, but the kefir gave it a nice tang and the texture was beautiful. Would recommend for anyone who’s too lazy for a rye starter.

  • stepharama1 on October 27, 2025

    This is superb. I used yogurt rather than kefir. The bread is very nicely flavored (considering it isn't sourdough), dense (but not too dense) and slices very well. It's definitely in the make again category. Thanks to the previous commentator for pointing out this recipe.

• Green tops paste

  • snackbaby on July 02, 2023

    used beet tops, added a bunch of nutritional yeast, and the end result was delightful!

• Fermented mirepoix

  • Apollonia on September 27, 2024

    A really nice mild sauerkraut-like ferment. She recommends fermenting for a few days; I did a week, and my veggies were still quite crisp, but nicely fermented. I haven't tried cooking with this yet, but as nice as it is to eat out of hand, I'm sure it will be delicious.