Recipes
Saudi Arabian street food made at home in an American kitchen… what could go wrong?
Making Veggie Samboosa for Bahrain 2024
A hearty vegetarian salad with fresh ingredients and a variety of textures and flavors.
Here you will find not just cheese, not just pan-fried cheese, but cheese pan-fried in butter, topped with the zippiest dressing that balances it so well you don’t even feel the least bit guilty for eating cheese fried in butter.
Freekeh is popular in Egypt particularly, but also all over the Middle East. We cooked this along with a fresh salad for the Bahrain GP for the first race of the 2023 F1 Season!
Tex-mex at its weeknight’s finest. A Tamale Pie casserole that is filling and delicious.
A popular way to prepare tofu in Japan, this silken tofu is lightly coated in salt, pepper, garlic, and potato starch and then seared in a pan to create a beautiful crispy layer and depth of flavor.
With a little prep, tarts are surprisingly easy, and this version even skips the need for eggs or cream instead using creme friache to make it even easier and to highlight the fresh tomatoes. Delicious.
A warm and hearty baked savory tart is wonderful served with a bright salad of mixed greens and herbs.
This dish has a few of my favorite ingredients popular in this region including sumac, pomegranate molasses, and barberries. It serves a crowd and has wonderfully unique flavors and textures!
This summery salad is made with a mixture of punchy herbs and creamy components like feta, walnuts, and soft boiled eggs.
This Provençal bread tart is beautifully sweet and savory.
Another perfect recipe from the master herself, Marcella Hazan.
Aussie burgers with the Lot — Veggie style!
This dish works so well with the strong herbal flavors and subtle cauliflower, topped with a creamy dressing that balances it perfectly.
Soft pillowy whole wheat dough encases a slightly tangy filling of spinach, feta, and pine nuts. Lemon and mint amps up the flavor a bit.
Manakeesh (alternate spellings: Manakish or Manaqish) are sometimes referred to as Middle Eastern Pizza, they are basic flatbreads with a range of tasty toppings and are infinitely adaptable.
Kibbie (also spelled Kibbeh, Kibba, Kubba) is a family of dishes that might take the form of patties, fritters, or casseroles. In this delicious recipe, the filling is made hearty with garbanzo beans and walnuts, and flavorsome with onions, spices, and spinach.
Machboos is equally the national dish of Qatar as it Bahrain, and it appears in many variations.
This is a super simple recipe that is a variation of a Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca Baiana) made with coconut milk, paprika, and cumin. It is creamy and rich and reminiscent of a curry, but much simpler to make.
These Stuffed Poblanos are full of flavor and perfect with a side of Lime Rice and a simple salsa.
Butternut Squash Soup is a long-time favorite of mine, my sister used to make it when she visited from college, and it screams fall to me more than pumpkin spice lattes and decorative gourds.
Pide can be made with a wide-variety of fillings. Popular ones are spiced ground lamb, mixed greens and herbs, and cheese and egg. This version has an earthy mix of chard, spinach, green onions, and parsley.
Pasta, garlic, tomato, olive oil, basil. All ingredients I immediately associate with Italy. Also almost the sole list of ingredients in this recipe.
A simple savory tart perfect for lunch or a light dinner served with a bright crunchy salad.
A plant-based Hungarian main dish — Mushroom Paprikash — with onions, sour cream, and dill.
Toad in the Hole is a popular dish usually made with sausage and Yorkshire pudding baked together, this is a vegetarian version with carrot and onion replacing the sausage. The addition of a little chili and paprika adds a nice kick and makes for a pretty, and delicious, vegetarian main.
Not all salads need to be complicated. With a little mint and some tangy cheese, this is pretty much perfection.
Tart and earthy, this is a beautifully complex grain salad.
With a spicy, punchy sauce this makes a standout side dish.
Okra cooked until just charred and still crunchy with perfectly spicy chilies and tart lime.
Roasting radishes brings out a sweetness that compliments the inherently spicy and slightly bitter nature of the root vegetable. Roasting them in butter, just makes them all the more delicious.
This summery salad is made with a mixture of punchy herbs and creamy components like feta, walnuts, and soft boiled eggs.
These beauties are pan steamed with just a bit of salt and a bay leaf, creating tender fluffy potatoes, that are then skewered on rosemary branches and broiled or grilled to add a touch of browning and depth of flavor. Lovely to present and delicious.
Creamy textured cauliflower encrusted with a parmesan top.
This salad has so many delicious flavors and textures with toasted pecans, sliced dates, punchy herbs, and a tart-sweet dressing that marries the whole dish together.
This is one of those salads that you know will be tasty, I mean… fennel, kalamata olives, pomegranate seeds, of course it will be delicious. But the surprise is how well it all goes together and how none of the elements overwhelm the others.
Super simple chopped salad that can be served as a topping for chicken, steak, or pork, or as a great side salad for any Brazilian meal.
This is one of my all-time favorite salads. Brussels sprouts or broccoli both work equally well. The dressing is infinitely editable to your taste and it saves well in the fridge for days.
This is a simple salad with a nice combination of crunchy vegetables, ripe fresh tomatoes, and bright lemon and herb dressing.
A little of this salad goes a long way and is great alongside Pide stuffed with greens and herbs.
Braising the asparagus in a bath of water, lemon, and garlic infuses it with the rich and bright flavors of the garlic and lemon, and leaves the asparagus perfectly tender.
A simple savory tart perfect for lunch or a light dinner served with a bright crunchy salad.
Simple, crunchy, and a great side to the many rich Austrian dishes.
How can anyone resist something quite so pretty? With store-bought puff pastry, this dish is surprisingly simple for such a fun presentation!
A composed salad with a delicious combination of textures and flavors.
This is more of a concept than a recipe, but I want to share it nonetheless. It can be served as a starter along with flatbread, or set on the table alongside a main meal. Either way it brings lovely texture and flavor to any meal!
This simple but flavorsome bean dish hails from what author and cook Naomi Duguid terms the “Persian Culinary Region” spanning Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan.
Spinach Borani is a delicious starter made simply with thickened yogurt and quick cooked spinach and fried onions. The sumptuousness of the dish belies the simplicity of the ingredients.
These green beans are a great side dish or even a light meal. The final splash of vinegar and fried garlic add punch and flavor, the egg and bread cubes add texture and satiety, and the combination is a delicious dish.
This recipe is an adaptation of what would normally be pickled, but an overnight rest in the fridge gives similar flavor results without the fuss.
This simple but delicious side dish marries well with spicy dishes, especially those made with Piri Piri hot sauce.
Chickpeas in a tangy, aromatic onion-based gravy
This salad is fabulous with its perfect mix of ingredients, insane crunch, and the brightness of the lemon in the creamy yogurt dressing.
These date bars are very rich and full of warming flavors.
Similar to biscotti, these Middle Eastern baked goods are perfect with a nice hot cup of tea.
Buttery and fragrant with cinnamon these are easy as can be and melt in your mouth.
Pumpkin bread for the picky pumpkin eaters
Super fluffy cake-like banana muffins scented with warm spices.
Polvorones are the crumbliest of cookies. Made with toasted flour, ground almonds, sugar and just butter to hold them together they melt, or more accurately crumble, in your mouth in a delicious way.
A classic orange sponge cake with a simple apricot glaze to bring out the tart and sweet flavors.
Apple Crumble is a classic fall dessert. This is a slightly different twist with almond flour, coconut oil, and ground oats. It is easier than apple pie, tastier than a simple crumble, and perfect with vanilla ice cream.
This Turkish Semolina Cake in Syrup, also called Revani, is at first lightly sweetened and then drenched in a lemon-hinted syrup. The semolina flour and ground almonds give it a nice chew, and the bit of apricot make each bite beautifully flavored.
This cake is so full of apples and goodness and, as it turns out, is very simple to make. Just a little patience while the eggs and sugar whip up gives you a fluffy, delicious, and satisfyingly light cake.
This Apple-Nut Cake is a super simple one bowl cake from Hungary. It is incredibly moist and a wonderful combination of apple, walnut, and cinnamon flavors.
This plum crumble is easy and a great use of any stone fruit including plums, nectarines, or peaches.
This version of a Gugelhupf was nicely dense and not too sweet, perfect with a cup of coffee.
Warm flavors of dates, walnuts, and cardamom make for a delicious filling to this simple and flaky pastry.
Fluffy, cakey, chocolately, a Ted favorite.
The thing that makes this a standout is the line of halvah running through the center of the cake, lending it an earthy, chewy, and almost savory quality, in perfect compliment to the warm walnut, cinnamon, and brown sugar flavors throughout.
Baklava is one of those desserts that satiates perfectly. For such a tiny little serving it has to hit all the right notes, and it does. Crispy, chewy, crunchy, sweet, just a touch salty, and decadent.
I wouldn’t survive a day on the Great British Baking Show, but I still love watching all the creations and drooling over Victorian Sponge Cakes, Bakewell Tarts, or Sticky Toffee Puddings. This recipe is simple and requires no competitive baking skills.
Kossuth Kifli are a simple butter cake with a little hint of lemon, topped with chopped walnuts. Sliced using a basic biscuit cutter into crescent moon shapes and dusted with powdered sugar to make for a lovely presentation.
Serve this Austrian Plum Cake with a cup of coffee for dessert or breakfast. We had it for both and it was lovely.
When I posted this pie on social media, my friend’s comment was simply, “This pie should be in a museum”.
It is big, it is beautiful, it was delicious. I highly recommend, if you have a Sunday with some time on your hands, you tackle this behemoth.
The crunchy walnut-cinnamon topping on this classic Russian Butter Coffee Cake is heaven.
Hungarian Nut and Poppyseed Rolls are a lovely treat. They are not too sweet and are perfect with a nice cup of coffee or tea. I enjoyed making the two different fillings as they each had unique characteristics, but went very well together and look beautiful stacked up ready to be devoured.
Basbousa is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake made with semolina and a rosewater sugar syrup. It is a lovely sweet treat at the end of a large meal.
Pictures will not do this dessert justice. Insanely rich, with just a slight kick of cinnamon and spices to mix up the creamy chocolatey richness. This was a perfect end to a spicy dinner or really any evening. Delicioso.
Another delicious Zwack cocktail to add to your repertoire. Sweet, strong, and complex this makes for a great pre-dinner or after-dinner drink.
This cocktail tastes like summer and sunshine in a glass.
Spiced Tea popular in India and all over the Middle East
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I think Sprtiz’s are my favorite summer cocktail.
Here are 4 variations of the Pimm’s Cup, each has its own merits: super easy, more herbal and complex, simple and fruity, and the batch version! It’s like a choose your own adventure.
Another lovely approach to a Zwack cocktail. This time a Rye forward but well-balanced cocktail with orgeat and lime juice.
Zwack is one of my favorite discoveries through this process of exploring recipes from around the world. It is an herbal bitter liquor that adds complexity to any cocktail it finds itself in.
I love a good creamy cocktail. Coconut milk adds just enough creaminess and tropical flavor to work well with the serious kick of cachaça and lime. Try these! You won’t regret it.
Our friend brought a new liqueur into our lives this year from her recent visit to Mexico. It is a Mayan honey and anise liqueur called Xtabentun. We immediately began researching cocktail ideas and found a pretty delicious one in the Mayan Margarita. We made a few tweaks and think this version is perfectly sweet, strong, and sour.
‘Spritz’ has remained a favorite for summertime cocktails and bubbly aperitifs.
A few of my favorite cocktails have french origins. Simple, refreshing, and elegant.
When I think Monaco, I think glitz, glamor, caviar, and champagne. And of course Daniel Ricciardo flying face first into the Red Bull pool after pulling off a redemptive win on the streets of Monte Carlo.
As soon as I opened the fresh bag of Sichuan peppercorns I knew we needed to create a cocktail to put them in. They were tart, spicy, floral, and something completely unknown.
Tart, punchy, just enough sweet and a great complement to an F1 Grand Prix.
"This ritual of tomar un vermut—literally, “taking a vermouth”—is to Spain what grabbing an espresso is to Italy. It’s a social activity undertaken pretty much whenever over the course of daylight hours, preferably with a friend or three.
Oooh another favorite cocktail! This is a great time in the F1 Calendar when so many favorites come up all in a row!
Apparently the Singapore Sling is a hotly debated cocktail with a hundred origin stories and no agreement on what the original recipe is nor what the best modern version is. However the debate turns out, I land on the side of delicious.
Zwack Unicum is a Hungarian liqueur known for its sweet-bitterness and herbal notes. Great in a cocktail!
Caipirinhas are a tart, punchy drink made with cachaca, limes, and a little sparkle. Perfect for hot days and are most at home on a beach somewhere.
Margaritas are the cure to many ailments. And they go great with tacos.
Buttery, flaky crust, simple toppings, and very riffable, this is a great appetizer or a light dinner with a nice side salad.
Just one of Bill Granger’s savory recipes, I know I will make many more to come.
Saudi Arabian street food made at home in an American kitchen… what could go wrong?
Making Veggie Samboosa for Bahrain 2024
It is hard to go wrong with pineapple-anything or avocado-anything in my book, but this surprising combination of flavors is more than the sum of its delicious parts.
Crispy, crunchy, sweet, and savory. And surprisingly simple to make.
A hearty vegetarian salad with fresh ingredients and a variety of textures and flavors.
Here you will find not just cheese, not just pan-fried cheese, but cheese pan-fried in butter, topped with the zippiest dressing that balances it so well you don’t even feel the least bit guilty for eating cheese fried in butter.
Not all salads need to be complicated. With a little mint and some tangy cheese, this is pretty much perfection.
For the Miami GP this year, we went for a full table of Cuban fare, from these shrimp cooked in a citrus and garlic marinade and then coated in butter and honey, to Fried Corn Fritters, and a bright and creamy Pineapple and Avocado Salad.
This meal is perfect for guests because the Tomato Rice can be made ahead of time and warmed in the pot, the Sweet Sour Carrots are marinated overnight and served just cooler than room temperature, and the Piri-Piri Shrimp and veggies can be cooked outside with your guests.
Machboos Rubyan along with a Chopped Salad with Feta. Delicious.
The combination of perfectly melted onions, herbs, and wine smells heavenly as this comes out of the oven.
Spain gets the double if not triple treatment each year thanks to two weeks of Pre-Season testing and the race at Circuit de Catalunya Barcelona. It’s a good thing there is such a variety of menu options and recipes to make! I have at least three cookbooks focusing on Spain, and still find delicious sounding things I have never tried before every time I open them.
Tex Mex Shrimp Fajiatas and Mexican Rice for a crowd!
I am pretty sure that Singapore Curry Noodles are not “authentic” Singaporean cuisine. But who cares! Does it taste good? Yes. Should you make it for dinner? Yes. Let’s go!
When I read about Bahraini cuisine, the consensus is that is is a rich mix of Arabic, Persian, Indian, African and European cuisines. You can taste that in this meal with tamarind flavors, cardamom and cinnamon, and of course with the staple of rice and seafood, it is a pretty good meal to exemplify the small island state and their eclectic and rich food culture.
For the Australian Grand Prix this year we made Grilled Shrimp and Corn Rolls with Smashed Avocado spread. They were delicious! Served with a bright little salad and a few bottles of Cooper’s Beer, it was a lovely start to the new season. I couldn’t resist find a recipe for grilled shrimp, just so I could say we were having shrimp on the barbie!
This spread came together pretty quickly and hit all the right buttons for a little bit of finger food, a little bit of crusty bread to sop up some saucy stuff, and some veggies strewn throughout. A nice glass of Spanish Rioja topped off the evening perfectly.
Singaporean food is a blend of all kinds of delicious.
A Spanish dinner party is never completed without an all out tapas platter. Bites to savor while drinking and talking with friends.
Guest Chef, Rob learned to make Paella from his father who in his army days was stationed for a time in Morocco. It was great hearing stories about food, travel, and family tradition. Rob now uses the Paella Mixta recipe from Saveur as a base recipe, as it is the closest he has found to his father's take on Paella.
These dishes would warm anyone's bones. Both of Catalonian origin, the rice dish is emblematic of a common Catalonian cooking style where they freely mix meat and seafood, apparently this even has a name: mar y montaña (sea and mountain). And the greens were a perfect complement, though an "everyday first course" they added a special element to the meal. Followed up by a Vermouth Cocktail, this was a great foil to any poor weather.
In the mood for something bright and summery to battle the feeling of it being dark at 5:00 and consistently blustery outside, we made grilled Shrimp and Pepper Skewers (we even pulled the cover of the grill and brought it out of dormancy for the occasion), Black Bean and Rice Salad, Fresh Pineapple Salsa, Mojitos, and Key Lime Pie!
It is hard to say what is truly "Singaporean" cuisine. What I do know is that Singaporean cuisine is vibrant, complex, and incorporates many different cultures including influences Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Peranakan and Western traditions. I tried my best for this race to find some definitively Singaporean dishes. See what you think!
“To experience the truly Belgian addiction, make sure to serve a small bowl of homemade mayonnaise, strongly flavored with mustard, to dip your frites in and a fresh pint of beer to wash it all down”
The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka always proves interesting. The fans are crazy, the racing great, and the food... so fun!
This race is all about the food and drink, though for me they all are. Paella and Sangria are like a match made in heaven. Easiest Sangria recipe ever, plus Paella covered in all the yummiest things: shrimp, clams, and mussels. And tapas to start off this food love affair.
Beef
I cannot tell you how in love with this lasagne I am. It is a multi-step process and an all-day affair, but it is also one of the most delicious things I have eaten in my life.
Needing a little comfort food fix, Hutspot was the perfect recipe for the Dutch GP weekend. Simple, warming, traditional.
Spanish cuisine is full of all kinds of homey, hearty, and filling recipes. This one hit the spot in what was a chilly February evening. Hope you enjoy the smells of the braising tomato sauce and the simmering meatballs. Together with a nice loaf of freshly baked whole wheat farmers bread and some sautéed swiss chard, this is a hearty meal.
For the final race of the season we cooked a small Middle Eastern Feast. We started with Halloumi Bites with Hot Tomato Jam (post forthcoming), and for the main course rich Beef-Stuffed Potatoes in Tamarind Sauce and a Pomegranate topped salad.
We wanted something savory and hearty to counteract the sudden turn to cold weather here at home. Also, that just seems like the right way to go when watching the Russian Grand Prix (even if the weather there was bright and sunny). These Beef Belyashi (also known as Pirsohki) hit the spot.
This Layered Cabbage Casserole (Rakott Kelkaposzta) is hearty and rich with warming flavors coming from the paprika, braised ground meat, and creamy sour cream topping.
I often think of French food as delicate, refined, and frankly… finicky. This is none of those things. It is hearty, warming, and hard to mess up. It does take some time and patience, but you are rewarded with deep flavors, wonderful textures, and with a light side salad a wonderful meal.
Our last meal of the season for Abu Dhabi was a nice little feast. We grilled up some koobideh kebabs, made shirin polo, and fattoush, and my friend made a delicious dessert of basbousa.
We first had these on a beach in Hawaii from a Brazilian food truck in Haliewa. It is hard to beat that experience, but knowing we can make them in our own kitchen is getting pretty close.
We went all out for a Brazilian feast. All the recipes come from ‘The Food and Cooking fo Brazil’ by Fernando Farah. A gift from our tenant and Brazilian friend Luis before he moved back home last year.
For this meal we went simple summertime with some grilled chicken kebabs, chopped veg salad, and dolmas with grape leaves from my Mom's garden.
Bibimbap, directly translated, means "mixed rice", it is a delicious melange of hot rice, just cooked veggies, crunchy fresh veg, tangy kimchi and runny yolked egg. Yum!
Monza is one of the classic F1 tracks, and it resides in the Lombardy region of Italy. Lombard cuisine is known particularly for a particular kind of Risotto made with saffron (Risotto alla Milanese) and for deep braises like Osso Buco.
I love the names of Hungarian dishes: goulash, paprikash, balushka. They sound so warm and comforting. This dish definitely met those criteria. Since we have a great beef source we went with a nice beef stew for this year's race. So easy, and so much flavor. The long cooking time develops the flavors nicely and the paprika really shines in this stew.
I am consistently surprised and impressed with Austrian recipes and dishes. I had such a hard time choosing a recipe, there were so many amazing sounding options to choose from.
Plov is a very popular dish in Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, pretty much all of Central Asia and indeed Azerbaijan.
Monaco, oh, Monaco. If ever there were a dream of opulence and grandeur, you are it. With the nearest neighbors being France and Italy and sitting so elegantly on the Mediterranean sea, it is the setting of dreams.
Russian dinner party anyone? I think beyond making entrees and desserts for friends, we should really think about stepping up our game and introducing costumes and decorations. I'll keep you posted!
This year we finally did it. We made our own Chinese food! And because I can't resist a cooking challenge we made three dishes, two of which were fried and none of which I had ever made before.
The first race of the new season is always exciting. Fanfare and speculation abound. It is so great to see the Sky F1 crew back together and hear Crofty and Martin's voices over the sounds of screaming F1 cars. This year, out of tradition, and gluttony we stayed the course and made our all time favorite burger too big for your mouth: the Aussie Burger 'with the lot'.
The Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne holds a special place in most F1 fan's hearts as it is the spring to our long cold winter. The first race of the new F1 season! Not only do we get to look forward to seeing all the new liveries, and meet the new drivers... but we also get to have some Australian deliciousness, in the form of BURGERS.
Pork
We made a few Indy favorites for this year’s Indy 500: Hoosier Pork-Tenderloin Sandwiches, Potato Salad, and Corn on the Cob.
Have you seen a more beautiful pork chop? I have discovered the secret to great pork chops (and great steaks) is time. And a sous vide. Mostly the sous vide, the time is just how the sous vide works its magic.
As I mentioned in my last post it was so hard to choose what to make for this race. I eventually closed my eyes and thought about some of my favorite food memories, with family, at get-togethers, childhood memories. This meal is a combination of all those things. The crowning achievement though is a recipe for killer pulled pork.
For this race we made Japanese stir fry noodles (Yakisoba) and started the meal with Blistered Shishito Peppers which we serendipitously got from our Imperfect Produce delivery this week! I love all things noodles, and this dish is no exception. With a nice umami-savory sauce and lots of veggies it hits all the right buttons.
I love all kinds of Spring Rolls. Fresh Thai spring rolls with shrimp or tofu dipped in sweet chili or peanut sauce, fried Chinese spring rolls with cabbage and carrots dipped in sweet and sour sauce, Philipino lumpia with their crispy edges and delicious porkiness. With thier own unique character, these are a new addition to this list of loves!
British food gets a bad rap. But honestly I love everything I've made for British races, and I loved everything I ate when I was in London 10 years ago. I love comfort food and that is exactly what I made for this year.
Formula 1 Gran Premio de Mexico has two fabulous things about it. The people and the stadium esses. The drivers clearly love the atmosphere in Mexico City and seem to let loose and joke around a bit more than usual which is so fun to see. The track itself goes through the grand stands in what they call the "stadium" and every time a Mexican driver goes through, the crowd goes WILD.
When it comes to sausage, Germany is pretty serious. There is a Wikipedia page with 42 entries of different German Sausages each with their own page. Well done Germany, well done.
The Russian track at Sochi has a certain elegance as it winds through the Sochi Olympic 2014 park.
Chicken
This adaptation of the classic French stew, Coq Au Vin, plays with the traditional flavors by using a brighter fortified wine— dry vermouth — to simmer the chicken and vegetables in.
We made Piri Piri Roast Chicken, Garlic and Turnip Greens Rice, and Vinha d’alhos Style Vegetables. It was a delicious feast!
This recipe for Chicken with mushrooms in a delectable cognac-cream sauce is rich and sumptuous. Lovely with a bright side salad of marinated green beans and classic German braised red cabbage with apples.
Karaage, Sesame Green Beans, Fried Smelt, and Garlic Edamame, and of course had an assortment of our favorite beers
Basque-style chicken thighs in a rich tomato and sweet pepper sauce, fresh green salad, creamy fava beans, and smoked paprika roasted potatoes.
For the Mexico race we made Chicken with Mole Verde Sauce, Mexican Rice, Asparagus, and for dessert Mexican Chocolate Pot de Creme. The Mole Verde sauce was the star of this meal. We all determined that we would eat just about anything if it came in this sauce. Rich, vibrant, creamy, savory, so good.
“If this were a still life its title could be ‘Chicken with Two Lemons’ "
This year I am continuing working through Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook by Ruth Van Waerebeek. Waterzooi and a Salad from the Ardennes made up our dinner for this year's Belgian GP.
For this year’s race, we made some Hungarian classics from a local library find, an excellent 1970's Hungarian cookbook: Flavors of Hungary by Charlotte Slovak Biro.
For this meal we went simple summertime with some grilled chicken kebabs, chopped veg salad, and dolmas with grape leaves from my Mom's garden.