by Dario in Cluj-Napoca, Romania Mmmm, refried beans, a main dish accompanied by flavourful sides as well as a staple in burritos, refried beans are probably one of the healthiest comfort foods out there! We met Dario in Cluj-Napoca, Romania at our adopted home of Casa de Cultura Permanenta. While he wasn’t actively staying in … Read more Refried Beans
by Uli in Nürnberg, Germany Ooooh yeah, look at that delicious goodness. Spätzle, or Spaetzle, are a pretty straightforward egg noodle that will often accompany meat dishes, but you can also find spaetzle accompanied by fruit and sweeter spices. Uli has to be the most generous and wonderful couchsurfing host out there, we couldn’t have asked for … Read more Spätzle
By Adela in Cluj-Napoca, Romania Ingredients: 2 Eggs 500 g Yogurt About 5 tbsp sugar/honey About ¼ cup vegetable oil 900g Flour 1 tsp Baking soda ¼ tsp Salt Lemon zest and lemon essence Oil for frying Whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt until everything is dissolved. Add yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon essence, whisking … Read more Minciunele
Inspired by Martin in Trenčín, Slovakia Ingredients: 32 oz. Sauerkraut, chopped 2 ½ qts Chicken broth Black peppercorns (to taste) 4 Bay leaves Salt to taste 2 cups Dried mushrooms ¾ lb Hungarian style dry paprika sausage ¾ lb Smoked ham 2 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 Large onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp All-purpose flour 2 … Read more Kapustnica Soup
By Marie in Ponikve, Slovenia Ingredients: For the Cake 1 1/2 tbsp Instant coffee mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water 3 oz. Walnut halves 6 oz. Self-raising flour 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder 6 oz. Softened butter 6 oz. Golden castor sugar 3 Large eggs (at room temperature) For the Syrup 1 tbsp Instant espresso … Read more Coffee and Walnut Cake with Coffee Cream
inspired by our adventures in Sofia, Bulgaria Ingredients: 3 Eggplants 4 Red bell peppers 3 Tomatoes 2-5 Cloves garlic, crushed Fresh parsley, to taste 1-2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar Olive oil, as needed Salt and pepper Preheat the oven at 350°F. Rinse and poke holes in the eggplants along its sides. … Read more Kyopolou
by Mia in Kurtköy, Turkey So I wasn’t able to get a picture of Mia’s Aubergine à la Parmesane because we all devoured it immediately, but this one is pretty close. We met Mia and her fiance Ken on a small farm in Kurtköy, Turkey. A Japanese couple who were on an adventure across the world (way to … Read more Aubergine à la Parmesane
by Hülya from Kabakum, Turkey I think it’s no secret that we fell in love with Turkey during our visit. The people are so kind and welcoming, there’s so much to see, and the food is SO good. We were visiting in the height of summer, so needless to say I was sweating literally from sunrise to sunset. … Read more Ayran Soup
by Hülya from Kabakum, Turkey Ingredients: 5-6 Eggplants, whole 5-6 Green pepper, chopped Garlic, sliced Lots of whole tomatoes, peeled Vegetable oil Paprika Salt, sugar Olive oil Some recipes call for the eggplant to be chopped (like in the picture above) while other people (like our host, Hülya) keep the eggplant whole. This recipe will be keeping … Read more Çığırtma
by Anna from Solbacka, Finland Ingredients: Bananas Coconut oil Cocoa mass (or powder if you like, but you may need more coconut oil) Lemon Optional: toppings and icing! (This one has edible flowers and fresh berries) Proportions in this recipe are up to you, depending on how big and chocolatey you like your cake! Blend the bananas … Read more Raw Cocoa-Banana Cake
by Pia from Solbacka, Finland Ingredients: Spruce tips (bright-green, young, and freshly picked) Honey (another source of sugar can be used if preferred) Pick enough young, bright-green spruce tips to fill a desired jar. Note: do not pick the top of a young spruce tree! It can stunt its future growth. Instead, look on the … Read more Spruce Syrup
by Ola in Krasnapol, Poland Ingredients: about 5 potatoes, peeled and chopped one large onion, chopped sauerkraut (as much as you would like) 1 heaping tbsp of bouillon salt pepper 2-3 bay leaves Peel and chop potatoes and put into a pot. Add water, salt, pepper, bouillon, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat … Read more Sauerkraut Soup
inspired by Dan in Baltasound, Shetland Islands, Scotland Ingredients: For the shortbread: 170 g plain flour 60 g caster sugar 120 g butter For the chocolate topping: 100 g (or more) bar of chocolate of choice For the caramel: 379 g tin of condensed milk 2 tbsp golden syrup 60 g castor sugar 120 g butter … Read more Millionaires Shortbread
inspired by Dan and Gabriela in Baltasound, Shetland Islands, Scotland Ingredients: For the cake: 8 oz cooking dates, stoned and finely chopped 175 ml boiling water 1 tsp vanilla 6 oz self-raising flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 3 oz butter, softened 5 oz demera sugar 2 tbsp black treacle 100 … Read more Sticky Toffee Pudding
by Jane and Roger from Penicuik, Scotland Ingredients: 1 cup fish stock 1 cup milk 12 oz white fish 1 bay leaf 1/4 cup capers Potatoes 2 oz butter 1 leek 2 oz flour Pepper and salt Preheat oven to 180°C. Pour fish stock and milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add … Read more Fish Pie
from Phil from Stoke-on-Trent, England Ingredients: 750g Bramley cooking apples 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon 250g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground mixed spice 2 large eggs 100g sugar 200ml milk 100ml sunflower oil 1/2 tsp icing sugar Preheat oven to 190°C. … Read more Spiced Apple Cake
by Pia from Fagervik, Finland Ingredients: One bottle of good quality vodka (55-60% alcohol) Fresh St. John’s Wort flowers One clean bottle Pick flowers fresh in the early morning (when potency is highest), but not after it has rained (as rain washes away some of the compounds). To test if flowers are good to use, … Read more St. John’s Wort Vodka
by Phil from Stoke-on-Trent, England Can you pick a more quintessential British dessert than an Apple Crumble? While we were staying with Carol and Phil in Stock-on-Trent Phil couldn’t resist introducing us to this national treasure. I particularly liked the addition of rhubarb in Phil’s recipe, yum! You will find a million and one variations … Read more Apple Crumble
by Karin from Björklinge, Sweden Ingredients: Potatoes Vegetable oil Seasoning spices Buckwheat Tortellini (or other pasta of choice) Onions Peel and boil potatoes. Once soft, remove the potatoes from heat and let them cool. Slice in 1/2 cm to 1 cm thick slices. Put oil on both sides of the slices and lay in a baking … Read more Karin’s Russian Pie
by Louis from Montreal, Canada Ingredients: 4 eggs 500 ml milk 250 ml cream 65 g sugar 1 tsp nutmeg Separate the egg white and yolk from each other. Mix the yolks with the sugar. Add the milk, cream, and nutmeg to the egg and sugar mixture. Mix the whites until they become frothy. Add … Read more Eggnog Quebecois