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(More customer reviews)Growing up outside of Pittsburgh [Monessen] with an ethnic background consisting of half Italian and half Slovak, holiday dinners and cooking were a serious and celebrated part of our lives. It is relatively easy to find authentic Italian cooking and cookbooks but authentic Slovak recipes are rare and usually relegated to self-produced cookbooks put out by the Lady's Church auxillaries of generations past.
It's rather sad today as the old country traditions fade that, for many of us, we only have the memories of the wonderful dishes our immigrant Slovak grandparents prepared during the Christmas and Easter seasons. I often wish I had learned their recipes so our family might ocassionally celebrate their memories through the meals they prepared.
If indeed my reminiscing has caught your eye or if you have ever wondered what authentic Slovak homestyle cooking is, then you cannot pass up getting a copy of Lisa Alzo's cookbook: Baba's Kitchen. This little book is full of recipes of foods that my Slovak grandmother cooked when I was growing up. Within hours of receiving my the book, I was so pleased that I ordered copies for all of my relatives [a stocking stuffer!].
In this cookbook you will find, exactly like grandma used to make, holubky [stuffed cabbage], bobalky [little dough balls often mixed with sauerkraut and served at the Christmas eve dinner],ceregi [Slovak donuts], haluski [noodles and cabbage, pirohi [Slovak "ravoli" filled with cheese or prune filling] and many, many more recipes. It's also nice to finally be able to spell the dishes we often spoke so fondly of.
Although my Italian mother learned to cook many of them and we still prepare a couple like holubky and bobalky, it is so pleasing to find such a comprehensive collection of recipes of the foods we ate during our Eastern celebration of Christmas and Easter. In addition, there are also everyday recipes included in the book along with a fine set of cookie and cake recipes.
Baba's Kitchen would make a great Christmas, birthday, or anytime gift for anyone who enjoys exploring culture via the palate. If you are not Slovak and wondered what the taste of real homestyle Slovak/Rusyn cooking is, I strongly recommend, without hesitation, you buy a copy of this book; I can't even think of one that rivals the authenticity of Ms. Alzo's book. The food is relatively simple to prepare, tasty, and grounded in the everyday roots of Slovak/Rusyn culture.
For those of you who are 2nd or 3rd generation Slovak/Rusyn, the recipes will evoke the taste, flavor, richness, and memories of a people who helped build industrial America and set the foundation upon which you stand.
I am truly grateful that Ms Alzo took the time to gather up these recipes and make them available to the public at large. Thank you again, Ms. Alzo for helping to preserve the memories and lives of immigrants past: A treasure worth relishing!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Baba's Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes & Traditions
This book is a collection of Slovak and Rusyn recipes and traditions passed down through the generations.The author shares them as a tribute to her grandmothers and to Rusyn and Slovak women everywhere who continue to preserve and share their cooking, rituals and traditions.
Click here for more information about Baba's Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes & Traditions
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