MarkS., Frank P., Alex B., John M. - All This Talk About Food Made ME Hungry Too

[Howard Rosenberg]

If you can think back to your childhood, what would you say was your absolute favourite dish?

My favourite dish?

First, a little history....
As with all middle-European countries between the First and Second World wars, ownership, boundaries and languages could change abruptly.
My mother was born within spitting distance of the Carpathian Mountains.
Prior to WW1, her area was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Post WW1, it belonged to the Soviets.
Nominally it was part of Czechoslovakia.
Post WW2, it's belonged to the Ukraine.

I guess the Austro-Hungarian thing formed her most.
I remember that she cooked with lots of green and red peppers.

She used to make something called leczo (pronounced lehcho).
Stewed tomatoes, garlic, onions, green peppers.
She'd reduce it and serve it over mountains of pan-steamed potatoes.

The only time I've ever seen anything close to my mother's leczo was when I lived in Israel.
My girlfriend at the time - her family came from Tunisia in the early 1950's - prepared something similar called shakshouka.
But she started with a base of tomato paste and used peeled tomatoes.
She'd finish it off by poaching an egg on the top and serve the whole thing in a pita (no guys, not WWers' kind of PITA).
The only other people I saw serving shakshouka were also from former French colonies in North Africa.
I couldn't EVER get enough of it.
Her mother used to make her own hot sauce by pulverizing specific hot peppers in a specific ratio.
She called it schug.
(I think one should try pronouncing schug by clearing one's throat AND sinuses at the same time....)
Her specific recipe must have included the middle-eastern equivalent of Scotch bonnets.
I LOVE hot food but, man, did that schug ever bring tears to my eyes!

Such memories.

I'd love to hear your favourite childhood foods!

Thanks guys.

Howard
"an ant on the move does more than a dozing ox..."

[Howard Norman]

My favorite dish?
Without question the answer is chicken with my mother's home made noodles. After I left home and returned for a visit it was a requirement on each visit. Neither of my sisters can even come close to duplicating Mom's chicken noodles. What a simple dish but what a loss since I have never found a replacement after her death.

Howard

[Joe Pelonio]

Mine is a memory of a bbq when I was about 12. My father would do what he called "spit bbq" where he would cut the meat into chunks, put them onto a long spit and bbq over wood coals. Then he'd put it into a sauce that was basically just red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and chopped onions. The meat juices would get mix up in the sauce and I loved to sop it up with french bread. Anyway, he always used really nasty chuck roast meat, that was cheap. One day we had a family celebration of some sort, and my aunt brought the meat to bbq. It was Chateaubriand, or so they called it at the time. I later learned it was a whole tenderloin, from which they cut filet mignon steaks. Mmmmmm, that was soooo good.

[Jim Becker]

My mother's apple pie...which thankfully, she taught me how to make. It's the flaky crust that makes it special!

[John Miliunas]

Mine has to be an ethnic Lithuanian dish called "Kugelis". My family grew up under Communist Russia and conditions were not exactly what one would call "optimal". Food was scarce and housing minimal. The people were, however, resourceful and made the best use out of what they had. Beef was there only for the rich. But, they were able to keep pork, poultry and vegetables and from this came Kugelis. It's basically almost like a huge potato pancake. Loads of potatoes, lots and lots of bacon (and the bacon grease it was cooked in), some eggs, onion and a little milk. A big pan of it would go a long ways and it's a real "stick to your ribs" kind of dish. I imagine the cholesterol count on it is through the ceiling, but a square of that, topped off with some sour cream and it's great! Even my "Americanized" wife and kids love it!:D :) :cool:

[Mark Singer]

I had some excellent Sushi tonight...a tall Karin...oooh...ahhhh...SanShi Go

[Ken Fitzgerald]

MY favorite dish......my wife's made from scratch....German chocolate cake.....I get one a year on my birthday........maybe it's the waiting that makes it so good......but it is good!

[Howard Rosenberg]

Man you're bringing back memories.
From Lithuanian to Yiddish - we call it kugel - no bacon of course....!
Latkes are little kugels.
Hanukah's coming up and my wife makes the very best latkes.
Of course these are eaten on a regular basis only if one sees arteries as optional....
Howard
P.S. - on a humorous note - the last time we were in Montreal we made the obligatory pilgrimage to Schwartz's Deli.
As we were waiting in line on the sidewalk I noticed an ambulance parked out front.
I pointed it out to my wife and explained that in these health-conscious times, the ambulance appeared to be Schwartz's new "value-add".

[Frank Pellow]

My favourite dish as a kid was blueberry oatmeal pancakes made from freshly picked blueberries on Pellow's Island and served with maple syrup from Quebec -none of this diluted stuff that you get in most grocery stores.

My mother taught me how to make them and, two summers ago, I taught my 4 year old granddaughter Isla how to make them -from blueberries that we picked together on Pellow's Island that morning before breakfast. When we returned to Pellow's Camp last summer, Isla remembered the exactly the ingrediants and proportions and she made pancakes several times -we had a great blueberry crop. It's still my favourite dish. And, yes, we still have them with real maple syrup from Quebec.

[Howard Rosenberg]

it mean anything in another language?

And yes, you are correct - I meant CD.

And thank you for the offer of coming over - I'm getting a might big hankering...

Howard

[Frank Pellow]

it mean anything in another language?

And yes, you are correct - I meant CD.

And thank you for the offer of coming over - I'm getting a might big hankering...

Howard
'Isla' is the Scottish Gaelic word for 'Island'.

See you in the new year Howard -maybe.

[Alex Berkovsky]

... My girlfriend at the time - her family came from Tunisia in the early 1950's - prepared something similar called shakshouka...

Her mother used to make her own hot sauce by pulverizing specific hot peppers in a specific ratio. She called it schug.Howard,
My wife's family is from Tangier and my brother-in-law's is from Yemen - Shakshouka and schug are served alsmost at every family gathering.

In Lithuania I recall Zeppelins being as one of my favorite foods - potato dough stuffed with meat.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Shakshouka AND schug regularly at almost every family gathering??

Can you help me out?

Can you get a recipe for shakshouka?

Thank you!

Howard

[John Miliunas]

In Lithuania I recall Zeppelins being as one of my favorite foods - potato dough stuffed with meat.

Alex, you've hit yet another soft spot! Mmmmmm,mmmmmmmm, yummy!:D :cool:

[tod evans]

i just gotta chip in from the hillbilly side with a rare ribeye and baked potato.......tod

[Andy Hoyt]

Whaddya know! We had kugel (or is it kugela as my Lithuanian descended wife calls it) for supper last night. That stuff is GOOD!

[Alex Berkovsky]

Shakshouka AND schug regularly at almost every family gathering??

Can you help me out?

Can you get a recipe for shakshouka?
Howard,
Check your email.

[John Miliunas]

Whaddya know! We had kugel (or is it kugela as my Lithuanian descended wife calls it) for supper last night. That stuff is GOOD!

Here's a pretty close replication of the recipe: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1950,144167-224202,00.html

"Adjustments" which I make to it are: More potatoes and a LOT more bacon!!! Actually, I found that getting the cheaper bacon is also better as there is more bacon grease and that's what really gives it the flavor. (Yes, you can almost feel those arteries closing up!:D )Also, skip the flour and use bread crumbs as needed to help soak up some of the liquid which is formed when mixing everything together. :) :cool:

[Mark Singer]

Grandma did it without a recipe...."a bissel (a little) salt....a bissel shmaltz..."
She could never give a recipe to any one she just made great stuff:rolleyes:

[Jerry Olexa]

No one mentioned "pierogi"(potato dumplings) which I love. Or Potica (Holiday Nut Bread) which I just baked 3 loaves a few days ago. Its a mixture of honey, nuts, sour cream, butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla,raisins, etc, etc. It is a heart attack in waiting but 2 of the 3 loaves are already gone. takes about 6 hours to make, letting dough rise, etc. Oh well, think I'll have a small piece.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

My mother was a horrible cook...I honestly can't remember anything she cooked well, but I do remember things that were especially bad...and that I'll never eat again unless I'm on the verge of literally starving to death. :(

egg salad
creamed corn
jello salad with CARROTS in it

There were six of us younguns, and I reckon money was tight...so we always drank powdered milk. I will never, ever drink powdered milk again, even if it does mean starving to death.

KC