Slovenian Recipes

Menu Polenta with Crimini Mushrooms Smoked Paprika Chicken Breasts Dandelion Salad with Marinated Mushrooms       I built this dinner around a layered polenta-and-mushroom recipe I found in one of my vintage cookbooks, Woman's Glory: The Kitchen.  I just needed a simple entree that would complement this rich but slightly heavy side dish.  I discovered the perfect solution: An easy chicken breast dish with a paprika flavor that would fit in well. To round out the meal, I created a green salad in the Slovenian spirit. So the dinner was a real mixed bag: traditional, contemporary, and Slovenian-inspired. And I also rediscovered an old-fashioned cooking technique I first learned from my mother, pounding meat into thin cutlets. Polenta with Crimini Mushrooms 1 c. corn grits or polenta, cooked in boiling salted water as directed 1 c. brown crimini mushrooms, sliced 6 T. nonfat Greek yogurt  (or cream) 4 T (or more)  grated smoked gouda...

Menu Caraway Meatballs Polenta Coleslaw The foundation for this dinner was a recipe called "Spaghetti and Meatballs" in  Woman's Glory: The Kitchen, the classic cookbook published by the Slovenian Women's Union of America.  When I first saw the recipe, I figured it must be one of their standard American recipes, or perhaps Italian-American. But then I took a closer look.  Caraway seeds, cheese and bacon? That was not a typical American take on spaghetti.  It might not be traditionally Slovenian, but those were the unmistakable flavors of Central Europe. So I made a mental note: This dish would be a good choice on a week when I was short of time, or didn't feel up to the challenge of an unfamiliar Slovenian specialty. Months later, the time arrived. On Tuesday of Week 23, I didn't want a cooking challenge.  It was a sad time at our house.  My mother-in-law had just died on that June day.   My husband got the call from his stepfather earl...