A thick, creamy and tangy wild mushroom stew, inspired by Belarusian mačanka and traditionally served with thick buckwheat pancakes for dipping. My version, however, features another Slovak dish in the form of lokše , which are crepes or flatbreads made with mashed potato dough. The result is so good. Then, a simple, seasonal soup made with just a handful of ingredients that captures the heart and soul of eastern European soup making. While it doesn’t belong to any single location, I hope it will taste like “home” to readers connected to the region.

Mushroom mačanka stew with potato pancakes (pictured top)

I first came across this dish a few years ago when working on my previous cookbook, Kapusta . The recipe was brought up in a conversation with a wonderful food writer of Belarusian lineage, Anastasia Zolotarev, whom I’d asked to contribute to the book. Mačanka did not make it into Kapusta, but I was very glad to see it in Anastasia’s own debut book, Sour Cherries and Sunflowers .…