Cuisine Featured: Czech
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
½ c imported dried mushrooms 2 T finely chopped onion
1 c water ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ c pearl barley ¼ tsp marjoram
1½ tsp salt 2 T melted lard or butter
½ tsp finely chopped garlic
------------------------------
Soak the dried mushrooms in the water for about 30 minutes, or until
they are soft. Drain them in a fine sieve set over a measuring cup. Remove
them from the sieve, chop fine, and set aside. Add enough cold water to the
mushroom liquid to make 3 cups, and combine the liquid, chopped mushrooms
and barley in a 1½- to 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with the salt and bring
to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered
for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the barley is tender and almost all of the
water has been absorbed.Preheat the oven to 350°. Stir the garlic, onion, pepper, marjoram and melted lard or butter into the casserole, cover tightly and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. If the kuba becomes too dry while baking, add up to ½ c more water. Serves 4 to 6.
