Non-Fasting Recipes

Russian Non Fasting

Котлеты по-Киевски — Chicken Kiev

A pounded chicken breast wrapped around a log of cold garlic-parsley butter, breaded, and fried until golden — when c...

Greek Non Fasting

Pastitsio — Greek Baked Pasta

Greece's other great casserole — layered long pasta, spiced meat sauce, and béchamel. Similar to moussaka in architec...

Russian Non Fasting

Шашлык из Свинины — Pork Shashlik

Summer in Russia means shashlik — cubes of marinated meat grilled over wood coals and eaten outdoors with bread, raw ...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Kafta Meshwi — Grilled Spiced Meat Skewers

Seasoned lamb and beef, shaped by hand around long skewers and grilled over charcoal — kafta is the Arab world's answ...

Romanian Non Fasting

Cozonac — Romanian Easter Sweet Bread

Romania's Paschal sweet bread — a tall, rich, twisted loaf swirled with a walnut, cocoa, and rum filling that becomes...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Fatayer Jibneh — Cheese Pies

Small triangular pies filled with a bright, minted cheese mixture — Lebanese fatayer come in spinach (fasting-friendl...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Shawarma — Spiced Marinated Meat

Traditionally slow-cooked on a vertical rotisserie, this home version captures the same deeply spiced, caramelised la...

Greek Non Fasting

Arni Psito — Roasted Paschal Lamb

The centerpiece of the Greek Easter table — a whole spring lamb roasted slowly until the meat falls off the bone. In ...

Georgian Non Fasting

Gupta — Georgian Meatballs in Herb Sauce

Hand-formed meatballs made from a well-seasoned mix of beef and pork, simmered in a thin, vivid green sauce of herbs ...

Romanian Non Fasting

Mămăligă cu Brânză și Smântână — Polenta with Cheese and Sour Cream

The simplest Romanian peasant supper and also one of the most beloved — thick golden cornmeal polenta topped with cru...

Serbian Non Fasting

Musaka — Serbian Potato and Meat Casserole

Completely distinct from Greek moussaka (no eggplant, no béchamel), Serbian musaka is a layered casserole of thinly-s...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Mujaddara Hamra with Lamb — Bulgur, Lentils, and Lamb

A heartier, meat-enriched cousin of the classic lentil-rice mujaddara — bulgur and brown lentils simmered with carame...

Russian Non Fasting

Жульен — Mushroom and Chicken Julienne

Despite the French name, жульен is purely a Russian restaurant classic — small individual gratins of tender chicken a...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Fatteh — Chickpeas, Yogurt, and Crispy Bread

A layered dish that is pure pleasure: crisp fried pita, warm chickpeas, tangy garlicky yogurt, and a drizzle of brown...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Sfeeha — Meat Hand Pies

Small open-faced meat pies, a specialty of Baalbek — a yeasted flatbread boat filled with a tart mixture of minced la...

Serbian Non Fasting

Prebranac sa Kobasicom — Serbian Baked Beans with Sausage

Classic Serbian prebranac is fasting-friendly (just beans and onions), but the celebration version adds smoked sausag...

Middle Eastern Non Fasting

Sheikh al-Mahshi — Stuffed Zucchini

"The Sheikh of Stuffed Things" — small zucchini hollowed out and stuffed with a filling of spiced ground lamb, pine n...

Georgian Non Fasting

Khachapuri Adjaruli — Boat-Shaped Cheese Bread with Egg

The most famous khachapuri of all — a boat of chewy bread filled with molten cheese, topped with a raw egg yolk and a...

Russian Non Fasting

Пирог с Мясом — Russian Meat Pie

A substantial yeasted pie filled with slow-cooked ground beef, onions, and rice, brushed with egg wash and baked unti...

Russian Non Fasting

Щи Мясные — Traditional Meat Shchi

The original shchi — the most ancient of all Russian soups, simmered for centuries in every peasant kitchen — is made...

Romanian Non Fasting

Ciulama de Ciuperci cu Pui — Mushroom and Chicken Stew

A creamy stew of chicken and mushrooms in a béchamel-like sauce, Romanian home cooking at its most generous. The name...

Romanian Non Fasting

Tochitură — Pork and Polenta Stew

A Transylvanian shepherd's meal turned national institution — cubes of pork pan-seared with smoked sausage and bacon,...

Georgian Non Fasting

Elarji — Cornmeal and Cheese Polenta

From Samegrelo (western Georgia): a thick, stretchy polenta of fine cornmeal cooked with vast quantities of sulguni c...

Russian Non Fasting

Куриная Лапша — Chicken Noodle Soup

The classic Russian chicken soup — deep golden broth, tender shredded chicken, hand-cut egg noodles, and a generous h...

Greek Non Fasting

Moussaka — Layered Eggplant and Lamb Casserole

Greece's most famous casserole — layers of browned eggplant, spiced lamb meat sauce, and a cloud of béchamel, baked u...