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A couple of days ago, while hunting for some new international treats for my “Exploring Eastern European Food in Little Odessa” ethnojunket guests, I spotted this sign in one of my favorite markets: “запеканка – сыр + грибы.” My Russian is good enough to translate “cheese + mushrooms” and a couple of clicks on my iPhone returned “casserole” for the first word.

The sign was well lit, the food behind it less so; I couldn’t quite see what I was grabbing with the tongs. But I plopped it into a plastic container – hastily, since the customer behind me was already reaching toward the same tray. Peering through the hazy, ridged plastic, I could see the chopped mushrooms and cheese but I couldn’t make out what might be creating the interleaving layers. Thinly sliced potatoes? Noodles?

At home, I warmed it up enough to melt the cheese and the answer was obvious. A stack of Russian blini layered with melty cheese and mushrooms! What’s not to love?