Roasted Poppy Seed Buns

This recipe appeared in one of my very early posts when I wrote up several recipes per post.

I now write up 1 or maybe 2 per post as this is easier for me and for readers of the posts.

These are small cakes or buns – you can call them babeczki.

The dry roasted poppy seeds have a lightly nutty flavour.

The buns are made in small bun cases – I am not sure if these are found in Poland – but you use bun trays with the bun cases in each if you have them.

To make 12 small buns I used 2 eggs

  • 2 eggs – weigh them in their shells
  • Equal weight of caster sugar, butter and plain flour.
  • Baking powder to match the flour at 1 teaspoon per 100g

For this amount you need 40 -50g of poppy seeds.

In a small dry frying pan – without any oil or butter – fry the seeds for 5 minutes – stirring them with a wooden spoon or spatula – taking care not to burn them.

Tip the seeds into a bowl containing cold milk.

Once cool, pour the mixture into a fine sieve.

Leave the sieve over an empty bowl, press down on the seeds several times to remove the milk.

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 1900 C.
  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the bakng powder with the flour.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 with a little flour.
  • Fold in the roasted poppy seeds.
  • Fold in the rest of the flour.
  • Bake for around 20 minutes.
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Weighing eggs

Rhubarb Revisited

  • Rheum rhabarbarum is the Latin name for rhubarb   –  in Polish  it is rabarbar.
  • It is a plant that has its origins in China, Mongolia & Siberia – its roots survive the cold!
  • Rhubarb roots have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
  • The plant arrived in Europe via Venice in the 14th century  having been brought  from China  along the Silk Road.
  • The leaves are poisonous  to humans as they contain large quantities of oxalic acid and other toxins.
  • The stems however can be eaten safely, although they do contain a little oxalic acid but their tartness is due mainly  to malic acid which is also found in sour green apples.
  • Rhubarb stems were first eaten in England in the 17th century.
  • In 1820 the rhubarb plant was taken over to the USA.
  • I live in West Yorkshire –  just outside what is called the Rhubarb Triangle  of Wakefield, Leeds & Morley   – where rhubarb is grown in forcing sheds (in darkness) on a commercial scale.
  • *
  • I have rhubarb growing in my garden.
  • The rhubarb is springing up and I have been looking for new recipes for it.
  • So far I have found several new recipes, which I will be trying out soon.
  • I thought I would look at recipes I have already posted and there are quite a few.
  • This post show links to recipes I have already posted.
  • It will save you searching.
  • Cake with Rhubarb
  • Cheesecake with Rhubarb
  • Easy Rhubarb Cake
  • Meringue Cake with Rhubarb
  • Placek with Rhubarb & Meringue
  • Pleśniak with RhubarPork with Rhuba
  • Pork with Rhubarb
  • Rhubarb Cake
  • Rhubarb & Custard Cake
  • Rhubarb & Date Cake
  • Rhubarb Soup – 1
  • Rhubarb Soup – 2
  • Rhubarb Yeast Buns

Yeast Racuszki with Apples

This recipe was with several others posted as Racuszki – a Kind of Pancake.

I now know it is better to not have too many recipes together.

This recipe is from my late Aunt in Poland who lived in mazury the Polish lakes district. She made these when I visited her.

Ciocia Pola (Apolonia) Aunt Pola, my mother’s sister lived on a small farm and the eggs and milk were from the farm and the butter was her own and also the apples from the garden. She made  racuszki – using a thick yeast risen batter and roughly chopped apples – a cross between a pancake and a fritter. They were delicious.

I have made them here many times using her recipe. Whilst researching and checking other  variations I saw that several recipes used grated apples – these came out stodgy  with little taste of the apple – you need to keep the pieces fairly large.

Ingredients

  • 125 ml of milk (full is best or semi-skimmed)
  • 25g caster sugar and 1 teaspoon
  • 10g  fresh yeast or 5g  dried yeast
  • 25g  butter
  • 1 egg
  • 125g plain flour
  • Large pinch of salt
  • 2 Bramley apples
  • *
  • Icing sugar, caster sugar or cinnamon sugar to dust.

Method

Warm half the milk and add a teaspoon of caster sugar and the yeast and mix it all together and leave it to froth up.

Melt the butter and leave it to cool.

Whisk the egg with the rest of the sugar until it is thick and creamy.

Put the flour and salt into a large bowl.

Use a wooden spoon (one with a hole works really well) and beat in to the yeast mixture, the egg & sugar mixture and then the melted butter.

Slowly add the rest of the milk, mixing until the mixture has the consistency of double cream.

Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave this to rise.

Peel, core and quarter the apples and cut them into small chunks or slices cut in half.

Add the apples to the risen batter and mix them well in to coat them.

  • Use a griddle or thick cast iron frying pan and use oil to grease it lightly and heat it up.
  • You need to try and keep a low to medium heat so as not to burn the pancakes.
  • Place large tablespoons of apple and batter onto the pan and cook them so that they are golden brown on both sides.
  • Remove them from the pan and dust them with icing sugar, caster sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Cauliflower, Broccoli & Mixed Vegetable Salad

  • This recipe from my recipe a day calendar is a cross between my mixed vegetable salad and my recently posted cauliflower & broccoli salad.
  • The amounts are not really important but these give a good balance between the different ones.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 head of a cauliflower – steamed and chopped
  • Stem of broccoli – steamed and florets chopped
  • 2 medium carrots – boiled ot steamed and chopped into cubes
  • 2 medium starchy potatoes – boiled or steamed and chopped into cubes
  • 100g of frozen peas or green beans – cooked and chopped.
  • 100g of frozen sweet corn – steamed or a small tin cooked
  • 2-3 hard boiled eggs chopped
  • (Extra hardboiled eggs to serve)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of mayonaise
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of made up mustard (gentle type )
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • *
  • Chopped chives or flat leaved parsley to serve.
  • and hard boiled eggs cut into quarters
  • *
  • METHOD
  • Mix the mayonaise with the mustard.
  • Mix all the vegetable together.
  • Mix in the hard boiled eggs.
  • Mix it all with the mayonaise mixture.
  • Season to taste.
  • Serve with quarters of hard boiled eggs on top.

Sauerkraut Salad – 2

  • When I started blogging I would write several recipes for each post.
  • This was true for my post for on Sauerkraut Salads .
  • One of my sisters was over last week and we spent a long time talking about Mama’s recipes and which were our favourites.
  • My sister said that my sauerkraut salad recipes did not include the way Mama made it!
  • She reminded me that Mama always added the flesh of tomatoes to the salad.
  • She said Mama only included the flesh and not the seeds of the tomatoes.
  • She remembers this always being served with kotlety (breaded pork) and was a meal Tatus (our dad) loved.

INGREDIENTS

  • 300g Sauerkraut (half a large jar) drained
  • 2 medium carrots – coarse grated
  • 2-3 medium eating apples- peeled & coarse grated
  • 2-3 large tomatoes -skinned & chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

METHOD

  • In a large bowl mix everything together.
  • Leave for 30 – 60 minutes before serving.
  • I even think it is better after a few hours.

I do not wash off the sauekraut first – but it depends on how sour you like it.

Also the amount of sugar you add is to taste.

SOUR is definately the Polish taste!

Babeczka – Little Poppy Seed Buns – 3

  • Babka is the name of a cake in Polish, which is of a certain shape.
  • The name means grandma and the shape is round and dumpy and usually has a hollow centre.
  • A small bun or fairy cake can be called a babeczka (babeczki in the plural).
  • I have also seen the word mufinka now in Poland.
  • *
  • One of my very early posts looked at several versions with poppy seeds.
  • I now know it is easier to just do 1 or maybe 2 recipes per post.
  • So I am posting some of these again. 
  • This one is for a sponge recipe with a poppy seed filling.
  • I use a cut down version of my usual filling.
  • These were made in bun cases – I do not know if they have these in Poland.
  • But they make these easy to make and are very portable.
  • *
  • You need to make the poppy seed filling beforehand and leave it to cool.

INGREDIENTS for the poppy seed filling

  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina
  • 1 egg yolk

METHOD for the filling

  • Put the poppy seeds and milk into a saucepan and simmer then together for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any sticking or burning.
  • The aim is to cook the seeds and adsorb as much of the milk as possible.
  • You need to watch this carefully and keep adjusting the heat to stop the mixture burning.
  • Keep stirring and heating until the milk is absorbed.
  • The poppy seeds then need to be crushed, I use a hand held blender for about 5 minutes which I find is the easiest way.
  • Once crushed, add the semolina and honey.
  • Heat again to remove any excess liquid.
  • Leave to cool completely before using.

INGREDIENTS for the sponge

  • 2 eggs – weigh them in their shells
  • Equal weight of caster, sugar, butter and plain flour.
  • Baking powder to match the flour at 1 teaspoon per 100g

METHOD for the sponge

  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 with a little flour.
  • Fold in the rest of the flour.

Putting the buns together

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190° C
  • Put the bun cases into a bun tray.
  • 12 small buns or 9 large ones
  •  
  • The next bit is fiddly and it is easier to do them all at once.
  • You have to do this by eye –
  • 1 tablespoon of sponge at the bottom –
  • Around ½ -1 tablespoon of filling next –
  • Cover with the rest of the sponge mixture.
  • Bake for around 15 – 20 minutes until golden.
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving.

They have proved very popular and I often make them for wigilia now.

Option – Lemon icing on the top.

Cauliflower & Broccoli Salad

  • My friend brought me back a page a day calendar from Poland.
  • There is a recipe for every day.
  • This salad is based on one there.
  • The weights do not matter so much.
  • There will be other recipes soon.

INGREDIENTS

  • Around 100g of cauliflower – steamed – chopped
  • Around 100g of broccoli – steamed – chopped
  • Around 100g of frozen peas – steamed or boiled
  • Around 100g of frozen sweetcorn – steamed or boiled
  • 4 hardboiled eggs – chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoons of mayonaise
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 -2 tablespoons of capers (from a jar) – optional.

METHOD

  • Mix all the vegetables and eggs together with the mayonaise.
  • Mix in the capers if using.
  • Season to taste
  • Pour the lemon juice over this before serving.

Kefir Pancakes

  • I got this idea from a recently bought Polish magazine.
  • In my first attempt I used the proportions in this recipe.
  • The results were not good as the batter was too liquid and most of the pancakes stuck to the pan.
  • I adjusted the proportions of the kefir and water and they turned out super.
  • The method of mixing up the batter is quite different from the way I usually make pancakes – see my perfect pancake – but the results are good.
  • You can fill the pancakes with the fillings you like.
  • I used sweet twarȯg(or well drained yoghurt cheese) for the filling and served it with yoghurt sweetened with icing sugar and
  • A fruit sauce made from dark fruits jam, lemon juice and a little water – heated together and left to cool.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 – 275 plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
  • 250ml kefir
  • 250ml water
  • *
  • Butter/oil for frying

METHOD

  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until creamy and fluffy.
  • Add the kefir, water and the pinch of salt.
  • Whisk again.
  • *
  • Add the flour bit by bit and whisk.
  • You want a thick-ish batter.
  • Do not add all the flour at first – start with around 250g and add more if needed.
  • It will depend on the flour how much you will need.
  • *
  • Leave for a few minutes whilst you prepare the filling and the pan.
  • I always use my special pancake pan and ladle.
  • I found you needed about a ladle and a half for these.
  • They are a little thicker and softer than my usual pancakes.
  • Prepare the pan with a little butter and oil.
  • Heat but not too hot or they will burn.
  • Make the pancakes one by one – turning them over to cook on both sides.
  • You can serve them straight away or stack them between greaseproof paper for later.
  • NOTE – you can re-heat them later if you make too many for the day.
  • *
  • I used sweet twarȯg(or well drained yoghurt cheese) for the filling and served it with yoghurt sweetened with icing sugar and dregged with icing sugar as well as 
  • A fruit sauce made from a dark fruits jam, lemon juice and a little water – heated together and left to cool.

 

Serniczki

  • I remember these being made by Ciocia (aunty) Wanda in Białystok many years ago.
  • They are a little like pancakes(American style).
  • Ser is the Polish for cheese and in this case it means the white twaróg/strained yoghurt cheese.
  • I could not find the recipe which I am sure I jotted down.
  • In some ways it is similar to one I got in Holland and wrote up in Racuszck – a kind of pancake.
  • But I know hers just  used mostly cheese.
  • I looked around for a recipe and found this one.
  • They came out well.
  • I served them with cranberry & apple jam sauce.
  • But you could try them serve with icing sugar, honey or fresh fruit.
  •  

  • INGREDIENTS

  • 250g twaróg or yoghurt cheese(well drained) – room temperature
  • Around 2-3 tablespoons of plain flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
  • *
  • Butter to gently fry.

METHOD

  • In a bowl mix the twaróg, egg and vanilla sugar well together.
  • Slowly add the flour until you have a batter which is of a thick dropping consistency.
  • Melt the butter gently in a frying pan.
  • Put large tablespoons of the mixture into the pan.
  • Leaving enough room so they do on touch each other.
  • Turn them over when they are cooked golden on one side.
  • Serve with jam sauce or sugar or honey.

 

Served on Royal Doulton Tapestry plate.

Courgette & Spinach Soup

  • This is a lovely Spring soup – although I used vegetables from Spain for my first try.
  • This soup has a delicate flavour.
  • I do not usually use garlic in my soups but this worked well.
  • The recipe is based on one from a Polish magazine that I bought in Poland recently.

INGEDIENTS

  • 2 – 3 medium sized courgettes – cut into slices
  • A bag of baby spinach – (or 3 balls of  frozen spinach – not tried)
  • 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
  • 1 small onion – cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock – can be from cube or powder – hot
  • *
  • 120ml of soured cream
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
  • Chopped dill to garnish when serving
  • *
  • Serve with rye bread and cream cheese

METHOD

  • Gently melt the butter in a large saucepan.
  • Stir in the garlic and onion and cook gently for a few minutes.
  • Add the courgettes and spinach and stir gently.
  • Add the hot stock and stir well.
  • Simmer gently for around 20 minutes until the courgettes are soft.
  • Remove from the heat and blend with an electric stick blender.
  • Make sure all the vegetables are well blended.
  • Add the grated nutmeg and season to taste.
  • Bring the soup back to just below boiling point and take off from the heat.
  • Stir the soured cream well in.
  • Serve each portion with chopped dill on the top.
  • *
  • I served this with rye bread & cream cheese.

All my testers said this was delicious.

 

Royal Stafford Blossom Time soup plate