Author: jadwiga49hjk

I love cooking and baking. I love trying out new recipes and currently am trying out many old favourites from my Polish cookbooks and family recipes. I am trying out many variations, often to make them easier but still delicious. I collect glass cake stands and china tableware, mainly tea plates, jugs and serving dishes, many of which I use on a daily basis. They are an eclectic mixture from the 20th & 21st century.

Dumplings Updated

More and more items are called Dumplings in English – they all very different – some made with flour, some with potato and the latest additions made with curd cheese.

None of them are like English dumplings usually made with beef suet.

Dumplings..just one word post.

I have just added Knedle with Curd Cheese and

Knedle with Cheese and Poppy Seeds to this earlier post.

Have a look to see the variety of items that are ALL called Dumplings in English

A few of the dishes are below

Knedle with Cheese & Poppy seeds

I had a lot of poppy seeds to use up because they were reaching there best before date.

I had just made the knedle with cheese and decided to try these.

To the mixture I added around 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds, which had been simmered in milk and then drained and sieved.

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g twaróg
  • 100g semolina
  • 4 eggs – seperated
  • 30g plain flour
  • 30g butter
  • 3 tablespoons of milk
  • Milk for simmering the poppy seeds
  • 2 tablesooons of poppy seeds which had been simmered in milk for 30 minutes
  • Salt
  • *
  • Serve with meted butter or with butter and bread crumbs or soured cream

METHOD

  • In a small bowl cover the semolina with the warm milk and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Sieve the cheese and dry it.
  • Beat the butter and add the yolks – 1 by 1.
  • Add the cheese and the semolina and mix until smooth.
  • Sieve the poppy seeds and dry them and add to the mixture.
  • Whisk the whites and add to the mixture.
  • Flour your hands and take pieces of the mix to make ‘balls’ the size of walnuts.
  • Test by adding 1 to boiling water – if too loose add a little more flour.
  • Cook in boiling salted water, cover whilst cooking.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water.
  • Place them in a colander and then in a bowl.
  • *
  • You can dust with icing sugar and
  • Serve them with melted butter or soured cream/
  • *
  • They will be good with fresh or bottled fruits.

Red Cabbage Salad

  • I got this recipe from a lady who said it should be made the night before you needed it.
  • I found you could keep it for several weeks in a closed jar.
  • *
  • Ingredients
  • 1/3 to 1/4 of a red cabbage – shredded and chopped
  • 1 red onion – chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar or similar
  • *
  • I think a whole cabbage would make 4 jars
  • Method
  • Place the cabbage and red onion in layers in a jar.
  • Sprinkle the sugar over these as go you along.
  • Pour the vinegar over the contents of the jar.
  • Add the lid to the jar and shake well.

Here served with a simple omelette.

Knedle with Curd Cheese

Knedle is yet another word in Polish which is translated as dumpling.

Some knedle are made with pierogi dough and others can be made with potatoes.

Here they are made with curd cheese or twaróg (if using yoghurt cheese it should be really well drained).

This recipe is based in one that can be found in what I call my Kuchnia Polska “Bible”.

They should be served immediately after boiling with melted butter or soured cream.

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g twaróg
  • 100g semolina
  • 4 eggs – seperated
  • 30g plain flour
  • 30g butter
  • 3 tablespoons of milk
  • Salt
  • *
  • Serve with meted butter or with butter and bread crumbs or soured cream

METHOD

  • In a small bowl cover the semolina with the milk and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Sieve the cheese and grind it.
  • Beat the butter and add the yolks – 1 by 1.
  • Add the cheese and the semolina and mix to a smooth mixture.
  • Whisk the whites and add to the mixture.
  • Flour your hands and take pieces of the mix to make ‘balls’ the size of ‘walnuts’.
  • Test by adding 1 to boiling water – if too loose add a little more flour.
  • Cook in boiling salted water, cover whilst cooking.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water.
  • Place them in a colander and then in a bowl.

Page 209

Fig Roll

  • I made placek with figs 3 a few weeks ago and really liked the filling.
  • I had half of the fig packet(soft type) left and they needed to be used soon.
  • I made the filling as before but without the dates.
  • I decided to make a yeast dough pastry this time.
  • I used the recipe from whinberry buns.
  • Note – you can make buns but I think you will not need as much filling.
  • I used a new long proofing basket but at the end found my baking trays were too long for my new oven.
  • I quickly transfered them to other lightly greased trays and curved the shapes.
  • NOTE – next time I would be prepared and shape the rolls into C, D or S shapes after they prooved or on the trays.
  • They turned out really well – the dough a light yeast dough and the amount of filling to dough just right.
  • My late tatus – dad would have loved these – he loved English fig rolls.

FIG FILLING

  • 175 – 200g dried fig – chopped into small pieces
  • 25g dark brown sugar
  • 75ml water
  • 2 small oranges – fine grated rind and juice
  • 1/4 tea spoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • *
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 medium eating apple – peeled, cored and coarse grated.
  • INGREDIENTS- dough
  • Starter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 150 ml of hand hot milk
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried yeast
  • *
  • Dough – rest
  • 200g Plain flour
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • *
  • Beaten egg white to glaze

METHOD

  • Mix the starter ingredients together.
  • Leave for 20-30mins.
  • *
  • Dough – mix the starter with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Knead 10 minutes – set timer.
  • Leave for 2hrs or more.
  • Lightly knead again.
  • Divide into 2.
  • Shape into rectangles and then roll these out thinly to around 30 x 15cm.
  • Fill with fig filling.
  • Bring the long edges together and then the ends and seal well.
  • Pinch several times.
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Pre- heat the oven to GM6 – 2000 C.
  • Grease or butter a large baking sheet.
  • Brush with the beaten egg white.
  • Shape – curve to fit on your trays
  • GM6 – 2000 C.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Cut into small slices.

Royal Doulton – Counterpoint tea plate.

Brush with

Yoghurt & Horseradish Dressing

  • This is an easy dressing to make for salads.
  • I think it is best for dark green leaves such as Romaine lettuce.
  • I think it would also work well with cooked leaves of various sorts – but have not yet tried this.
  • You can also use this as a ‘dip’ with say batons of carrots or similar.

INGREDIENTS

  • Full fat Greek style yoghurt
  • Ready made horseradish sauce
  • Optional – a little lemon juice.

METHOD

  • I found the best results are in the proportions of 1 tablespoon of yoghurt to 1 teaspoon of sauce.
  • Try this proportion and adjust it to your own taste.
  • This does depend on the horseradish sauce and some of the Polish ones may be hotter so you need less.
  • Whisk the yoghurt and the horseradish together until well combined.
  • *
  • Squeeze in the lemon juice – if using and stir.
  • *
  • Chop the Romaine lettuce into thick shreds.
  • *
  • Combine the dressing with the lettuce or serve it as a side dressing.
  • *
  • Serve with cold roast meats or similar – here with cold klops – mama’s recipe – Polish meatloaf.
  • Bavaria china bowl and Spode plate – Flemish green.

Placek with Figs – 3

  • This is a lovely placek – flat cake – this has similarities to English Fig Rolls.
  • These were biscuits that my Tatus (dad) loved.
  • He would have loved this recipe.
  • Did you know that Jacob’s fig rolls were manufactured from 1903 after a machine in America was invented that made a pastry case over a filling?
  • A fig mixture is sandwiched between 2 layers of shortcrust pastry – Kruche ciasto.
  • The placek is made like placek with figs – 2 – it is the fig mixture which is diferent.
  • You make the fig mixture first and leave it to cool as you have to use it cold.

INGREDIENTS

  • 175g dried figs – chopped
  • 25g muscavado sugar
  • 50g dates* – chopped
  • 75ml water
  • 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 orange – finely grated zest & juice
  • 1 lemon – finely grated zest
  • 1 small apple – peeled and coarsely grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • *
  • * I will try leaving out the dates next time and just use extra figs.
  • *
  • Shortcrust pastry made from 250g of plain flour

METHOD

  • Chop the figs and dates into small pieces.
  • Add these to the water in a small pan.
  • Add the bicarbonate of soda, the orange zest and juice and the lemon zest.
  • Heat gently and then simmer, stirring as necessary until the mixture is
  • Thick, sticky and jam-like.
  • Leave to cool .
  • Add the grated apple and the spices and mix well.
  • Leave till cold before using.
  • NOTE
  • You can make this earlier and add the apple and spices before using.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190o C.
  • Grease and line a 26 x 21 cm baking tray.
  • Divide your pastry into 2.
  • Roll out 1 piece and use for the base.
  • Cover the base with the fig mixture trying to made this even and as near the edges as possible
  • Roll out the rest of the pastry and cover the fig mixture.
  • Usea fork to make pin pricks over the surface.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until the surface is golden.
  • Leave to cool on mesh cooling tray.
  • Cut into squares to serve,
  • *
  • Option – not tried – brush beaton egg white over the surface and dust with granulated sugar before baking.

Heathcote cake stand

Rhubarb & Date Cake – 2

Many years ago I had been talking with my old school friend who lives in Leeds and she told me her husband made a lovely rhubarb cake with the rhubarb they have growing on their allotment.

So, I tried it out and it was indeed lovely!

Recently she mentioned a cake she called “Crusader Day” Cake and sent me the recipe.

I found it was nearly the same recipe but had extra Demerera on the top – so I made it again.

The Demerera made a nice crunchy topping.

Ingredients

  • 340g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 170g  butter
  • 230g granulated sugar
  • 450g rhubarb, chopped into small cubes
  • 230g stoned dates, chopped into small pieces
  • 3 eggs
  • 120ml milk (either whole or semi skimmed)
  • *
  • 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of Demerera sugar

Method

  • Preheat the oven to GM 5 – 190°C
  • Line the base of a 23cm round spring-form or loose bottomed tin with baking paper.
  • Or use a cake liner.
  • Place the chopped rhubarb and dates into a bowl.
  • Place the flour and baking powder into another bowl.
  • Cut the butter into cubes and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until you have a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Stir the chopped rhubarb and dates into the mixture.
  • Combine the eggs and milk in a jug and beat a little.
  • Stir into the cake mix until well combined.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
  • *
  • Sprinkle the Demerera sugar evenly over the top of the cake.
  • Bake for approximately 1 – 1 & 1/4  hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean – best check on it after an hour and cover top if necessary to prevent burning.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack until the tin is cool enough to safely handle.
  • Remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely on the wire rack

Although the cake keeps well, I think it is best eaten when fresh as then the rhubarb taste is strong and the cake delicious.

Crown china tea plates – no pattern named.

Option – This cake is quite big for the 23cm – I would tried it again in a 26cm diameter tin. I used 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of demerera sugar.

Rhubarb & Custard Tart

  • I came across an English recipe for a Rhubarb & Custart tart, which I thought I could adapt to make it more Polish.
  • It takes many steps and takes a while to make.
  • *
  • It is easier to make the rhubarb, crumble and the budyń earlier.
  • 1 – The base is made from shortcrust pastry, which is baked blind.
  • 2 – The next layer is budyń – Polish custard.
  • 3 – The 3rd layer is baked rhubarb with sugar – it is sieved so you have a syrup to add to the finished tart.
  • 4 – The 4th layer is kruszonka – a crumble, which is baked seperately and then sprinkled on top.
  • I thought this crumble cooked seperately worked very well and will write a post about this soon.
  • INGREDIENTS – rhubarb
  • 400g rhubarb
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • METHOD
  • Pre – heat the oven to GM3 – 160 0 C.
  • Cut the rhubarb into 4cm pieces.
  • Place in a shallow roasting dish
  • Cook with the sugar for around 30 minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Place in a large fine sieve.
  • Collect the syrup to use at the end when serving.
  • INGREDIENTS – budyń
  • 500 ml milk
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
    • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons of potato flour
  • 3 yolks
  • METHOD
  • Mix some of the milk with the potato flour.
  • Heat the rest of the milk with the sugar in a saucepan.
  • Add the buter and stir.
  • Pour this over the milk and potato flour mixture.
  • Stir well.
  • Put this all back in the saucepan and heat with stirring until you have a thick mixture.
  • Add the yolks 1 by 1 with stirring until even and thick.
  • Leave this to cool completely before using.
  • INGREDIENTS – kruszonka crumble
  • 100g plain flour
  • 70g butter – cold
  • 70g granulated sugar
  • METHOD
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200oC.
  • Mix butter with flour until the mix is like breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Spread on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes – stirring ocasionally.
  • It should be golden and crunchy.
  • NOTE – if you have too much store the excess in an airtight box.
  • INGREDIENTS – shortcrust pastry made with 250g plain flour.
  • METHOD
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 -200 0C.
  • Grease a loose bottomed 21cm tart tin.
  • Roll out the pastry thinly and line the tin.
  • Remove the excess.
  • Prick the base with a fork.
  • Cover with baking paper and baking beans.
  • Place the tin on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 12 minutes.
  • Remove the beans and the baking paper and bake for another few minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Turn the oven down to GM4 – 180 0 C.
  • Place a thick layer of budyń in the baked tart pastry ( if you have some left over – save it for other desserts).
  • Place a layer of the cooked rhubarb over the budyń.
  • Bake for around 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle the kruszonka over the top.
  • Leave to cool completly before serving.
  • You can serve with some of the rhubarb juice.

Mackeral & Rhubarb

This is such a simple recipe, I will be making it often when rhubarb is in season.

The rhubarb goes so well with this oily fish.

The amount of rhubarb given here were for 2 fillets of mackeral but can be stretched to 3 fillets.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 fillets of mackeral (1 per person)
  • A little oil to fry the mackeral
  • 4-5 stalks of rhubarb
  • 2 -3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons of water

    METHOD
  • First cook the rhubarb.
  • Chop the stalks into lengths of around 5-8cm.
  • Place the rhubarb, sugar and water into an ovenproof dish.
  • I used a Pyrex dish.
  • Add the cover from the dish (see through is good).
  • Place the dish into an oven at around GM3 – 1600C.
  • Cook for around 30 minutes.
  • Keep an eye of this you do not want pulp – rather you want the rhubarb to keep its shape.
  • *
  • Just before the rhubarb is ready – fry the mackeral filets in a frying pan in your usual manner
  • Cook them on both sides.
  • *
  • Serve the mackeral with some rhubarb at the side.

Served here on a Royal Doulton Burgundy plate.