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.

Silesian Heaven – 2

  • Silesian Heaven  – Śląskie niebo
  • Previously I cooked this dish more as a gulasz (casserole).
  • I really liked the mixture of dried fruits: apples, apricots and prunes.
  • Use dried pears also if you can source these.
  • The fruits are rehydrated overnight.
  • I thought why not use this mixture as the base of a roast pork dish as in an old Polish style or as in More Pork and Prunes.

INGREDIENTS

  • Piece of pork loin or leg for roasting
  • 300g of mixed dried apples, apricots and prunes
  • Plain flour & pepper
  • A little oil to seat the joint

METHOD

  • Place the dried fruits in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
  • Leave overnight.
  • *
  • Preheat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Roll the joint in flour and pepper.
  • Seal lightly on all sides.
  • Place all the fruits and liquid at the base of  an oven roasting tin – one with a lid.
  • Place the joint on top.
  • Put the lid on top.
  • Cook in the oven for the time required for the weight of meat.
  • *
  • You can take the lid off nearer the end of the cooking time.
  • *
  •  Serve the meat surrounded by the fruits.
  • *
  • NOTE – how much the fruits are cooked will depend on the size of the joint.

  • Served here on a serving dish by Allenton & Son

Option

  • Prior to serving, cover and keep the meat warm.
  • Remove the fruits and place in a saucepan with a little more water.
  • Heat with stirring to make them more  a thick sauce.

Soup with Rocket

  • The Genus for rocket is Eruca.
  • It is part of the Brassica family.
  • The Polish word for this peppery vegetable is rokulka – 
  • Taken from the Italian word rucola.
  • In America it is called arugula.
  • Chopped rocket is added to this soup just before serving.

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g starchy potatoes 
  • 1 onion
  • 1 can of cannellini beans
  • 100g rocket
  • 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
  • Butter to fry onions
  • Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

  • Chop the onions into small pieces
  • Fry the onion in butter gently till golden.
  • Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces.
  • Add the potatoes and stock and simmer for around 20 minutes till the potatoes are nearly cooked.
  • Drain the beans from the can and add to the potatoes.
  • Simmer for another 10 minutes.
  • Season to taste.*
  • *
  • Chop the rocket into small pieces and add to the soup before serving.
  • Stir in the rocket  and serve.
  • *
  • NOTE
  • Cook to this point if making the soup ahead of time – reheat and add rocket to serve.

Silesian Heaven

  • Just back from a short holiday in Wroclaw which is in Silesia, Poland.
  • In a restaurant in the Old Town  I had Silesian Heaven  – Śląskie niebo – which was delicious.
  • Dried fruits such as apples, apricots, pears and  prunes are cooked with pork.
  • I have several recipes for pork with prunes – this has even more fruitiness.
  • This would have been a recipe for the winter months using all these dried fruits.

IMG-20230217-WA0003 (2)

  • I looked up several recipes for this.
  • I decided that shoulder pork would be the best option.
  • I used dried apples, apricots and prunes – I did not find any dried pears.
  • The recipe has to be started the evening before by soaking the dried fruits.
  • Some recipes cooked the pork and fruits for the same time BUT this makes the fruits like a thick sauce – this way I think is better.
  • NOTE
  • The prunes and apricots I used were the soft kind now more available –
  • If using the traditional very dried fruits you could adapt the timing of the fruit addition to earlier in the cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1kg of shoulder pork – steaks
  • 250g of prunes, dried apricots and dried apples
  • 750ml of vegetable or chicken stock
  • Sunflower oil for frying
  • Salt & pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Method

  • Cover the dried fruits with boiling water.
  • Leave overnight.
  • *
  • Preheat the oven to GM4 – 180°C
  •  
  • Fry the pork on both sides.
  • Place the pork in an ovenproof dish.
  • Pour the stock over this and stir.
  • Place a lid over the dish.
  • Cook for around 2 hours.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • *
  • Add the dried fruits and the liquid.
  • Add more liquid if a lot has evaporated.
  • Stir and put back in the oven for another hour.
  • *
  • Pour the lemon juice over top before serving.
  • *
  • Here served with pearl barley – but buckwheat or rice would be good or  boiled or mashed potatoes or potato dumplings.

Royal Doulton – Burgundy plate

OPTION – To be tried later

  • Use a joint of pork and roast over the dried fruits.
  • Similar to the recipe for Pork & Prunes.

Chocolate Budyń

  • Budyń is similar to a thick English custard.
  • The word comes from the French  –  boudin, as does the English word pudding.
  • It is made from milk, egg yolks, sugar  and potato flour.
  • Here it has added cocoa powder to make it chocolate flavoured.

INGREDIENTS

  • 500ml milk (full or semi-skimmed)
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons of potato flour ( or cornflour if potato is not available)
  • 1 tablespoon of cocoa
  • 3 egg yolks

METHOD

  • Put 300ml of the milk, the butter and sugar into a saucepan.
  • Heat gently till the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved, stirring all the time.
  • Bring this to the boil for a few seconds and then take of the heat.
  • Mix together the potato flour and the cocoa.
  • Blend this together the rest of the milk (200ml) and with the egg yolks.
  • Add some of the boiled mixture to this and stir well.
  • Add the mixture to the rest of  the boiled mixture and stir well.
  • *
  • Put the pan back on the heat and bring back to boiling point, stirring gently.
  • Keep at boiling for 1 minute, stirring all the time.
  • Pour into a glass dish (or several small dishes) – leave to cool.
  • *
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
  • Best chilled overnight
  • Add grated chocolate or shavings to serve and
  • Thick yoghurt or soured cream.

Kotlety with Courgettes – 2

  • I got this idea from one of my new Polish cookery books.
  • It is similar to my Kotlety mielone  –  large meatballs with the addition of coarse grated courgette.
  • Instead of the usual way I do my onions – the chopped green parts of spring onions were used.

Ingredients

  • 400-500g minced pork
  • Green parts of a bunch of spring onions
  • 1 bread roll or 1 slice white bread
  • Milk to soak the bread
  • 1 large courgette – coarsely grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs
  • Salt & pepper
  • *
  • Dried breadcrumbs – Bułka tarta
  • *
  • Sunflower oil to fry the kotlety.

Method

  • Soak the bread in the milk for around 20 minutes.
  • Squeeze out the excess milk.
  • Chop the green parts of the spring onions into small circles.
  •  
  • In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together except for the dried breadcrumbs, it is best to do this using both hands, making sure that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

  • If the mixture seems too wet then add a tablespoon full of dried breadcrumbs and mix this in.

  • Pour some dried breadcrumbs onto a large plate or board.

  • Try to make each one the same size, take a handful of the mixture and press it between your hands to make a flattened circle and then place this in the dried breadcrumbs and turn it over to cover both sides and edges.

  • Once coated place them on a tray dusted with breadcrumbs until you have used all the mixture up.

  • Shallow fry the kotlety in hot oil, depending on the frying pan size,  you can do 3 to 4 at a time, turning them over so that both sides are done.

  • Place them on kitchen roll on a plate or metal tray till they are all cooked –  you can keep them warm in a low oven.

     

UPDATE – 3 April 2023

  • The original recipe used minced chicken.
  • I tried this out yesterday.
  • We all thought PORK was much tastier!

New Polish Cookery Books

  • I have returned recently from a short trip to Wrocław.
  • A lovely city and I stayed in the old town, which was super.
  • I ate in several restaurants and picked up some ideas for recipes.
  • I also bought 3 Polish recipe books which are very interesting and you will be seeing ideas coming through from these in the next few months.
  • One of the many lovely doors in Wrocław.
  •  
  • IMG-20230216-WA0018 (1)
  •  
  • Souvenir Krasnoludki (gnomes) – reading and eating ices  – 2 of my favourite pleasures!

  • Krasnoludki are all around the town – from the 1980s as anti Soviet protests.

Yorkshire White Bread

  • I came across recipe whilst doing some research on Yorkshire recipes.
  • It is the best white wheat loaf I have ever made!
  • Not technically a bread in Poland as it does not have any rye flour.
  • Baking it in a tin works well.

INGREDIENTS

  • 450g strong bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried yeast
  • 300 ml warm water
  • 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

METHOD

  • Use 4 tablespoons of the water and add the sugar and dried yeast.
  • Leave for around 10 – 15 minutes until the mixture is frothy.
  • Mix the flour and the salt.
  • Add the yeast mixture to the flour.
  • Add the rest of the water and the oil.
  • Bring it all together into a soft dough ball.
  • Knead the mixture for 10 minutes – set a timer.
  • Cover the dough and leave to prove for 1 to 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
  • *
  • Grease an 18cm in diameter cake tin with a loose bottom.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board,
  • Knead again for around 5 minutes.
  • Make a round shape of the dough and place into the greased tin.
  • Leave to rise again until it is doubled in size for around 1 to 1 ½ hours.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Using a sharp knife score a cross in the top of the loaf.
  • Bake the loaf for around 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
  • *
  • Leave to cool in the tin for around 20 minutes.

NOTE

Using melted butter rather than sunflower oil might be an option – Not Tested.

Cake with “Sour” Fruits 2

  • This is the second fruit recipe I have been given from my Polish friend in Leeds.
  • It is quite unusual and contains a large proportion of fruit to cake.
  • It works best with sour fruits such as –
  • Bilberries (Whinberries)
  • Cooking apples
  • Plums – not too ripe
  • Rhubarb
  • Sour cherries
  • *
  • I have tried it out with Bramley apples from the garden as rhubarb is not yet in season. (This will be my next trial).
  • Some potato flour is used and the recipe says you can use budyń –– Polish custard powder.
  • The second time I tried it out using English custard powder.
  • I used 180g of granulated sugar, which was enough for the apples.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg of fruit
  • *
  • 180g – 220g granulated sugar – depends on how sour the fruit is.
  • 3 eggs
  • 170g plain flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 90g potato flour 
  • 125g butter
  • 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
  • *
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons of mixed spice or cinnamon or 5-6 drops of vanilla essence
  • *
  • Butter or oil &  bułka tarta – dried breadcrumbs
  • *
  • Icing sugar to dust

METHOD

  • Grease a 32 x 22 baking tin and cover thinly with breadcrumbs.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C.
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan and leave to cool.
  • *
  • Prepare the fruit – for apples these were peeled and cored and chopped into small pieces.
  • Mix the spices with the fruit.
  • *
  • Mix the plain flour, baking powder and potato flour together .
  • In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar (180g for apples).
  • Mix in the flour mixture
  • Add the cooled butter and mix well.
  • Add the sunflower oil and mix well.
  • *
  • Add the fruit and mix so that the fruit is coated with the batter.
  • Put the cake mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it down and into the sides.
  • *
  • Bake for 45 -50 minutes.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • Dust with icing sugar.
  • *
  • It is hard to take out whole from the tin – easier to cut squares or rectangles in the tin and take these out individually to serve. 
  • Royal Grafton – Woodside tea plate
  • *

  • Option 

  • The recipe says you can use budyń –– Polish custard powder  instead of  potato flour.
  •  I did not have any budyń but  tried it out the second time using English custard powder it worked well.
  • See photo below served on Royal Doulton – Carnation.

withcustard

Cake with “Sour” Fruits 1

  • Updated on 4 August 2023 using Sour Plums
  • Updated on 6 September 2024 with frozen fruits of the forest.
  • *
  • I got this recipe from my Polish friend in Leeds.
  • She was going to make this for a coffee morning event for a good cause.
  • It is a batter style cake but made with melted butter rather than oil, which I have used before in cakes such as
  • Victorian Apple Cake  or 
  • Cake with Peaches  
  • The original recipe was for rhubarb –   rabarbar  – in Polish.
  • The recipe suggested you could use other fruit such as sour cherries or apples.
  • As rhubarb is not yet in season I decided to try this with my Bramley apples.
  • My friend made hers with fresh plums.
  • You can use quite a lot of fruit as the cake rises and the fruit moves apart.
  • *
  • If your fruit is too sour you can dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g butter
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 60ml cold water
  • 3 eggs
  • 340g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder 
  • *
  • 3-4 medium Bramley cooking apples – peeled & cored and chopped into small cubes.

METHOD

  • Grease and line 3 sides of a 32x22cm baking tin.
  • Pre-heat the oven toGM4 – 180°C
  • *
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour.
  • Melt the butter & sugar in a saucepan – do not boil.
  • Add the water and leave to cool.
  • Beat the eggs into the flour.
  • Add the butter mixture and mix well until you have a thick batter.
  • Pour into the tin and level out the batter to all sides.
  • Cover the top with the apple pieces.
  • Baked for 50-55 minutes.
  • Check the cake part is ready with a tester.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • *
  • Optional – dust with icing sugar before serving.

  • Royal Grafton – Woodside – 1940s – 1959
  • *

Version with sour plums

  • Use around 500g of under ripe plums.
  • Remove the stones and cut the flesh into small pieces.
  • *
  • Method as above.
  • *
  • You can dust with icing sugar before serving but I like the contrast of the tart plums against the sweet cake.

Served on Royal Doulton – Counterpoint tea plate.

Version with frozen fruits of the forest

  • I used a bag of frozen fruits of the forest which was 500g
  • I let them defrost on kitchen roll.
  • I think another ½ bag would not have gone amiss.
  • The fruits included red grapes! – I found that rather odd – more blackberries or similar would have been better.
  • Having said this – it went down very well.
  •  

Tomato & Pepper Soup

  • The idea for this soup came about from a salad with vinaigrette that was left over.
  • The vinegar gives the soup a tangy taste and the chilli flakes a little ‘heat’ 

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g tomatoes
  • 3-4 Peppers – red, orange or yellow – not green
  • 1 -2 tablespoons wine or cider vinegar
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock 
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

  • Skin the tomatoes in boiling water.
  • Chop the tomatoes into quarters and fry gently in the sunflower oil.
  • Cut the peppers into medium sized chunks and add to the tomatoes and stir.
  • Add the vegetable stock and the vinegar.
  • Add the chilli flakes and simmer gently until the peppers are soft.
  • Take the pan off  the heat  and purée the contents with a stick blender.
  • Season to taste.
  • Reheat before serving if necessary.

Meakin – Spanish Garden Soup Dish