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.

Polish Dark Chocolate Cake

  • I have seen several references to a dark chocolate cake called murzynek – ‘little African boy’.
  • I have looked at several recipes and tried some of them out.
  • I was not happy with the results – either too dry or not dark enough.
  • I then came across this recipe, which I was pleased with.
  • It is a dense cake – not like a tort.
  • This recipe was most unusual in that all the ingredients were whisked together including the flour!
  • Oil & yoghurt are used in this cake (NO BUTTER).
  • Cocoa powder is used and dark fruit jam!

INGREDIENTS

  • 450g plain flour
  • 3 tablespoons of cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 165g granulated sugar
  • 150 ml Greek style yoghurt
  • 100 ml cold water
  • 240g of a good  dark jam/conserve – blackcurrant was used here.
  • 3 eggs
  • 12ml of sunflower oil

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Grease and line(3 sides with 1 piece of greaseproof) a 26 x 20cm baking tin.
  • In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients : flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and sugar together.
  • Mix together the water and the yoghurt.
  • In another bowl whisk together the eggs, yoghurt mix, jam and oil.
  • Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk them all together until well mixed in.
  • Pour the batter into the baking and smooth over the top.
  • Bake for 45 – 50 minutes.
  • *
  • Can dust with icing sugar when serving.
  • Keeps very well in an airtight plastic box.

OPTIONS

  • Sprinkle top with flaked almonds or chopped hazel nuts.
  • Next time I am going to look at the ingredients needed for a 2egg

Fish Names in Polish

  • I have added a new page – this covers popular fish names in Polish.
  • These could be helpful when looking at a menu in a restaurant.
  • You will find freshwater fish rather than saltwater fish are on the menu.
  • I have several fish recipes on the blog and I am hoping to write more.
  • Below are a few photographs of some of my fish dishes.

Black Forest Dessert

  • I thought of this dessert after making a new chocolate cake, which did not turn out very well – it was too dry.
  • I decided to make a dessert with this and bottled sour cherries.
  • Warn people if the cherries still have stones in them.
  • Use cherry brandy or wiśniȯwka.
  • It is styled around Black Forest tort.
  • The amouts you use – you have to guesss – depending on how much cake you have to use.
  • My test dessert was on the large size!

INGREDIENTS

  • Chocolate cake
  • Bottled sour cherries – wiśne
  • 125ml cherry brandy (or wiśniȯwka)
  • 1 packet raspberry jelly
  • *

  • Topping

  • Part sieved greek yoghurt & part greek yoghurt
  • 1-3 tablespoons of icing sugar – to taste

METHOD

  • Strain the cherries and put them in a dish of the cherry brandy and leave for at least 20 minutes.
  • Cut the chocolate cake into slices.
  • Line a glass bowl with the cake.
  • Place some of the sour cherries over the base of the dish.
  • Place some more cake over the sour cherries.
  • Put a few sour cherries over the top of the cake.
  • Pour any liquid left from the soaked sour cherries over the cake.
  • Pour some liquid from the bottled sour cherries over the cake.
  • Leave for around 4 hours.
  • *
  • Make up the packet of jelly and leave to cool.
  • Pour the jelly over the cake.
  • Leave to cool and then put in the fridge for around 4 hours or more to set.
  • *
  • Mix the sieved yoghurt with the greek yoghurt.
  • Add the icing sugar to tase.
  • Mix together to make a thick topping.
  • Pour this over the dessert.
  • Chill in the fridge.

Regional Cookery Book

  • I saw this book advertised for sale as second hand.
  • I ordered it straight away.
  • I did not realise how big it was until it arrived.
  • I was very pleased as there are over 600 pages!
  • It was published in 2010.
  • It is divided onto 11 regions.
  • Lots of research for me to do.

Walnut filling for Rogaliki

  • Several recipes mentionned using a walnut filling rather than poppy seed or jam for Polish pastries.
  • It was hard to find a definative recipe so I had to think up the amounts myself.
  • The ingredients were: walnuts, milk, sugar and butter; I experimented to find the right propotions.
  • The amounts given are not set in stone, you need the milk to heat the nuts in but the butter and sugar can be adjusted to taste.
  • This mixture can be used for rogaliki   – 
  • Or for other pastries similar to poppy seed roll.
  • The mixture is usually used with pastry that is not sweet so can be quite sweet – depends on you liking.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g walnuts – chopped fine or even part ground
  • 250 ml of milk
  • 3 -4 tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar
  • 1 – 2 tablespoonfuls of butter

METHOD

  • Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan.
  • Heat gentley whilst stirring all the time.
  • Heat until all the milk is absorbed.
  • Check the sweetness – add more sugar if needed.
  • Leave to cool completly before using.
  • *
  • This mixture can be frozen for later use.

Honey Loaf

  • I got this recipe from an English friend who lives in Harrogate.
  • It is easy to make and is a bit different to my Polish honey cakes – miodownik or piernik.
  • But I think it could be served over the Christmas period.
  • This recipe does NOT use any eggs nor butter nor oil.

Ingredients

  • 225g plain flour
  • 115g granulated sugar
  • 115g runny honey, plus around a tablespoon to glaze
  • 150 ml hot water
  • 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
  • Zest of 1 lemon

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160ºC.
  • Use a liner to line a 1lb loaf tin.
  • Use a little oil or butter on the liner as the cake is quite sticky.
  • Mix together the flour and the sugar in a large bowl.
  • In a saucepan melt together the honey and the water.
  • Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over the honey mixture and stir.
  • Add this to the dry ingredients.
  • Add the lemon zest.
  • Mix everything well together till all is uniform.
  • Turn the mixture into the loaf tin.
  • Bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
  • Check at 50 minutes and cover the top of the loaf with greaseproof or foil  so it does not burn.
  • Remove the loaf from the tin and allow it to cool.
  • Heat the honey (with a little but of water if not so runny) slightly.
  • Brush the top of the loaf with the honey.

  • Option – different size.
  • Use a 26 x 16 cm baking tray.
  • Grease and line – 3 sides with one piece of greaseproof.
  • Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Ribs Revisited

  • I ate pork ribs in two restaurants on my visit to Gdańsk this year.
  • Previously I have posted about ribs cooked with Ribs with Cabbage and Ribs with Sauerkraut, the first inspired by the recipe from my late cousin Krystyna. 
  • I have also posted a recipe for ribs cooked with fruit.
  • *
  • This recipe is inspired on the ones I had in Bowkie  –  a restaurant by the Motlawa river quayside in Gdańsk.
  •  The ribs are slow cooked in a little stock with onions.
  • Then they are finished off in an oven and served with an oniony gravy. 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-2 racks of pork ribs
  • 2 onions
  • 4-5 peppercorns
  • 4 -5 allspice grains
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cloves of garlic – chopped.
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  • I cooked this using a slow cooker.
  • Chop the onions into thin slices.
  • Put in the base of the slow cooker and add the peppercorn, allspice grains, garlic and the bay leaves.
  • Put the ribs on top.
  • Add the chicken stock.
  • Cook until the meat is tender.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 6.
  • *
  • Put the ribs on a grid in a roasting pan and cook for around 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Meanwhile make  gravy/sauce with the contents of the slow cooker.
  • Sieve the onions from the liquid.
  • Use a stick blender to purée the onions.
  • Put the purée into a saucepan and add some of the cooking liquor.
  • Heat and stir until you have thick sauce.
  • Season to taste
  • *
  • Pour the sauce over part of the ribs to serve.

Fruit & Sweet Cheese Cake

  • I tried this recipe from one of my recently bought Polish magazines.
  • I have not make a cake dough with twaróg/yoghurt cheese before.
  • I would only make a small alteration to the amounts in the ingredients next time – a little more sugar with the topping of twaróg/yoghurt cheese which is how I have written this up.
  • It was huge success.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g plain flour
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 120g – melted butter – allowed to cool.
  • 3 eggs
  • 125g + 125g twaróg/yoghurt cheese (very well strainned)
  • 1½ – 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
  • 300g of fruit – around 150g of apples – the rest blackberries/raspberries or fruits of the forest (can be frozen – defrosted and dried with kitchen roll).
  • *
  • Sieved icing sugar to serve.

METHOD

  • Grease and line on 3 sides  a 20 x 26cm baking tin.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160ºC.
  • Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  • In another bowl mix lightly whisk together the eggs and 125g of the twaróg/yoghurt cheese
  • Mix the contents of the 2 bowls together.
  • Add the cooled, melted butter and mix to get a soft dough.
  • Press the dough into the tin.
  • *
  • In a bowl mix the other 125g of the twaróg/yoghurt cheese with the icing sugar.
  • *
  • Peel and core the apples
  • Slice them into very thin slices.
  • *
  • Spread the sweetened twaróg/yoghurt cheese over the dough nearly up to the edges.
  • Sprinkle the apple slices over this.
  • Then sprinkle on the black fruit (I used fresh blackberries).
  • (I should have used more – did not have enough).
  • Bake for 55 to 65 minutes .
  • *
  • Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.
  •  

Ciasta i Ciasteczka – magazine inspirations

  • Whenever I go to Poland I try to get some magazines and books to add my collection and to give me new ideas.
  • This time I bought two magazines which have recipes for cakes and biscuits/ small cakes or cookies.
  • Known in Poland as ciasta and ciasteczka.
  •  
  • Do you get excited by new cookery books and magazines?
  • I bookmark all the ones I think I will try.
  • As this is autumn many are for nuts, chocolate and spices.
  • Also a few fruity one and there is one that contains twaórog (curd cheese) .
  • Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be trying out many of these.

Waffles – Revisited

  • The last time I went to Gdansk, I had savoury waffles in the Gvara Restaurant.
  • On coming home I made them here and posted about them in June 2019 under the title Waffles.
  • Once more in the Gvara Restaurant in October 2024, waffles were on the menu for breakfast.
  • This time you got 3 toppings – called 3 ways – in one order:
  • Bacon and Eggs
  • Spinach and Eggs
  • Curd cheese and smoked salmon
  • Note – the salmon was whole cooked salmon smoked – thick chunks.
  • If you did not like the curd cheese and smoked salmon – they would do another topping.
  • A really filling breakfast.

Baking Powder Waffles

This recipe is based on the one in the recipe book that comes with my Salter waffle maker.

I used whole milk and found this worked very well.

Ingredients

  • 250g plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 egg
  • 90g of butter
  • 350ml of whole milk

Method

This amount made eight waffles in my maker.

It is best to make all the waffles at once and either keep them warm in a low oven or you can pop then in a toaster later.

  • Mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together in a bowl.
  • Melt the butter.
  • Beat the eggs until they are fluffy.
  • Add the eggs and then the milk to the flour mixture and mix well.
  • Add the melted butter to the mixture and mix well.
  • I made the waffles as per the instructions of the waffle maker.
  • Pre-heat the maker for around 5 minutes.
  • Brush some oil or butter onto the plates for the first batch.
  • Use a ladle to pour on the mixture – filling the plate till around 3/4 full.
  • Cook for around 5 minutes – all steam should have finished being given off by now.