Category: Eggs

Herring Salad 3

  • This makes a super all in one lunch.
  • It has many classic Polish ingredients: beetroot, hardboiled eggs. herrings and horseradish.
  • The garlic chives grow well in my garden – they are lovely for a garnish – the flowers are super to eat.

INGREDIENTS

  • Shredded lettuce
  • Bottled herrings & the onions
  • Milk to soak the herrings
  • 2 large steamed beetroots – peeled and chopped.
  • 4 hardboiled eggs – chopped
  • Juice from 1 lemon.
  • *
  • Flowers from garlic chives (or chopped garlic chives or chives)
  • *
  • Horseradish sauce to serve

METHOD

  • Drain the herrings and onions from the liquid.
  • Soak the herrings in milk for  couple of hours to remove a lot of the salt.
  • Chop the herring into small pieces.
  • In a dish place the shredded lettuce at the bottom.
  • Layer up with the eggs, beetroots, herrings and the onions from the jar.
  • Pour the lemon juice over them.
  • Lightly mix the ingredients.
  • Sprinkle garlic chive flowers over the top if available (or chopped chives)
  • *
  • Serve with a large dollop of horseradish sauce.

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.

Stuffed Eggs

  • This dish is one often found on buffet tables in Poland.
  • It is easy to make in advance.
  • It could also be served as an hor d’oeuvre.
  • It works well will any tinned fish.
  • The hardest part is peeling the hardboiled eggs.
  • Did you know that very fresh eggs are the hardest to peel?
  • It is better to boil eggs that are slightly older.
  • They can be served on a bed of lettuce with sliced lemons.

Ingredients

  • 6 or more hard boiled eggs – large are best
  • 1 small tin of salmon, tuna or sardines – drained
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • *
  • Flat leaved parsley to garnish
  • *
  • OPTION – 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup instead of 1 of the mayonnaise. 

Method

  • Hard boil the eggs and leave to cool completely.
  • Carefully peel the eggs.
  • Cut the eggs in half.
  • The yolks are used in the filling.
  • In a bowl use a fork to mix the yolks, fish, lemon juice and mayonnaise.
  • Put a large tablespoonful of fish mixture into each egg white hollow.
  • Arrange the eggs on the serving plate with the flat leaved parsley.
  • Grind some black pepper over the tops.

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.

Chocolate Meringues

  • The original recipe made a circle/nest of the meringue.
  • I find individuals ones easier and more useful.
  • The sugar in the original was all icing sugar – I found this very hard to whisk up so if you can find caster sugar it is much easier to use.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 egg whites
  • 90g caster sugar
  • *
  • 15g icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM2 – 150°C
  • Line a baking tray with baking paper
  • *
  • In a small dish mix the 15g of icing sugar and the cocoa powder.
  • *
  • Whisk the egg white until they are stiff.
  • Add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff again.
  • With a metal spoon fold in the icing sugar and cocoa mixture.
  • Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheet.
  • You should get 6 or 8 meringues.
  • Place them in the oven for around 1hour 25 minutes.
  • Turn off the oven – you can keep them in there for an extra 15 minutes if required.
  • Leave the baking tray on a wire rack to cool completely.

Using the Meringues

  • These chocolate meringues are very useful for a variety of desserts.
  • They go well with sweetened yoghurt or yoghurt cheese.
  • They can be used with flavoured butter creams using rum or coffee or even more chocolate.
  • In England whipped double cream can be used.
  • In the glass dish above greek yoghurt was mixed with some sour cherry jam as the base and a dollop of the yoghurt was put on top of the meringue.
  • Try with chocolate budyń –– Polish custard.
  • They should be great with vanilla ice cream.

Kedgeree

  • This dish was very popular in Victorian times in Britain.
  • It originated in India and was often served for breakfast.
  • It originated in India and was called – ‘khichari’.
  • It was started as a dish with rice, fried onion, lentils and eggs.
  • Over time, the lentils were left out and fish was added.
  • There are many different recipes  but they all include: boiled rice, fish (often smoked) and hard boiled eggs. Paprika, cayenne pepper or curry powder is added.
  • I made this whilst doing some research into old English recipes.
  • Everyone loved it and I thought that it would be a “hit” in Poland too.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 onions – finely chopped
  • 75g butter (do not stint on this)
  • 300ml of vegetable stock
  • 200g-250g long grained rice – boiled
  • 250g-300g smoked haddock
  • 3 – 4 hard boiled eggs – cut into quarters
  • 1 lemon – cut into quarters
  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika or cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • *
  • Flat leaved parsley to garnish

METHOD

  • Poach the fish in the vegetable stock for 6 – 8 minutes.
  • Remove the skin and flake the fish.
  • Meantime melt the butter in a large frying pan.
  • Gently fry the onions till golden.
  • Add rice and a few tablespoons of the stock.
  • Add the paprika, stir and continue cooking.
  • Add the flaked fish and more stock if too dry.
  • Cook through for a few minutes.
  • Season to taste.
  • Serve in a large dish with hard boiled eggs and lemons around the side.
  • Garnish with flat leaved parsley.
  • Diners should squeeze lemon juice over their portion.

 

Gogiel Mogiel

  • Gogiel mogiel was for me a luxury dessert that my mother used to make.
  • She would whisk raw egg yolks with sugar for around 10 minutes until the sugar is all absorbed and the liquid is thick, pale and creamy.
  • Sometimes honey was used instead of sugar.
  • Nowadays it can be made much quicker using an electric whisk.
  • Mama would flavour this with a drop or two of vanilla essence.
  • Other flavouring can be cinnamon or rum.
  • It is served at room temperature or slightly chilled.
  • Whilst looking up recipes for this I have found that the name in some places has changed to gogel mogel or even the more Russian sounding kogol mogol.
  • *
  • Zabaglione (Italian) or sabayon (French) sound similar, where sweet wine is added and it is cooked slightly over a bain-marie.

Ingredients

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon of caster or granulated sugar.
  • 2 – 3 drops of vanilla essence.

Method

  • Whisk the yolks and sugar together until you have a pale, thick, creamy liquid.
  • Around 5 minutes with an electric whisk.
  • Add the vanilla essence and mix together.
  • Serve at room temperature or chill slightly.
  • *
  • Options 
  • Add a few drops of rum or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
  • *
  • Sprinkle grated chocolate on top when serving.

Vegetable Pancakes

  • These pancakes are the thick American style pancakes.
  • You can use most cooked vegetables cut into small pieces.

Ingredients

  • 250g plain flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 200ml yoghurt
  • 150 – 200ml milk
  • 200g of cooked chopped vegetables
  • *
  • Sunflower oil for frying.

Vegetables – used 

  • Carrots
  • Whole green beans
  • Peas
  • Sweetcorn

Other suggestions 

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Chives (fresh)
  • Onions (fried in butter)
  • Peppers
  • Potatoes (boiled)

    Method

  • Beat the eggs, yoghurt and 150ml of milk together.
  • Mix the salt into the flour.
  • Add flour to the egg mix.
  • You are aiming for a thick batter – add more milk as required.
  • Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
  • Make sure all the vegetables are dry.
  • Dry with a tea towel or kitchen roll as needed.
  • Mix the vegetables together.
  • Mix the vegetables into the batter.
  • *
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan.
  • Fry tablespoonfuls of  the mixture on both sides.

Serve with chopped chives or the green parts of spring onion.

Served here with tomato sauce.

Vintage Pyrex plates

Tuna Salad with French Beans

  • One of my friends from Leeds came round yesterday with freshly picked produce from her allotment.
  • Green & Purple French beans were amongst them.
  • I topped and tailed these and steamed them.
  • Sadly the beautiful purple ones loose their colour and are just a slightly darker green than the others.
  • I served some of them with buttered dried breadcrumbs – à la Polonaise and
  • Used the rest, cold, in this tinned tuna salad with other ingredients I had in my store cupboard and freezer. 
  • The proportions are not so important.

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of tuna chunks- in brine or oil
  • Crisp lettuce leaves 
  • Steamed French beans
  • Cooked peas
  • Cooked sweetcorn – frozen or tinned
  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

  • Chop the French beans into small pieces.
  • Mix these with the peas and sweetcorn
  • Drain the tuna from the brine or oil and break up the chunks.
  • Mix the tuna with the cooked vegetables.
  • Add the lemon juice and mayonnaise and mix well.
  • Season to taste.
  • Shred the lettuce leaves.
  • Arrange lettuce leaves over a large plate plate or a shallow bowl.
  • Place the tuna mixture on top of the lettuce leaves.
  • Chop the hard boiled eggs into small pieces and sprinkle these over the top of the tuna mixture.

Dutch Cold Dish & Other Salads

I recently returned from a trip to The Netherlands to visit my friend again.

I always have a great time visiting different parts of the country and enjoying the wonderful hospitality.

One dish I have had many times is Koudeschotel – this translates as Cold Dish.

I think it is a sort of  “posh cousin” to  several Polish cooked salads such as Potato Salad and Mixed Vegetable Salad.

It is often made in large quantities as the centrepiece in a buffet meal.

There is a central mound made with boiled potatoes mashed with mayonnaise, onions, peas, carrots and cooked meat like chicken, pork or beef.

This is then decorated with items such as hard boiled eggs, gherkins, silver-skin onions, prawns or shrimps, asparagus, tomatoes, cooked or smoked meats and dusted with a little sweet paprika.

 

The koudeschotel on my arrival from England this year.

If the central mound is made without meat it is sometimes called Huzarensalade – Huzar’s Salad.

Ingredients – for the central mound

The original recipe  was for a large amount suitable for a big party – I have scaled it down.

  • 1 Kg of cold boiled potatoes
  • Around 200ml of mayonnaise – real full fat is best
  • 100g of cooked peas
  • 1 large onion chopped fine
  • 2 boiled carrots – diced
  • 200g of cooked chicken, pork or beef – shredded (meat used to make soup or stock is good)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Notes

Many supermarkets and delicatessens in The Netherlands sell this mixture ready made.

Method

  • Mash the potatoes with the mayonnaise.
  • Add the peas, carrots, onion and meat and mix well.
  • Season to taste.

  • Arrange the mixture in the centre of a serving plate.

Decorate with a selection of the following:

  • Hard boiled eggs – sliced or quartered
  • Gherkins – small or large ones sliced
  • Silver-skin onions
  • Cooked prawns or shrimps,
  • Cooked asparagus spears or slices
  • Tomatoes – quartered
  • Cooked or smoked meats – chopped or in little slices
  • Dusted with a little sweet paprika.

Now is the time to be a little creative with the decoration – I tend to do rows of the different ingredients and dust with sweet paprika at the end.

(For smaller gatherings sometimes the mixture is placed in a bowl and the eggs and gherkins etc are just placed on top)

Other Salads

One day we went to a neighbour’s house for a BBQ and koudeschotel was one of the dishes served with the grilled meats.

We were also served the following two lovely salads –

Cabbage & Pineapple Salad

Ingredients

  • Small white cabbage
  • 8 rings of fresh or tinned in juice pineapple
  • 50 – 80g of raisins

Method

  • Soak the raisins in pineapple juice for at least 30 minutes
  • Shred and chop the cabbage
  • Chop the pineapple rings into small pieces
  • Mix the cabbage, pineapple and the raisins in juice together

Salad with Smoked Salmon & Capers

Ingredients

  • Crunchy lettuce such as Cos or  Little Gem – I used a Red Little Gem
  • 100g Smoked Salmon
  • 2 or 3 sticks of celery – finely sliced
  • 1 tablespoon of capers
  • 100g of cooked small sized pasta
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Ground black pepper

Method

  • Hand tear the lettuce into medium sized pieces.
  • Chop the smoked salmon into small pieces.
  • Mix the smoked salmon, capers and pasta together and
  • Mix this with the lettuce.
  • Pour the lemon juice over this and mix.
  • Season with black pepper.
  • Extra salt should not be needed because of the capers & smoked salmon.

 

You could serve this as a starter using a few lettuce leaves as a bed on each plate with the smoked salmon mixture in the centre.