Category: Pancakes

Racuszki made with Yeast

  • One of my Polish friends came over and whilst we were chatting we found that we both had a copy of the Kuchnia Polska, that I call my bible.
  • She had wanted to show me how to made Racuczki (fritters/pancakes) made using yeast.
  • We followed the instructions from the book.
  • We had ours with a bought apple and rose petal jam.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g  of  plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 250 ml of milk
  • 15g of fresh yeast
  • 50g of granulated sugar
  • *
  • Sunflower oil for frying.
  • *
  • Jam or fruit syrup to serve.

METHOD

  • Warm the milk to hand heat and add the yeast and  ½ teaspoon of the sugar.
  • Leave to start to bubble.
  • Mix the eggs with the rest of the sugar.
  • Mix together the yeast mixture and the egg mixture with the flour.
  • You are aiming for a thick cream mix – adjust with more milk or flour as necessary.
  • Cover and leave until the mixture rises.
  • *
  • Heat sunflower oil in a frying pan.
  • Add large tablespoonfuls of the mixture to fry.
  • Using 2 spoons is a help.
  • Fry till golden on both sides.
  • *
  • We had ours with apple and rose petal jam.

Celeriac & Potato Placki

  • I saw this recipe in a magazine and thought they would be good.
  • I had a couple of goes at these as the original recipe did not work as the placki just kept falling apart.
  • The potatoes MUST be grated on a fine grater.
  • Some – but not all – of the potato liquid needs to be removed.
  • I added onions to the original recipe.
  • They have a slightly sweet taste because of the celeriac.

INGREDIENTS

  • Around 300 – 500g of peeled celeriac
  • Equal weight of peeled potatoes
  • 2 small onions – chopped very fine or blended.
  • 2 eggs – beaten
  • 3 tablespoons of plain flour
  • Salt & pepper
  • Sunflower oil for frying.

METHOD

  • Grate the celeriac on a coarse grater and place into a bowl.
  • Grate the potato using a fine grater.
  • Use a  cheese cloth to remove some of the potato liquid BUT
  • Keep this liquid as you might need some of it.
  • Mix the grated celeriac and the grated potato.
  • Add the onions and mix well.
  • Add the beaten eggs and 3 tablespoons of flour.
  • If the mixture is very “sloppy” add a little more flour.
  • If the mixture is very dry – add a little of the potato water.
  • You are aiming for a thick mixture.
  • Season with the salt and pepper.
  • *
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan.
  • Fry large tablespoonfuls of mixture at a time.
  • Cook each side on a medium heat.
  • Do not turn the placki too soon – they tend to fall apart.
  • Take care not to burn them.
  • Keep warm in a low oven if you want to serve them all together.
  • *
  • Serve with fried eggs or with a cold twaróg salad (see later post).

Fresh Cabbage Fritters

  • I have lots of recipes for vegetable fritters/pancakes including one for sauekraut.
  • This one uses a whole cabbage head – this is good if it is a small cabbage.
  • Otherwise I think ½ a head is better.
  • You could use a sweetheart cabbage.
  • Next time I would chop the cabbage into smaller pieces.

INGREDIENTS

  • Whole small white cabbage
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Butter for frying
  • 100g plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes – optional
  • *
  • Sunflower oil for frying.

METHOD

  • Chop the white cabbage into small pieces.
  • Cook in salted water for around 20 minutes.
  • Drain and pat dry.
  • Leave to cool.
  • You may want to chop the pieces even smaller.
  • Dice the onion and chop the garlic.
  • Fry in butter till golden.
  • Leave till cool.
  • Mix the cabbage and onion mix together.
  • Mix together with the flour, salt and flour.
  • Beaten the eggs and mix everything together.
  • Stir in the chilli flakes.
  • *
  • Make little patties.
  • Fry in sunflower oil for around 4 minutes on each side.
  • Taking care not to burn them.

They taste good with a fried egg or two.

Courgette Fritters & Extras

  • I posted the original courgette fritter recipe in 2017.
  • Although courgette fritters are not from an old Polish recipe they do have some similarity  to Polish potato pancakes and to carrot pancakes.
  • Courgette in Polish is cukinia – so this is another vegetable that owes its name to Italian  – zucchini.
  • I often make variations on this recipe by adding other vegetables such a baby leaf spinach or sweetcorn (also see sweetcorn fritters).
  • Chopped chilli is also a good addition.
  • The amounts of the ingredients are all approximate.

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 courgettes
  • 1 egg (can be 2 if using more vegetables)
  • 2 -3 tablespoons of soured cream, yoghurt, crème fraise or yoghurt cheese
  • 2 tablespoons of plain flour
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon(optional)
  • Salt
  • Sunflower oil for frying.
  • *
  • Baby leaf spinach, sweetcorn and chilli or any quickly cooked vegetable.
  • Chopped garlic – optional

Method

  • Grate the courgettes using a coarse grater.
  • Sprinkle the courgettes with salt.
  • Place the salted courgettes onto a clean tea towel and place this in a colander for around 30 minutes.
  • Wrap the tea towel up and squeeze out the liquid from the courgettes.
  • Note
  • The green stains on the tea towel will come out in a hot wash but  do not use fabric softener for tea towels used for this and similar purposes.

Place the dried grated courgettes in a bowl and add the grated lemon rind.

Keep them on a heat proof plate  in a low heat oven whilst you make the rest.

  • You can place a sheet of kitchen roll on top of the first layer to stop them sticking.
  • Serve them with grilled meats and salad.

  • Served here with grilled bacon and fried eggs.

Pancake Rolls

  • I have been thinking about making savoury pancakes for a while.
  • I came across a new word (to me) – ruloniki. 
  • Sweet pancakes are served – fan folded whereas savoury ones are rolled up.
  • Either the pancake is just rolled up or – 
  • Two sides are first folded in slightly and then the pancake is rolled up.
  • I made these with a mushroom filling – based on my mushroom sauce – adding more potato flour to make the sauce thicker.
  • First make a batch of pancakes and keep them warm or heat them up later when needed.

INGREDIENTS for mushroom sauce

  • 450g of mushrooms sliced
  • Butter for frying
  • 1 mushroom stock cube
  • 500ml hot water
  • 2-3 tablespoons of potato flour or cornflour
  • 3 tablespoons of milk
  • 60ml of soured cream

METHOD for mushroom sauce

  • Dissolve the stock cube in the hot water.
  • Slice the mushroom caps into fine slices and fry them gently in some butter till they are soft.
  • Add the mushrooms to the mushroom stock,
  • Simmer gently for about 5 to 10 minutes.
  • In a little dish mix the potato flour or cornflour with the milk.
  • Add the potato or cornflour mixture to the cooked mushrooms and stir gently over the heat until the sauce thickens.
  • Remove from the heat and add the soured cream and mix.
  • *
  • Spread some sauce over a pancake.
  • Two sides are first folded in slightly and then the pancake is rolled up.
  • *
  • You can serve these individually or say 3 at a time.
  • *
  • Keep them warm in a low oven whilst you are making them. 

A vintage Pyrex plate is used here.

Sour Cherry Sauce – 2

  • This sauce is good for desserts.
  • It can be served hot or cold.
  • Use it with pancakes – hot
  • or cold to pour over baked cheesecake when serving
  • or add to Greek style yoghurt

Ingredients

  • Jar or part jar of sour cherries
  • 4 cloves
  • Small stick of cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon of potato or cornflour
  • *
  • Optional – a little sugar to taste

Method

  • Put the cherries and the juice into a saucepan.
  • Add the cloves and cinnamon.
  • Simmer gently for around 10 minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Remove the spices.
  • Mix the potato or cornflour with a little of the juice.
  • Stir this into the cherries.
  • Bring up to the boil, stirring often.
  • The sauce will thicken.
  • Leave on a low heat if serving hot or
  • Leave to cool.

Pancakes with Bacon

  • These are the thick American style pancakes not the thin crepes.
  • A good way of serving the bacon.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs – beaten
  • 180 – 200ml of milk
  • 180g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 6 rashers of streaky smoked bacon
  • *
  • Sunflower oil for frying
  • *
  • Fried eggs, maple syrup or sugar, butter – to serve

Method

  • Chop the bacon into small squares.
  • Fry till crisp & strain of any fat.
  • Keep to one side & warm.
  • *
  • Mix the flour and the baking powder together.
  • Make a well in the centre of the flour.
  • Mix in the eggs.
  • Mix in enough milk to make a thick batter.
  • *
  • Fry large tablespoons of the batter on a hot griddle or frying pan.
  • Add some bacon bits to the top.
  • Turn over the pancakes and fry on the other side.
  • *
  • Serve as savoury with scrambled or fried eggs or more sweet with butter and maple syrup.
  • This Pyrex design from the 1970s is called Carnaby.

Fuczki

  • These are sauerkraut pancakes or fritters.
  • I found this recipe from Southern Poland recently and thought they sound like “cousins” of:
  • Kotlety with cabbage
  • Kotlety with sauerkraut
  • Kartoflane placki 
  • Vegetable fritters
  • So I had to give them a try.
  • They are super!
  • They will be added to my list of best recipes to be made often.
  • They are best eaten “fresh from the pan”
  • But you can keep them warm in a low oven.

Ingredients

  • 300g sauerkraut
  • 1 onion
  • 150g white or spelt flour
  • 200ml of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste
  • *
  • Sunflower oil to fry
  • *
  • Flaked salt to serve with
  • Sour cream  or a garlic mayonnaise/yoghurt dip
  • Good with fried eggs and bacon

    Method

  • Drain the sauerkraut and place in a clean tea towel and squeeze out any excess liquid.
  • Chop it finely.
  • Finely chop the onion.
  • Whisk the milk and eggs, then slowly start adding the flour.
  • Add the sauerkraut and onion and mix well.
  • Season with salt and pepper (remember that the sauerkraut is already salty).
  • In a frying pan heat up the oil.
  • Place tablespoons of the mixture into the pan.
  • Fry till golden on both sides..
  • Place them  on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess fat.
  • Serve with sour cream or fried eggs and bacon.
  • Vintage Pyrex – plate
  • Meakin pottery – Topic – plate

Placek po węgiersku

  • Po węgiersku  means in a Hungarian style
  • This is not so much a recipe but a way of serving two well known dishes – 
  • Kartoflane placki – Polish potato pancakes and gulasz. 
  • Usually the pancakes are made around 6-7cm in diameter, here each one is made the size of a breakfast plate around 18 – 20cm in diameter.
  • Try and made the pancake as thin as possible ( I think mine were a bit too thick!)
  • Serve with a portion of your favourite Hungarian style gulasz on top and a large dollop of soured cream and a sprinkling of sweet ground paprika.

Ingredients – Kartoflane placki

  • 4 large starchy potatoes such as King Edward or Maris Piper
  • 1 medium or large onion
  • 1 egg or just the egg yolk
  • Plain flour
  • Salt & pepper
  • *
  • Oil for frying

Method

  • Peel the potatoes then grate them using the fine size of the grater into a large bowl –  this is the part that takes time – I have tried using the coarse grate but they are not as good.

  • Leave to stand for a few minutes and the water from the potatoes will rise to the surface. If the potatoes are very watery pour of some of the water. The easiest way is to tip up the bowl slightly over the sink and hold down the potatoes with the palm of your hand.

  • Peel the onion and also fine grate it and add to the potatoes. This is the part that would often result in the grating of my knuckles as I tried to use every last bit of onion – I now often use some form of electrical mini-chopper to get a pulp of onion.

  • Add the egg, salt & pepper.

  • Add enough plain flour so that the mixture is thick.

  • Heat some oil in a frying pan, a thick cast iron one is ideal.
  • Place large spoonfuls of the mixture onto the hot oil and flatten it out to make a large circle.
  • Fry till golden on both sides.
  • It should be thin and  slightly crispy at the edges.
  • Do not have the pan too hot or it will burn on the outside and be raw in the centre.
  • Do not have the pan too cool or it will end up too greasy and not crispy.

To Serve

  • Have ready your favourite Hungarian style gulasz – cooked and hot.
  • Place a portion in the centre of the pancake.
  • Add a dollop of soured cream.
  • Sprinkle with sweet, ground paprika.
  • Served on Meakin – Topic plates – from the late 1960s.

Spinach Pancakes – 2

  • This version of pancakes is the thicker type more like an American style pancake.
  • In Polish they would be known more as  racuszki or placki.
  • In England more like dropped scones or Scottish Pancakes.
  • This recipe uses milk.
  • Though not tried you could make a version with yoghurt & milk.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 100g fresh spinach
  • 90ml milk
  • 70 – 90g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • *
  • 50g granulated sugar for a sweet version
  • *
  • Sunflower oil for frying

Method

  • Shred the spinach in a mini-chopper or blender.
  • Mix the eggs with the milk.
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour.
  • Add the spinach to the egg mixture.
  • *
  • Add sugar if using.
  • *
  • Add the flour to the mixture until it is thick enough to drop off a spoon.
  • *
  • Fry tablespoonfuls on both sides on a hot oiled griddle pan.

Good served with sweet or savoury extras

 

Served here on Vintage Pyrex, Royal Doulton – Tapestry and Carnation.