Category: Polish Food

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.

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.

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.

Kanapki

  • Kanapka (singular) and kanapki (plural) are the Polish for sandwich and sandwiches.
  • Kanapka comes from the French canapé (singular).
  • These are always open sandwiches.
  • In both languages the word comes from the word for sofa – with the idea of something sitting on a sofa.
  • They date from the mid 1800s.
  • They can be large sandwiches, which are the mainstay of a Polish breakfast – śniadanie or second breakfast  – drugie śniadanie (Lunch in England).
  • They can be cut into small squares or rectangles to become “finger food”  – hors d’oeuvres – starters.
  • In Polish these are called przekąski or zakąski.
  • *
  • The list of toppings is endless with: meat, fish, eggs and cheese as well as gherkins, chives, tomatoes and many other vegetables on top.
  • The bread can be buttered or not if the topping is soft such as pâté or egg mayonnaise  

Toppings Suggestions – the list is endless

  • Cream cheese
  • Yoghurt cheese
  • Cured meats 
  • Roast meats
  • Smoked sausages
  • Fish spread
  • Meat spread
  • Pâté
  • Gherkins
  • Tomatoes
  • Chives
  • Onions
  • Salad leaves
  • Yoghurt Cheese with Chives on Rye – served on Greenway plates
  • Egg Mayonnaise with slices of  kotlety –  Polish burgers and tomato – served on a vintage Pyrex plate.

Obwarzanki

  •  Obwarzanki  or  Obarzanki  – the name suggests  parboiling.
  • Nowadays around 150,000 are sold on the streets of Kraków a day, mainly from carts
  • They are known from mediaeval times.
  • There is a mention of them in a document from 1394.
  • It is said the Queen Jadwiga (1373 – 1399) enjoyed them especially with herrings.
  • *
  • I have found many different recipes.
  • The ones in Kraków are made with yeast.
  • The two recipes I tried did not contain yeast.
  • I tried a recipe with plain flour, eggs and icing sugar.
  • The dough was made into rolls, which were plaited together.
  • This was quite hard to do!
  • After par-boiling seeds such as poppy or sesame seeds or salt can be sprinkled on them before baking.
  • The following recipe is easier to make into a simple circle shape. 
  • I preferred the texture and taste of these.
  • This is the recipe I will use again.

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 160ml slightly warmed milk
  • 1 egg – beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • *
  • Water with 1-2 tablespoon of sugar or honey to boil.
  • *
  • Poppy or sesame seeds or salt flakes for top

Method

  • Mix the flour and salt.
  • Add the egg and enough milk to bring the mixture together.
  • Knead the dough until you have a smooth soft ball.
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Divide the dough into 8 even pieces.
  • Roll each piece into a long thin roll.
  • Make a sort of flattened S shape.
  • Cut at the bends into 3 equal pieces.
  • Join each piece into a circle and pinch the joint together.
  • *
  • Get ready a large pan of water and add honey.
  • Bring to the boil.
  • Drop in the circles, one by one, around 5-6 to the pan.
  • When they float to the top, leave for a few more minutes.
  • Remove them with wooden tongs, shake of any water.
  • Place on a wire rack whilst waiting for the rest to cook.
  • *
  • Place them on a baking sheet.
  • Sprinkle with poppy seeds ,sesame seeds or salt flakes.
  • Bake for 20mins.

Served with here with scrambled eggs and smoked ham on Royal Doulton – Tapestry 1966 – 1988.

NOTE

  •  Obwarzanki go stale very quickly, they are usually made daily.
  • But you can heat them up again or toast them lightly.

Classic Polish Recipe Book

  • Kuchnia Polska was my first Polish cookery book.
  • The title means Polish Kitchen – or Polish Cookery.
  • It was my first Polish cookery book and my only one till many years later.
  • I think of this as my “Cookery Bible” and turn to this first when doing any research for a recipe.
  • I have rarely had any “failures” from this book.
  • *
  • First published in 1956.
  • Published by Państwowe Wydawnictwo Ekonomiczne, Warszawa. 
  • My edition is the 15th published 1971.
  • There are 775 pages plus photographs.
  • The text is in Polish.
  • 10 authors are listed – the first is Prof. dr Stanisław Berger.
  • The graphics are by Czesław Wielhorski (1911-1980).
  • Czesław Wielhorski was a “visual artist” – a graphic artist
  • Czesław Wielhorski is well known for his posters for the 1939 winter Olympics in Zakopane.
  • *
  • As well as recipes there is advice including kitchen layout, food groups and menus
  • There are many instructions from an age when pre-prepared food ingredients were not available eg – how to grind almonds. 
  • *
  • I have always loved the drawings in this book.
  • The drawing are in black and white each with one colour.
  • Cross Hatching and dots in black add texture to the illustrations
  • Below are a selection of these wonderful illustrations 

  • Our Recipes
  • Mushroom Dishes
  • Vegetable Dishes
  • Fish Dishes
  • Meat Dishes
  • Dishes from Birds & Game
  • Sauces
  • Homemade Preserves

Kisiel – Red Fruits

  • There is no good translation of kisiel into English.
  • I remember my mother making this dessert in the summer time.
  • She made it with red fruits from our garden: strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants.
  • I now know that this is a very old dessert and would have originally been made with oat or millet starch.
  • This dessert was made before the introduction of gelatine and is a set dessert but not as set as a jelly.
  • My mother used potato starch or cornflour if she could not get that.
  • I used frozen raspberries and sour cherries.
  • Serve kisiel chilled.

Ingredients

  • 400g red berries
  • 350 ml water
  • 50g potato flour
  • 80g granulated sugar (less if your fruit is very ripe and sweet)

Method

  • If necessary, remove any stalks and such from the fruit.
  • Place the fruit in a saucepan and add the water.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the fruit has fallen apart.
  • Use a stick blender to turn the liquid into a purée if necessary.
  • You can sieve the liquid – optional.
  • Add the sugar and bring to the boil then take it off the heat.
  • Mix the potato flour with 3 tablespoons of cold water to get a paste.
  • Add the cornflour to the fruit mixture.
  • Heat gently, stirring all the time until the mixture thickens.
  • Pour into individual serving glasses or into a large serving bowl.
  • The kisiel looks best in a glass dish.
  • Chill before serving.

Kartacze or Kołduny

  • Kartacze, sometimes called kołduny , are potato dumplings, stuffed with meat and then boiled.
  • They are very similar to pyzy  but they are a different shape – long rolls rather than round balls.
  • Traditionally they are served with some skwarki – crispy smoked bacon bits or slightly charred onions, a mixture of the two or just melted butter poured over them.
  • There are many recipes, some made with raw potato, others with boiled or steamed potatoes and some using a mixture of the two.
  • I have found that using a 50:50 mixture of  fine grated raw potatoes and boiled potatoes gives the best results.
  • You will need some flour, which can be wheat flour, potato flour or a mixture of the two (I prefer just wheat).
  • You also need eggs or egg yolks – around 1 egg to 1 kilo of potatoes.
  • For the filling you needs some cooked meat such as from a klops – meat loaf, cooked kotlety (meat balls/burgers) or meat filling for pierogi.

Ingredients

  • 750g of raw potatoes
  • 750g of cold boiled potatoes
  • 1 egg and 1 yolk
  • 1-2 tablespoons of plain flour  & extra for dusting
  • Salt

Method

  • Grate the raw potatoes using a fine grater.
  • Place the potatoes on a clean tea cloth.
  • Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  • Mash or use a ricer to get the boiled potatoes smooth and lump free.
  • Mix the two sorts of potato together in a large bowl.
  • Add the egg and the yolk and mix together.
  • Add enough flour to make a stiff dough.
  • Add some salt.

Ingredients – Filling

  • 250g of cooked and then minced or finely chopped meat(usually pork)
    such as from:
    • Klops – meat loaf
    • Cooked minced kotlety (meat balls/burgers)
    • Meat filling for pierogi.
  • Half a grated onion
  • 25g of melted butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons of dried breadcrumbs – bułka tarta
  • Salt & pepper

Method – Filling

  • Mix all the ingredients together to make a stiff filling.
  • Season to taste.

Making the kartacze

  • You are aiming for  a thick roll.
  • Take a small handful of the mixture and shape it into a flat oval.
  • Place this onto a floured board.
  • Add a tablespoon amount of the meat filling.
  • Bring the potato mixture around the filling and with floured hands shape into a roll.
  • Seal up the short ends with the potato dough.
  • Repeat this with the rest of the potato mixture and meat filling mixture.
  • Have ready a large pan of boiling water to which you have added some salt and a bit of sunflower oil..
  • Place around 4 kartacze at a time into the hot water.
  • Let them rise to the top then simmer for 8 – 9  minutes –  not too long as they will start to disintegrate.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a colander over a pan.
  • *
  • Place into a warm serving dish and top with skwarki – crispy smoked bacon bits, slightly charred onions, a mixture of the two or just melted butter.
  • Keep the dish warm and continue adding to the kartacze in the dish as they cook.
  • The fat in the topping stops them sticking together.
  • Royal Doulton Carnation – 1982-1998

Łazanki with Fresh Cabbage

  • I came across a photograph of a dish of  łazanki  with fresh cabbage and decided to have a look at recipes for this.
  • I read that this is a dish very popular in Eastern Poland – strangely enough my mother never made this!
  • Łazanki are a type of Polish pasta often made with buckwheat with the dough being rolled thin and then cut into triangles or rectangles.
  • When the Italian Princess Bona Sforza married the Polish King, Zygmunt I Stary (Zygmunt the Old) in the 16th century, she brought with her many Italian chefs.
  • Łazanki are thought to have originated from that time.
  • The name łazanki comes from the Italian for large flat rectangles of pasta – lasagna(singular) lasagne(plural) – the –ki ending indicates a diminutive in Polish – so these are small and rectangular.
  • I tried out a recipe for wheat łazanki with spelt flour- they were so-so – I bet my babcia (grandmother) made much better ones!
  • I could try using my pierogi dough recipe with wheat flour next time.
  • I tried out a dough for buckwheat łazanki – this was quite reasonable – I might make these again.
  • *
  • Many people now just use ready bought flat pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle.
  • Break up the dry pasta or snip it up at the end.
  • Boil the pasta as per the instructions – do not over cook it.

Ingredients

  • 250g flat pasta (such as tagliatelle) (broken up)
  • ½ head  white or sweetheart cabbage – shredded
  • 1 onion – diced
  • 250g Polish kiełbasa (sausage) or smoked bacon – chopped
  • Butter
  • Salt & pepper to taste.

Method

  • Cook the pasta as per the instructions.
  • Steam the cabbage.
  • Fry the onion in quite a bit of butter until soft and golden.
  • Add the Polish kiełbasa (sausage) or smoked bacon.
  • Fry gently.
  • Add the steamed cabbage and stir well.
  • Add the mixture to the drained pasta.
  • Mix well together.
  • Season to taste.

Spelt flour
Buckwheat flour

If I have to choose I would say I prefer the dish with bacon.

With Polish Sausage
With Polish Sausage
With Bacon
With Bacon

Beetroots & Apples

This is a delicious way of serving beetroot warm with a roast dinner.

Ingredients

  • 500g boiled or roast beetroots
  • 2-3 cooking apples
  • 60g of butter
  • Juice and grated rind of a lemon
  • 2-3 tablespoons of creamed horseradish sauce
  • 125ml of soured cream
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

  • Grate the beetroots using a medium grater.
  • Peel and core the apples and grate using a medium grater.
  • Mix the beetroot and apple together.
  • Mix in the lemon rind and juice.

  • Melt the butter in a large shallow frying pan.
  • Gently cook the mixture in the butter stirring often.
  • Cook for around 5-10 minutes.
  • Take of the heat.
  • Add the horseradish sauce and the soured cream.
  • Mix well together.
  • Season to taste and serve immediately.

Serve in Royal Doulton – Carnation – 1982 – 1998.

Note

Should you have any left you can serve it cold with cold meats.