Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, which is a 40 day period of fasting, reflection, repentance and prayer . On Ash Wednesday you go to church and the priest sprinkle your head with ash and says: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. This is to remember, that our mortal life should not be of our biggest concern. What we really need to take care of is our eternal life.
Continue reading “Ash Wednesday/ Środa Popielcowa”Sauerkraut salad/ Kapusta kiszona
Sauerkraut salad is a great immune support during autumn and winter, is a source of vitamins and probiotics. It makes good job for your intestines and your skin condition. You can eat it when you are on diet or just want to stay healthy.
Remember to buy sauerkraut from trusted seller, as it can be cheated and added vinegar instead of traditional longer procedure of fermentation.
Smoked Mackerel Bread Spread
Mackerel is a taste of my childhood. During communism in Poland there was a shortage of food and almost no choice in stores. Now there is a whole variety of fish species to choose from, but mackerel is still the most popular smoked fish in Poland. My Grandma used to prepare Smoked Mackerel Bread Spread for us on Fridays, because we didn’t eat meat then.
If you like mackerel, try another bread spread: Homemade Paprykarz Szczeciński.
Polish pancakes/ Naleśniki
Polish pancakes is my children’s’ top choice for supper. They like it served with maple syrup or simply with sugar powder. It is 15 minutes to have it on a plate. Try!
I like spelt flour, as it is less modified compared to usual wheat flour. We don’t use flour so much, so I prefer to spend more on a good quality product for my children, without home budget crisis;)
I also like ‘Krupczatka’ flour which is a wheat flour not so much grounded.
Fat Thursday in Poland/ Tłusty czwartek
Fat Thursday is traditionally the last Thursday before Lent. You can eat sweets and specially lots of polish doughnuts that day, because in few days carnival is over! For Catholics Lent is a period of 40 days of abstinence in expectancy to Easter.
Krupnik – chicken soup with barley
There is just few steps from chicken soup to Krupnik. If you are cooking broth – you can change your mind almost anytime, add barley and potatoes and here it is- Krupnik – chicken soup with barley:). It is ‘all in one’ kind of soup, nutritious and healthy. If you add millet instead of barley – it would be great for colds, as millet is helping to dry the flegme;)
Polish broth – Rosół
What about a rich broth for Sunday dinner? Polish broth – Rosół is the most popular choice in Polish families:)
We buy chicken wings and vegetables on the local market. My husband is a Rosół specialist, my children say he cooks the best broth ever:)
As a kid I hated rosół, probably because my Grandma was making it too greasy and was pouring all the best, as she thought, into my plate. I choose meat carefully, not to be too greasy:)
For more Polish soups, check: http://cookinpolish.com/category/recipes/soups/.
Polish Potato Pancakes
Placki ziemniaczane
Polish cuisine is full of potatoes dishes. It is a cheap vegetable and can be easily stored during winter. In old times it was a poor food, easy to grow, easy to cook and easy to fill the stomach.The old Polish cook book gives a simple recipe for potato pancakes. They are a bit like American hash browns. Try Polish Potato Pancakes and decide which one of them you prefer:)
If you are too lazy to stand in kitchen at the frying pan for several minutes, you may like potato pie, traditional regional meal in Podlasie- a region in north – eastern Poland. Check here for recipe: Polish Potato Pie.
Polish Sour Soup Żurek
Polish Żurek is a soup traditionally prepared for Easter. In some Polish families White Borsch is cooked instead of Żurek, the difference is Kvas/ sourdough that is used. For Żurek- rye sourdough, for Borsch – wheat sour starter.
If you plan to cook traditional Polish Sour Soup Żurek, you need a rye sourdough. You can buy one in Polish store or – I encourage you to- make one at home. It takes few days for the fermentation to make it job, so few days before making Żurek, follow these instructions: http://cookinpolish.com/sourdough-for-sour-soup-zakwas-na-zurek/.
Sourdough/Kvas for sour soup/ Zakwas
Sourdough is a basic ingredient of Żurek, traditional Polish soup, prepared for Easter. It can be also called: kvas or sour starter, and is made by fermenting rye (for Żurek) or wheat (for White Borsch) flour. The process is easy, although you need few days to have your own homemade sour starter.
There is a whole variety kinds of sourdough, that you can prepare and use for soups, it depends on the flour you use. I prefer oatmeal one, because you can get very fresh flour on the spot- all you need to do is to grind oatmeal in an old coffee mill:) If you plan to make 100% traditional Żurek, use rye flour and follow the instructions below.
Uszka for Borscht
Small Dumplings with Sauerkraut and Wild Mushrooms
Uszka for Borscht are perfect for Christmas Eve to be served with beets borscht.
If you want to cook borscht with dumplings you need to plan it in advance, check it here: http://cookinpolish.com/beetroot-borscht/.
Beets Borscht with Uszka
Barszcz z uszkami
Beets Borscht with Uszka is traditionally prepared for Christmas Eve in many Polish homes. As the opposite to borscht sometimes forest mushrooms soup is prepared, but not in my family house- we love beets borscht:)
One important ingredient of Borscht is a beets kvas/ sourdough which you need to prepare few days before. How to prepare a sourdough you can check here: http://cookinpolish.com/beet-sourdough/.
These amounts of ingredients are set for a big family and there will be enough of Borscht for Christmas Eve and the Christmas as well:)
For Christmas Eve we usually have Beets Borscht with Uszka, while for other occasions we have it for example with Sauerkraut and Wild Mushrooms Buns.
Polish Breaded Pork Cutlets Schabowe
Kotlety schabowe
Last weekend me and my husband Robert decided to prepare a full 2 course meal for our family of 4. Traditional and standard;) Polish dinner on Sunday is a rich broth and Kotlety schabowe: Polish breaded pork cutlets. They can be compared to Austrian Wiener Schnitzel, but does not have to be prepared from veal.
We went to the local market where you can get vegetables and meat directly from farmers.
I prepared pork chops, Robert prepared rosół – rich chicken broth- check it here: http://cookinpolish.com/polish-broth-chicken-soup/
Kvas/ Sourdough for Borscht
Zakwas na Barszcz
If you plan to cook natural, healthy and delicious Polish beets Borscht, for example for Polish traditional Christmas Eve, you need to prepare beets kvas/ sourdough for borscht few days before. Kvas is actually a water from fermented beets.
From this amounts of ingredients you will get about 2 portions od kvas to borscht. I usually prepare more sourdough. One portion I use for Borscht and the rest I refrigerate and drink everyday half a cup of it. I love this taste, it is also very healthy drink. When you drink kvas, you get vitamins, minerals and probiotics. It’s so good to your immune.
“Russian” dumplings/ Pierogi ruskie
Dumplings are cooked in many East and Central European countries, maybe this is about being Slovian, maybe they are just so tasty and we know how to prepare them:)
