Category Archives: Recipes

Poppy Seed Pastries

Posted on by

Before I go into the recipe, I just wanted to say that I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and listening to guidance from their respective health officials!!! These days, hand sanitizer is worth its weight in gold, and I don’t think anyone has seen yeast on a grocery store shelf in weeks (why has that been such a hot ticket item along with TP)?

That means there’s 0 chance of makowiec for for Easter this year, as the dough requires yeast. Makowiec is a traditional Polish poppy seed roll cake that is served on holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Poppy seeds are admittedly always hard to find in regular grocery stores, but I had a bag in the back of my kitchen cabinet that I picked up at a Russian store…you’ll find the most luck in any Polish or Russian or other eastern European deli/shop. I also had a package of puff pastry in my freezer. So, with no yeast available in the greater metro area, I decided to make poppy seed puff pastries for Easter this year instead of makowiec. They aren’t the real thing, but they have a lot of the familiar flavors and are faster to put together.

DO NOT EAT THESE (OR MAKOWIEC) IF YOU ARE EXPECTING A DRUG TEST ANYTIME SOON. These desserts use a lot of poppy seeds, and I’m just sayin’ you might test positive for opiates. Yes, it can happen. Continue reading →

“Use Everything” Beet Root n’ Greens Salad

Posted on by

While there is more to Polish food than beets, I would like to feature just one more recipe that stars these ruby roots.

Do you know how much food Americans waste every year??? No, I won’t tell you, because it’ll be too upsetting. But it’s a lot. And we have a tendency to get rid of perfectly edible parts of produce all the time (green part of leeks, broccoli stems, etc.) that just need a little love, and usually garlic. Continue reading →

Baked White Beans with Tomato Sauce (Fasola Pieczona)

Posted on by

Well hello! It’s been a while. But I’m back with an easy and filling recipe that is kind of a cross between Breton Beans (Fasolka po Bretonsku), which are very popular in Poland, and Greek Gigantes.

You can basically turn these into Breton Beans if you add kielbasa or boczek before baking. These are plenty flavorful without meat. Continue reading →

Roasted Carrots

Posted on by

Carrots deserve so much more love than they usually get. With the right seasoning, these budget-friendly vegetables make a great side. Organic carrots truly do taste better, and at approximately $0.89 per lb, it is definitely worth it. If you find them with leaves, you can leave some of the green on, don’t be scared!!! Continue reading →

Pierogi with Potato and Cheese (Ruskie Pierogi)

Posted on by

Pierogi1

Pierogi are addicting.

The most common fillings are potato and cheese, ground meat, and sauerkraut and mushroom. Sweet cheese, berries, and sour cherries are also popular.

They can be served boiled or fried, almost always have a side of sour cream, and the savory versions are usually topped with diced caramelized onions.

This is a recipe for potato and cheese, aka ruskie pierogi. Continue reading →

Pan Fried Cauliflower with Farmer’s Cheese Dipping Sauce

Posted on by

cauliflower

Ingredients

Cauliflower:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Hungarian paprika

Farmer’s Cheese Dipping Sauce:

  • 4 tbsp. sour cream
  • 4 tbsp. farmer’s cheese (twaróg)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp. fresh chopped dill

Continue reading →

Green Beans Polonaise (Fasolka Szparagowa z Bułką Tartą)

Posted on by

gb1Polonaise is the French word for Polish. It refers to a traditional dance, music played in the rhythm of a polonaise (including Chopin’s masterpiece (Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 [Polonaise héroïque]), and dishes garnished with breadcrumbs! Coincidentally, it takes about as long as that video to make this dish, bringing me to proclaim it as the soundtrack to cooking green beans polonaise!

I always have Italian breadcrumbs on hand, which usually have some seasoning and dried parsley. I find that they work best for this. Continue reading →

Polish Red Cabbage (Kapusta Czerwona Zasmażana)

Posted on by

ckap1

I know people in the US associate Polish cuisine with a lot of meat, and don’t get me wrong, the Poles make great kiełbasa and roasts BUT there are A LOT more vegetable dishes than people realize. There is a wide variety of raw starter salads (surówki) and vegetable side dishes, including this one. Culinary stereotypes be damned.

Hey, cabbage is also apparently very good for you, so eat it!

Continue reading →

Homemade Chicken Stock

Posted on by

Hey, this ingredient list looks familiar! Yep, because it’s the exact same as the homemade vegetable stock, just with chicken and thyme. The chicken from this stock tastes good, so don’t you dare discard the meat at the end! This stock will be a great base for almost any soup. Continue reading →

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Posted on by

stock1

IMG_6720

  IMG_6811

 

 

Homemade stock will make your home smell incredible. This is the one we made in Poland, where we had all of these ingredients growing out back.
Continue reading →