Roasted Squash and Garlic Soup

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Roasted vegetables are simply so much more flavorful than those cooked using other methods.

Sweet potatoes can be used instead of yellow potatoes, and other gourds can be used as well. Find the combination that you like!
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Sautéed Balsamic Honey Rosemary Mushrooms

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You can’t have too many mushroom recipes. So here’s another one.

Ingredients

  • 24 oz. cremini / baby bells mushrooms
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1.5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp. honey
  • 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (thyme could be used instead)
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. oil (vegetable or olive)
  • 1/2 tsp. butter
  • chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
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Zucchini Spread

zuc2Zucchini is an underestimated vegetable (well, technically, an underestimated fruit). Just look at how beautiful these zucchinis are!

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Pickled Herring on Rye Toast

Well shoot, I’ll say it—I love pickled herring! Pickled herring, śledzie in Polish, are popular throughout the entire Baltic region. There are even a few bars in Kraków dedicated to herring and vodka (oh yes, I went…listen man, to each his own). Continue reading

Cottage Cheese with Herbs

This is just about the fastest thing you can whip together and is perfect on a toasted piece of rye bread!

It was one of my favorite after school treats…but I was a bit of an odd one, so no promises that any other children will appreciate this.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 scallion finely, finely chopped (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1 small handful fresh dill, chopped (about 2 tbsp)
  • 2 pinches onion powder
  • 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 pinches salt
  • toasted bread of choice

Directions:

In a bowl, add cottage cheese, scallions, dill, onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix until evenly distributed.

Toast bread and spread a thin layer of cottage cheese mix on bread.

Eat and enjoy!

Onion Pastry with Poppy Seeds (Cebularze)

Living in New York, you come across bialys in many supermarkets. Now, as you may know, bialys are essentially baked flat bagels with an onion center, and they originate in Białystok, Poland (hence the name). Many of these bialys have about 2 pieces of onion on them, which is a bit disappointing.

There is a similar regional pastry from Lublin called lubelskie cebularze, or onion pastries from Lublin. These have a slightly more yeasty and airy dough, and are topped with onion and poppy seeds. This recipe is more similar to that of lubelskie cebularze, however, there are discussions on the internet as to whether truly traditional cebularze would contain egg and butter. It seems as though the answer is no, and this recipe contains both, so there are probably more traditional recipes out there.

Additionally, there are different approaches to preparing the onions. One approach calls for mixing raw onions with salt, poppy seeds and oil and letting the mixture sit for a while so the salt softens the onions. Another approach calls for boiling the chopped onions for about 2 minutes and then combining with the other ingredients. Finally, you can cook the chopped onion on a pan for a few minutes with oil and then add the poppy seeds. I like sauteing on the pan because I like the way it sweetens the onions. Whatever approach you choose, the mix of onion, poppy seeds, and dough will be great combination. 😀

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Ground Meat Patties (Kotlety Mielone)

img_4486Kotlety mielone, or ground meat patties, are a home cooking classic. These are easy to make and are great as left overs so you can make a few days worth of dinner at once woooo! You can also use any kind of ground meat you like, just make sure you get the best quality meat you can find. 

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Beet Soup (Barszcz [w/o meat])

Before we get to the recipe, there are some things about borscht that I must explain!  The thing is, there are many varieties! Continue reading

Stuffed Cabbage (Gołąbki)

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Gołąbki, golubtsi, Polish burritos…stuffed cabbage. From Poland to Ukraine to Turkey all the way to Azerbaijan, stuffed cabbage occupies a spot in top 10 comfort food lists of countless cuisines. Continue reading