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!
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 (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). I have a problem with many of these 2017 “bialys” because most of them barely have any onion ARGHHH! There is a similar regional pastry from Lublin called lubelskie cebularze. 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 but differs in that the onions are caramelized before they top the dough and are baked. Anyway, if you like bialys, you will probably like this recipe. These buns have A LOT of onion toppings, but you can tone it down with less…I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ground Meat Patties (Kotlety Mielone)
Kotlety 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.
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
Apple Pancakes (Placki z Jabłkami)
Carbs + apples = this Polish childhood classic. Continue reading
Stuffed Cabbage (Gołąbki)
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
Shredded Beet Salad
This might not be shocking to hear, but beets show up quite a bit in Slavic cooking. Most famously, they are the star ingredient of various borscht/barszcz recipes accoss the region, and ćwikła, a grated beet and horseradish condiment that is almost always served on Easter and many Passover meals. Continue reading
Carrot Soup
This carrot soup is really more of a broth, and is meant to be served with dumplings or noodles. Continue reading
Wigilia (Polish Christmas Eve Celebrations)
For days in advance, Poles prepare the traditional foods that will be enjoyed during Wigilia, or Christmas Eve supper. Hours are spent rolling, chopping, and baking until homes are filled with aromas that evoke long cherished memories. With traditions that survived centuries of war, partitions and decades of communism, Wigilia is truly special. My mother swears that no matter she does in the kitchen now, the food just doesn’t quite taste the same as she remembers in Poland…I’m sure that’s nostalgia at work. Continue reading
