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Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

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Homemade Barszcz & Krokiety

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If you enjoy these recipes for homemade Barszcz and Krokiety, how about sharing the love and passing this post along to your friends? 

Barszcz and Krokiety, Polish comfort food for a winter day!

Barszcz

Traditional Barszcz is a popular soup throughout Central and Eastern Europe. This winter soup which is rumored to have healing properties is spicy and tart. Not spicy as in heat, but lots of garlic. The tartness comes, in this case, from lemon juice and offsets the natural sweetness of the beets.

I’ve found the flavors are even better after a day or two. It makes great sipping in the evening. The original recipe calls for meaty soup bones. My market didn’t have any, so I bought some very meaty beef short ribs.

Barszcz and Krokiety, Polish comfort food for a winter day

All the wonderful ingredients go into a pan. After a good long simmer, everything is strained out and the broth is served.

Barszcz

Krokiety

I’ve made this combination, of homemade barszcz and krokiety, twice. The first time, I made proper herbed crepes, what the Polish would call pancakes, and used the meat from the ribs to make krokiety or croquettes, a common side to accompany barszcz. The meat was mixed with sauerkraut, onion, and mushroom – all finely diced, and bound it together with a cup of bechamel sauce. This filing went into herb crepes; the rolled up little bundles were browned in oil. On Christmas, Eve krokiety will not include meat.

The second time I made this, I was no longer a lady of leisure. I’m now working 40+ hours a week, and as much as I enjoy cooking, I do try to minimize the time I spend on my feet. This time I tried a shortcut  that worked out very well.

I bought a package of egg roll wrappers and used them inplace of the crepes. The filling also included half a cup of diced sauerkraut and enough bechamel sauce ( I made half of this recipe and had a bit to spare.) to bind everything together. The Polish style egg rolls were dipped in beaten egg and then bread crumbs before frying.

This made about 35 egg roll croquettes. They’re delicious with Barszcz or maybe with a mushroom gravy over the top.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Barszcz

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 mins
  • Yield: Approx 8 servings
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A tart and spicy winter soup to warm the soul!

Ingredients

  • 4 large or 6 small beets, peeled and halved
  • 1 pound meaty beef bones
  • 1 medium carrot, trimmed and peeled
  • 1 medium parsnip, trimmed and peeled
  • 1 large onion, peeled and halved
  • 1 leek, white and green parts, trimmed, halved lengthwise and rinsed
  • 1 long celery stalk
  • 3-4 dried mushrooms
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large pinch of dried marjoram
  • 6 peppercorns
  • About 12 cups odF water, depends on the size of your pot
  • Juice of 1 lemon, or about 4 tablespoons
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Add the beets, beef bones, carrot, parsnip, onion, leek, celery, mushrooms, garlic, bay leaf, marjoram, and peppercorns to a Dutch oven or stock pot
  2. Add enough water to the pot to cover the ingredients
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about two hours
  4. Skim off foam as it appears
  5. Strain the soup through a colander
  6. If it tastes watery, cook it down a bit to concentrate the favors
  7. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper, it should taste garlicky and tart
  8. Serve the clear, hot soup in bowls or cups for sipping

 

 

Flaki Polish Tripe Soup — a Hangover Cure!

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Many countries serve tripe and consider it to be hangover cure. Flaki Polish Tripe Soup certainly has that reputation, as does Menudo, the Mexican version popular in Arizona. Do you have a pot on the stove today? Just in case someone needs it?

 

Flaki Polish Tripe Soup

My experience with tripe, the stomach from cows or other barnyard animals is very limited. Ed and I did split a bowl of Flaki in the Poznan airport one day, and now I’ve made my own a mix of the two recipes on Ogla Smile and Mniam Mniam. Everything I’ve read says that honeycomb tripe is the best, from the cow’s second stomach; it’s relatively tender and mild in flavor.

Flaki Polish Tripe Soup

Are we fans of Flaki? The soup has a nice flavor, but I can’t say that I’d seek it out again. I’m just not a fan of tripe’s texture, but if you are, this is a soup you’ll love. Great flavor and the health benefits. Tripe is a good source of selenium and vitamin B-12, but like other organ meats, it’s high in cholesterol.

Flaki Polish Tripe Soup or something else to cure a hangover, I’ll leave that up to you. 😉

Smacznego!

Lois

 

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Flaki Polish Tripe Soup a Hangover Cure!

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 - 10 servings
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A hearty soup made with honeycomb tripe, a traditional hangover cure

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds of honeycomb tripe
  • 2 pounds beef soup bones
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 10 whole allspice
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon hot paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. The tripe I purchased was perfectly clean, but if yours needs cleaning, use salt to give it a good scrubbing, then rinse
  2. Put the tripe into a Dutch oven and cover with water, simmer until tender (about 3 hours)
  3. Drain, discarding liquid and thinly slice the tripe into thin strips
  4. Return to Dutch oven and add remaining ingredients, cover with water
  5. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour
  6. Remove soup bones picking off any meat and add the meat to the soup

 

Befszyk Tatarski (Steak Tartare)

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Befszyk Tatarski (Steak Tartare) is popular in Poland, so much so that you can buy commercially prepared packets for ground beef for tatar. It’s something I hadn’t eaten until I moved to Poland. We enjoyed it in restaurants and our friend Bill made Befszyk Tatarski for us when we dined at his home. We had a fabulous batch when we vacationed in the Czech town of Pilsen with our youngest daughter. We were eating a steak house near our hotel, and they had a special platter for tartar, with a little compartments for the many add-ins that accompany the ground beef, and diners mix it up themselves.

Polish Befszyk Tatarski

The history of Befszyk Tatarski or Steak Tartare, of course, has a couple of interesting stories. The tale with the most Polish roots says that the dish is named after the Tatars (Mongols) nomadic horsemen who often raided Poland, but in 1410 sided with the Polish at the Battle of Grunwald. Legend has it that the Tatars would place raw meat under their saddle to tenderize it, and later slice it up to eat raw because they had no time to stop and cook their meat.

The second version has the dish originating in France about 1900. It didn’t really catch on until the 1950s. Beefsteack à l’Américaine as it was called originally became Beefsteack à la Tartare, for the tartar sauce that was served with the raw beef. Whatever the story, Tatar will bring out strong reactions.

Our usually adventurous gastronome friends, were put off to find out what wasn’t cooking at our house the night we made Tatar. Only one friend, a big fan of anchovies, has had a positive reaction. So choose your dinner guests carefully.

Recipes for Tatar vary of lot, so your might be different than mine and still be authentic and wonderful. The key ingredients are ground or finely diced beef tenderloin (filet mignon), egg yolk (if you don’t eat raw cookie dough, you may want to find pasteurized eggs), salt, pepper, something pickled (pickles, capers, or both), something onion-y (red onion- better raw, shallots, green onion, leek, chives), maybe mushrooms. It might be served with bread or alongside fried potatoes or salad.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Polish Befszyk Tatarski

Befszyk Tatarski (Steak Tartare)

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: serves 4
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Easily doubled for larger portions or more servings

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces very fresh, high quality Filet Mignon
  • 1 egg yolk

all of the following are suggestions, season to taste:

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon diced flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon finely diced shallot
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 anchovies
  • 2 tablespoon finely diced dill pickle
  • 2 tablespoon finely diced red onion
  • 2 teaspoons Worcester sauce

Instructions

  1. Place the serving plate in the freezer to chill
  2. Grind of finely dice the beef
  3. Combine all of the ingredients and serve on the chilled platter with toasted bread
  4. Or plate the ingredients and mix table-side

 

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Gołąbki

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Revisiting one of my first posts for Stuffed Cabbage Leaves, Golabki in Polish. These little bundles of ground beef and rice, wrapped in cabbage and topped in a rich tomato sauce are named after pigeons!

My first exposure to this dish was with Ed’s family. Their part of Pennsylvania is an ethnic and culinary mosaic, as in all of Europe comes to the New World. When my mother and her sister would cook a big meal for our combined families in Arizona, they would have made a big pan of enchiladas. For my PA in-laws, it would be a roaster full of stuffed cabbage.

 

IMG_2919

I fixed this for Ed and one of his colleagues as they prepared to make the initial trip to Poland. We talked with excitement about the travel arrangements, what it might be like, the plans for apartment hunting. We had pierogi with the stuffed cabbage. I’m embarrassed to say the pierogi were frozen; I had yet to make my first pierogi back then. Things have changed!

Novice that I was at the time with Polish cuisine, I still stand by this recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Leaves. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Smacznego!

Lois
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cookbook

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Stuffed cabbage leaves

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Gołąbki

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 90 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins
  • Yield: serves 8
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A Polish favorite, meat and rice filling in cabbage with tomato sauce

Ingredients

  • 2/3 c. white rice
  • 2 heads green cabbage
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 c. chopped onion
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/4 t. pepper
  • 8 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
  • 2 16-oz. cans tomatoes
  • 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. Cook rice according to package directions, cool
  2. Remove core from cabbage; run hot water into cored area to help in removing outer leaves
  3. Remove 8 – 12 leaves from each head of cabbage, chop remaining cabbage and place in two baking dishes (or a large dutch oven), sprinkle with salt
  4. Boil cabbage leaves until limp, about 5 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water
  5. Cut about 2 inches of the heavy center vein from the leaves
  6. Cook bacon with 1/2 c. onion till bacon is crisp
  7. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, and bay leaf, simmer, covered, while preparing the rest of the dish, remove bay leaves before adding to dish
  8. Combine cooked rice, egg, ground beef, the remaining 1/2 c. onion, 1 t. salt, and pepper; mix well
  9. Place about 1/4 c. rice mixture in center of each cabbage leaf; fold in sides and roll ends over rice
  10. Place rolls, seam side down, on top of chopped cabbage
  11. Pour tomato mixture over cabbage rolls
  12. Cover; bake at 350 degrees from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours
  13. Freezes well

 

 

Black and Tan Braised Beef Short Ribs

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For the most tender, falling off the bone meat, start these Black and Tan braised beef short ribs a day in advance or very early in the day.
Black and Tan braised beef short ribs

I started cooking the short ribs on Wednesday night, in honor of the Top Chef DC finale, but didn’t actually eat them until Friday.  They’re braised in Guinness Stout and Bass Ale and served atop polenta and kale (I’ll post these recipes soon).  The whole stack is garnished with strips of fried parsnip.

I can’t take credit for this combination; this is my version of the fabulous main course served at a recent Primavera Cooks! meal at Lodge on the Desert.   Under the guidance of Executive Chef Ryan Clark, this is the plate prepared by the Apprentice Chefs.

I don’t recall ever cooking short ribs before, and I didn’t time this meal to coincidence with a weekly special on ribs.  Paying full price, I was surprised to see that they run over $5 per pound, about the same price as sirloin.  Next time, I watch for a sale.

I sat next to a charming, retired couple at the Primavera dinner.  They’ve both volunteered with the organization for 15 years, and I learned more about the good works at Primavera from them. The gentleman had been a pathologist.  His wife mentioned that they had eaten a lot of short ribs when he was in medical school, because at that time, they were only 29 cents a pound.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Black and Tan short ribs

Black and Tan Braised Beef Short Ribs

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: serves 6
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Irish
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Description

A hearty, chef-inspired winter dish

Ingredients

  • 6 beef short ribs
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 carrots, sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 bottle Guinness Stout
  • 1 bottle Bass Ale
  • beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Dry ribs with paper towels, season with salt and pepper
  3. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat, brown ribs on all sides
  4. Remove ribs and add carrots and onion to pan, cook, stirring, until lightly browned
  5. Add just a little of one of the beers to deglaze the pan, scrapping up the browned bits
  6. Place ribs on top of vegetables, and add equal parts of the beers until the liquid covers the bottom third of the meat
  7. Bring to a simmer, cover, place in the oven
  8. Bake 3 to 4 hours, basting two or three times every hour
  9. Add stout and ale, as needed to keep the liquid level constant, when the beer bottles are empty, use beef broth to add to the liquid
  10. After 3 to 4 hours, allow the pan to cool, remove the ribs, refrigerate in a covered container, do the same with the carrots, you might serve these on the side or reserve for another use. (The onions seem to have disintegrated and were nowhere to be found)
  11. Refrigerate the broth
  12. The next day, or after the fat has solidified on top of the broth, remove and discard the fat. Return the now gelatinous broth to the Dutch with the ribs
  13. Heat, adding broth until you have enough liquid to over the bottom third of the meat, simmer another two hours, either on the stove top or in the oven
  14. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water (about 1/2 cup) and add to the broth, continue simmer for about 5 minutes, until the broth thickens
  15. Serve with polenta and greens

 

Goulash

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I love to have a big pot or bowl of something in the fridge to get us through the week – a dinner or lunch that’s ready to go without any last minute work.  It might be a hearty pasta salad or casserole.  This week it’s been Goulash.  My cookbook identifies the recipe as Hungarian, but my husband tells me he’s eaten goulash in Poland too, however, in Poland, it is a soup and not served with noodles. PS –  Coincidentally, this recipe and my package of noodles were both 6 servings.  After this photo was taken, they and the asparagus were packed up into 6 storage containers and into the fridge.  Two minutes in the microwave, and our meal is ready.  Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cook Book Ingredients 2 lb. beef stew meat kosher salt 3 T. canola oil 14 oz. beef broth 1 c. onion, chopped 2 bell peppers, cut into thin strips 2 T. tomato paste 2 T. paprika 1/4 t. black pepper 1/3 c. cold water 3 T. flour 1/4 c. dry red wine, optional noodles, cooked according to directions

Directions Sprinkle beef with salt.  In a large saucepan, brown beef cubes in hot oil; add broth, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, paprika and black pepper.  In a small bowl, blend cold water slowly into flour.  Stir into beef mixture.  Add wine, if using it.  Simmer, covered, till meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.  Stir occasionally.  Serve over noodles. Serves 6 Note:  check out my Polish Pork Goulash

Picadillo Cubano

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We were stationed at MacDill AFB (Tampa, Florida) three times.  During our last stay, our household included two toddlers.  We didn’t eat out much in those days, but we did find a nearby Cuban restaurant that was great for take-out.  I always got the Picadillo with black beans and white rice.  Since I stirred it all up together, I include black beans as part of my picadillo when I make it at home.  It’s a wonderful savory dish, and I love the flecks of red and green color.

Cuban Piccadillo with Black Beans

The restaurant always included a side of fried plantains if you’re trying to think of something to accompany this dish.  I think it’s a perfect complete meal as it is.

I recently made a double batch of picadillo, thinking we’d have some for one or two meals and I took the rest to the office for a welcome lunch with a new colleague. This was a big hit. I don’t want to tell tales, but some may have gone back for seconds. . . or thirds.

Spicy Cuban Picadillo with Black Beans and Rice

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Cuban Picadillo with Black Beans

Picadillo Cubano

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 90 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins
  • Yield: serves 6 - 8
  • Category: Stew
  • Cuisine: Cuban
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Description

Full of flavor and easy to prepare!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 small – medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-15 ounce cans black beans, including liquid (3 cups cooked beans)
  • 2.25 ounce can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1/2 cup sliced green olives (with or without pimento), drained
  • 4 ounce jar diced pimento
  • 1/2 cup diced tomato, including liquid
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cubes beef bouillon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 3 cups prepared rice

Instructions

  1. Season meat and brown in dutch oven over medium-high heat; drain if necessary. (I’m going kind of light on the salt because so many other ingredients are salty.)
  2. Add onions; saute until translucent
  3. Add garlic, beans, olives, pimento, tomato, beef broth & bay leaf
  4. Simmer, covered, over low heat for at least one hour; remove bay leaf
  5. Stir cornstarch into cold water until dissolved
  6. Add this liquid to meat mixture, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
  7. Serve over rice

Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew)

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Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

Earlier this month, as we were looking through the Polish section of one of my favorite cookbooks, my husband said that he thought the Bigos looked interesting. He’s quite the carnivore, so a hunter’s stew would be appealing. The cookbook said that in Poland, it was served after bear hunts and was made with bear or other game meat. (You’ll see that the ingredients have been adapted.) I served bigos last night as a “welcome home meal.” I was surprised at how good it was. I’m not a big meat eater, and I hadn’t really expected to enjoy it and was just fixing it to be nice. Don’t you just love it when thoughtfulness is rewarded? This is adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Heritage Cookbook.

Smacznego!

Lois

 

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Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 10 servings
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A hearty stew

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 pound boneless beef, cut in cubes (500 g)
  • 1/2 pound boneless pork, cut in cubes (500 g)
  • salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
  • 1/2 pound Polish sausage, sliced (500 g)
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 6-ounce can sliced mushrooms (170g)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (120 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 16-ounce cans sauerkraut, drained and snipped (1 Kg)
  • sour cream (optional)
  • parsley
  • noodles, cooked*

Instructions

  1. In a 5-quart Dutch over cook bacon and onion till bacon is cooked and onion is tender
  2. Drain, reserving 2 T. drippings
  3. Set onion and bacon aside
  4. Brown beef and pork in reserved drippings, (I know the bacon makes the drippings salty, but at this point, I still added salt, pepper, and garlic powder with the meat.)
  5. Stir in bacon-onion mixture, sausage, beef broth, undrained mushrooms, wine, paprika, and bay leaf
  6. Simmer till meat is tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours
  7. Stir in sauerkraut (besides draining, I also rinsed the kraut because that’s what my mother-in-law used to do when cooking with sauerkraut, you still get the tartness, but it’s not overpowering)
  8. Cook till heated through
  9. Remove the bay leaf
  10. Serve over noodles with a dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Notes

I like this over noodles, but it would be more traditional to eat Bigos over buckwheat kasha or by itself.