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Polish Housewife

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

Pork

Kotlet Schabowy (Polish Pork Cutlet)

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Kotlet Schabowy is similar to the well know Viennese Schnitzel except we’re using pork rather than veal. Poles use the same technique with chicken or turkey breast, pound the meat into thin steaks, dredge in flour, egg, and the breadcrumbs before frying. Use beef and you have something like the American chicken fried steak. Pounding the meat until it’s thin, tenderizes it and insures that it cooks quickly, giving you a moist piece of meat in a crispy coating.

Kotlet Schwabowy

During the first year Ed lived in Poland while I was still working in the US. When we talked via Skype, he often mentioned that someone downstairs seemed to have a carpentry shop in the flat. He would often come home and hear someone hammering away. He assumed they were making furniture. It wasn’t until I moved to Poland and began making Kotlet Schabowy, that he realized the pounding sound was probably coming from the neighbors’ kitchen, not a wood shop.

You can serve Kotlet Schabowy with Mizeria, sautéed mushrooms, or with potato salad, or mashed or boiled potatoes. Sometimes, I’ll make a gravy with sautéed red bell pepper slices, heavily seasoned with black pepper to serve over the top.

How every you serve it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Kotlet Schabowy.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Kotlet Schwabowy

Kotlet Schabowy (Polish Pork Cutlet)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Thin tenderized pork with a crispy coating

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless pork chops
  • salt and pepper
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup oil, more if needed

Instructions

  1. Place pork chops on a cutting board and pound them flat, about 1/4 inch thick (they’ll be twice as big after the pounding)
  2. Season the flattened chops with salt and pepper
  3. Set up three plates, put flour in the first, beaten eggs, in the second, and breadcrumbs in the third
  4. Dredge the first cutlet with flour, then dip both sides in egg, then bread crumbs
  5. Set aside and repeat with the three remaining cutlets
  6. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat
  7. Add cutlets to the pan without crowding, it may take more than one batch
  8. Cook about 5 minutes and then turn to cook the other side

Notes

Don’t toss dry, stale bread. Blitz it in the food processor to make your own breadcrumbs, or you can grate the dry bread for the same result.

 

 

 

Sausage in a Jar (Biała Kiełbasa w Słoikach)

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Many of our friends in Poznań grew up in rural villages and still have family on a farm. Specials occasions such as Easter or a wedding call for slaughtering a hog. We were often the reciepiants of homemade pate and sausages made for these celebrations. My favorite? White sausage in a jar (biała kiełbasa w słoikach)! It’s delicious paired with a good bread.
Sausage in a jar

Major Demel was one known to send us treats like sausages. When Ed told him that I especially liked his white sausage in a jar, that I would have a little bit everyday. Major Demel sent a warning, that I should be sure to have a little vodka with it to protect my liver!

When we weren’t the lucky reciepiants of white sausage in a jar, I could buy it on Saturday morings at Bio/Green (organic) market in Plac Bernardyński. There was an organic butcher that set up shop in a little refrigerated truck. He always had the longest line. Seriously, people would wait for 30 or 40 minutes to buy from this butcher. Thinking back, I don’t remember anyone cutting in front of us in line. Which makes this unique as queing up experiences go in Poland.

I’ve always wanted to find a recipe for white sausage in a jar (biała kiełbasa w słoikach), so that I’d be able to make it myself when we returned home. A search of the internet and I found several recipes to translate. As I read through the ingredients, I realized that the flavors are the same as smalec. You’ll find garlic, salt, marjoram, and pork. The sausage is just more meaty.

Sausage in a Jar

 

The cooking process described in Polish recipes calls for heating the sausage inside the jar three times. It is commonly accepted in Poland that after being cooked three times, that the sausage in a jar in shelf-stable and can be kept for months without refrigeration. The process is known as Tyndallization. Heating will kill bacteria, but not the spores. Leaving the jars at room temperature between heating allows the spores to germinate into bacterial cells which can be destroyed by a subsequent heating. I don’t know a lot about canning, but this doesn’t seem to match modern American thinking on the subject.

I will play it safe and refrigerate my sausage since I’m make a small amount and have room in the refrigerator. I probably shouldn’t worry. I’ve heard stories about my grandmother cooking sausage when they butchered a hog on the ranch. She would pack the cooked meat in a barrel and then pour melted lard over it to fill in any space and seal out any air. I suspect the barrel was kept in the root cellar for months. A long way from modern refrigeration. I faced a similar challenge when I made ajerkoniak. When putting bacteria up against grain alcohol, I trusted the Polish advice and left it in the cupboard.

I’m not sure what it is about this sausage that makes it different for me. Maybe it’s because it’s cooked very slowly, in a very moist environment. I realized one morning as a was warming up some of this sausage to serve with fried eggs for breakfast that it, in appearance anyway, resembled Spam. Spam, the nemmisis of every camping trip I took as a child. Don’t let that put you off. There’s something about using good cuts of meat and delicious spices that set the two worlds apart!

Smacznego!

Lois

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Sausage in a Jar

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  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 4 pint jars
  • Category: Main
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Description

A wonderfully seasoned preserved pork

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pork
  • 1 pound bacon
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon spoon marjoram
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper
  • A few sprigs of marjoram or thyme

Instructions

  1. Coarsely grind the pork and bacon (or do a fine dice on 1/3 of the pork and mix it with the ground meat)
  2. Run the garlic though a garlic press and add to the raw meat
  3. Add the sugar and seasonings
  4. Boil water and let it cool, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to the meat mixture
  5. Pack the mixture into sterile jars, using the back of a spoon to push out pockets of air
  6. Using a clean cloth or paper towel, wipe the tops of the jars to ensure a good seal
  7. Screw on lids
  8. Place jars in a large pot, add water 3/4 the height of the jars
  9. Bring to a boil, simmer for one hour
  10. Cool, leaving jars at room temp
  11. Repeat the cooking procedure the following day, boiling for 40 minutes, again leaving the jars at room temp
  12. Repeat the cooking process again on the third day, this time boiling for 30 minutes
  13. The white sausage in a jar is now ready to store as you wish

 

 

Black sausage (kaszanka) and EU anniversary

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kaszanka

This black sausage on a potato and sauerkraut pancake is so traditionally Polish. The fact that the pancake is glazed with chutney adds a modern twist and for me, totally makes the dish. I must give full credit to a new friend and Poznan chef, the creative genius behind Kuchnia Chrisa: bo kuchnia jest sztuka. For those of you who don’t speak Polish or spend less time on Google translate than I do, it means Chris’ Kitchen: because the kitchen is art.

You never know where you’ll pick up a new recipe. We joined another expat friend for a drink last Friday at The Voyager Wine Club, a local wine bar (thanks for the suggestion, Yana). We happened to be there, during the filming of a short documentary on the eastern expansion of the European Union. It’s been 10 years since Poland joined the EU. A camera crew had spent a couple of days following Chris around Poznan, to tell the story of a German national who has moved east to live and work. They had us sign a release and went about filming as we sampled two of Chris’ dishes and he chatted with patrons.

wine bar, poznan, Poland, EU

We spoke with Chris at length about this dish and kaszanka. Kaszanka is a black or blood sausage made with pork, blood, barley or buckwheat, and spices. Chris buys his sausage from Marek at the Organic Market at Plac Bernardynski just like our friend Norbert (who has taken us shopping at this market). He offered to meet us at the market on Saturday morning and introduce us to Marek because they were planning to film some outdoor shots at the market. We sampled many of Marek’s goat’s milk cheeses and bought some kaszanka and chorizo.

organic market, poznan,

In addition to providing the culinary side of the wine bar, which includes a once-a-month four course meal, Chris takes people on culinary tours of Poznan and the Wielkopolskie region – just the thing for any foodies vacationing in Poland!

On it’s own, I find kaszanka a little on the bland side. I prefer sausages with a lot of garlic and a smokey flavor, but in this application, it was brilliant. For me, dining out is ideally a source of inspiration for my cooking at home. I had to try making these. I added a few things to my usual potato pancake recipe and made nine 6-inch pancakes. Ed wanted to take some to his office the next day, so we cut the pancakes into fourths to make them finger food. I think making the pancakes small, maybe 2 inches, would make for a terrific canape. The larger size is perfect for a modern Polish or MoPo first course.

Smacznego!

Lois

PS – I’m sorry to say that our friend Chris has passed away. He was such a dear, young man and we cherish his memory. 

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Black sausage (kaszanka) on potato sauerkraut pancakes

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 36 canapes or 9 first courses
  • Category: Appetizer or First Course
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Traditional Polish, made modern with chutney!

Ingredients

  • 2 medium potatoes, shredded
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dill
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 cup sauerkraut
  • 4 links kaszanka (blood sausage), about 1 pound or 500 g
  • 1/2 cup chutney (I used mango, Chris made pear)
  • radish sprouts

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, egg, flour, dill, and season with salt and pepper
  2. Add the caraway seeds and just a little oil to a pan and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
  3. If you are using a basic American sauerkraut, drain and rinse. If you have a good natural kraut, like Polish kapusta, just drain, and add to kraut to the seeds, cook just enough to dry it out a bit, not to brown it.
  4. Add the seeds and kraut to the potato mixture.
  5. Over high/medium-high heat, add oil, about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) deep to a frying pan. The potato mixture will separate a bit, so always give it a stir before spooning into the pan.
  6. To make 6 inch pancakes, add about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture to oil and spread it out into a circle, for smaller, bite-sized pancakes, spoon a tablespoon of the mixture into the oil and spread into a circle.
  7. When the edges begin to brown, turn the pancakes over and brown the other side. (I rotate the pancakes in the pan before flipping because the centers cook faster than the edges. Using two spatulas to maneuver the pancakes while flipping will keep the oil from splashing,)
  8. When both sides are nicely browned, remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat until you’ve used all the potato batter.
  9. Remove the casing from the kaszanka and slice. I cooked it in the same pan with just a little of the oil used for the pancakes.
  10. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes (kaszanka is already pasteurized), turning occasionally. The slices will crumble and it will begin to look like ground meat, remove from the pan and set aside.
  11. Heat the chutney in the microwave or in a small pan just to make it easier to spread, using a pastry brush, brush a thin glaze of chutney over each pancake.
  12. Top with kaszanka and sprouts.

 

 

 

Hot Breakfast Sausage

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Looks like I had a heavy hand with the red pepper flakes

Every market here has an expansive sausage section, but sadly, they’re not importing my favorite, Jimmy Dean’s hot sausage.  Just like the Italian sausage, we’ve resorted to making our own.  I love to use a hot sausage for breakfast, breakfast burritos, or even in sausage rolls for a tea party (BAM!).

The ground meat here is so lean that you almost have to brush the pan with oil to keep the patties from sticking

Ingredients

1 pound (500g) ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust this to your own “heat” level)
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Diretions

  • Combine all ingredients
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least one hour
  • Form into patties or use in recipes

PS – since this involved so many spices, I thought you might enjoy seeing our spice cabinet – two silicon loaf pans that I squeeze into a small kitchen cabinet, on two different shelves, of course.  Everything comes in little packets here.  While it’s not easy to store, we really use them up and don’t have the same spice bottle on a shelf for 10 years.  

How to Cook Bacon – Bake It!

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I’ve been frying bacon all of my life.  I even remember the days when we kept a can of bacon grease in the fridge and used it in other cooking.  For many years, that seemed unthinkable to me, but living in Poland, I’m coming back around to the idea.

Many years ago, Ed was running a golf course in Green Valley.  The military provides great training and the apprentice program for PGA professionals added to that.  With all this experience, this was his time to oversee a restaurant kitchen.  He brought home many food related stories, how the chef made the borderlaise sauce, and among other things, the fact that they baked their bacon.

We tried it at home for the first time Christmas morning, and I’m convinced; this is the way to cook bacon.  There are many advantages when compared to my faithful frying pan:

  • It doesn’t need to be tended constantly, just pop it in the oven and set a timer
  • Your stove top/back splash/wall won’t be splattered in grease
  • The bacon shrinks less and cooks more evenly
  • The bacon stays flat (unless you have it jumbled up in a heap as it cools after leaving the oven as we did)

 Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 C)
  • A household cookie sheet will hold about a pound of bacon.  Line the pan with parchment paper, foil, or in a pinch, wax paper as we have here
  • Bake for 20 minutes or to desired crispness
Another plus – you’ll be really popular!

Rillettes de Porc (Pork)

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We spent a few days last summer with an old friend who is restoring a limestone home in the Loire Valley.  Among other things, he introduced us to rillettes, which at first glance seems like a meatier version of Polish smalec.  It’s shredded meat in lard.  Believe me, it’s tastes way better than it sounds.  It’s served at room temperature or slightly chilled and spread on bread or crackers and becomes creamy – sort of a textured pate.  We had this multiple times while we were in France; it’s so full of flavor. Tonight, we had our rillettes spread on toast with Dijon mustard, onion jam, and little cornichon pickles.

We were served rillettes in Poznan a week ago at a Restaurant Day pop-up.  Our restauranteur spread a steamed bun with mustard, topped it with warm rillettes (so the lard melted away and we were left with lots of moist, shredded meat.  On top of this went caramelized onions and a dab of chutney.  It was fantastic and such at deal at 10 zl or about $3.

Being reminded of how good rillettes taste, we had to try it at home.  So we picked up a pork roast at the supermarket.  I couldn’t tell you what cut because they butcher things differently here, and it’s all in Polish.  Our roast was 1.2 kg or a little over 2.5 pounds.  After I trimmed the meat and diced it into cubes (no bigger than 1.5 inches), we were left with probably 1.5 pounds of pork cubes.  I used 400g of lard, just under one pound.  The measurements need not be exact, so you can follow the process with any amount of pork you might have.

Freshly shredded with about a cup of liquid added
After refrigeration

Ingredients

1.5 pounds pork, cubed (tougher cuts are ideal)
salt & pepper
6 – 8 cloves of garlic
several springs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 stock (any kind will do)
1 pound of lard

Directions

  • Add the meat to a saucepan and season with salt and pepper
  • Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and stock
  • Melt the lard and add just enough to cover the meat
  • Simmer over very low heat for at least six hours (I left mine on overnight)
  • Strain off the solids, reserving the liquid
  • Shred the pork, discarding the garlic and herbs
  • Add just enough cooking liquid to the shredded meat that the liquid is visible, about one cup
  • Place the rillettes into sterile containers (we boiled coffee cups for 10 minutes), packing it down to remove any air bubbles, cover the container with a lid, foil, or plastic wrap
  • Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight
  • Melt fresh lard and top the rillettes with 1/2 inch of lard to seal out air (This step isn’t necessary if you plan to eat the rillettes within a few days
  • The sealed rillettes with keep in the refrigerator for weeks
  • Remove from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving

Italian Sausage

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There are dozens of sausages in the butcher case here in Poland, but I’ve yet to find Italian sausage.  I try to embrace the local cuisine, but every now and then you need something for spaghetti sauce or a hot sausage sandwich.

It’s easy to find ground pork here, so I’ve taken to making my own bulk Italian sausage.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork (ours is very lean, so I add a little olive oil to the pan when cooking)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (I’ve used anise seeds in a pinch)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients until spices are evenly distributed.
  • Chill, covered, one hour or overnight
  • It’s now ready to use in your recipe
  • We like to make a patty of sausage, grill it, top with (melted) provolone cheese, and serve it on a crusty roll with mustard.
Italian Sausage/Cheese (pepper-jack in this case) Sandwich

Easter gifts

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We have been so busy traveling; I’m way behind on my blogging. I’m writing this post with the blogger app on my iPad in a hotel room, so i have no control over where the photo goes.

I haven’t told you about the wonderful gift we received from Sławo, the Polish Major in charge the building where Ed works. Sławo’s family butchered a pig for their Easter feast, and right after Easter, Ed brought home 3 jars, sausage, pate, and smalec. It was all wonderful, but I must rave about the smalec, which is a lard speed with bits of meat, and other seasonings. I’ve only had smalec once before, but there is no comparison between this homemade version and the dish I was served in a restaurant.

I couldn’t stop eating it, but the funny thing is, a Polish friend said that if I was eating smalec, I should remember to drink vodka to keep my liver healthy.

Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew)

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bigos polish hunter's stew

As Polish dishes go, Bigos is about as traditional as you can get.  You’ll be sure to find it in the food booths at any festival in the old square.  Big flat cast iron pans of simmering meats, wine, mushrooms, and sauerkraut – the perfect thing to warm the heart and the belly, that’s Bigos Polish hunter’s stew!

This Bigos recipe is adapted from Nela’s Cookbook and From a Polish Country House Kitchen.  I left it on the stove overnight on very low heat, I guess that’s the equivalent of putting it in a crock-pot.  With the slow cooking, the flavors mellowed and blended. It was hearty and delicious!

Like any stew, proportions need not be precise. If your package of Polish sausage is 13 ounces rather than a pound, don’t worry. If you happen to have some game meat in the freezer, this is the time to pull it out! Half a pound of diced venison or other game meat would be a very authentic addition. It is, after all, a hunter’s stew.

I remember hearing some controversy about the Bigos served at festivals because the government sanitation inspectors were saying that vendors had to prepare Bigos fresh everyday, that they couldn’t serve leftover Bigos. Polish housewives, the real ones, were up in arms, saying Bigos wasn’t at its best until it had been reheated a few times.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A hearty hunter’s stew, a Polish classic!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound pork, diced
  • 1/2 pound beef, diced
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 pound slab bacon, diced
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 container mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
  • 4 apples, peeled, cored and grated
  • 1/2 cup pitted prunes, quartered
  • 2 pounds canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 12 peppercorns
  • 1 pound Polish sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 pound ham, diced
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine

Instructions

  1. Season the pork and beef with salt and pepper
  2. Add olive oil to a large dutch oven, and saute the meat and onions in batches, cooking until the meat is browned and the onions begin to caramelize
  3. Brown the bacon
  4. Combine all the ingredients, and simmer at least two hours, or overnight
  5. Serve as is, over noodles, or with buckwheat.

 

Pork Steak Au Poivre with Roasted Peppercorns

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Rich, spicy, and  decadent, but easy enough to fix for a midweek meal.  We made this twice last week with different cuts of pork.  This is inspired by a recipe that came with our Weber grill many years ago. The original uses beef, but when in Poland. . .   I always love the flavors; you just can’t go wrong with shallots, brandy, cream and mustard.  The sauce is luxurious and it makes you feel rich eating it.

This time we used roasted peppercorns after reading Vicki’s comment on another food blog.  (I tried to go back, so I could link to the original comment, but I just couldn’t find it.)  We bought a variety of pepper corns and tossed them in a frying pan, stirring the over medium heat for about 15 minutes.  For this recipe, we gave them a very coarse grind in a coffee (or spice) grinder that we have dedicated to pepper.  A pepper mill or mortar and pestle  would both work as well. Some will say that roasting intensifies the pepper flavor.  I thought it was more mellow, less harsh – kind of like roasted garlic compared to raw garlic.

Ingredients

Pork steak or chops, to serve 4
salt & coarsely ground peppercorns (roasted as described above)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup diced shallot
2 – 4 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

  • Season the pork with salt and generous amounts of pepper
  • Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add the meat and cook to desired doneness, adjusting the heat as necessary.
  • Transfer the meat to a serving platter.
  • Add butter and shallots to the frying pan.
  • Cook until translucent.
  • Add brandy, allow the liquid to heat up and then carefully, light with a match.
  • When the flame has burned out, stir in the mustard and cream, keeping on the heat for just a minute or two.
  • Pour the sauce over the meat.

Serves 4