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Polish Housewife

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

Soup

Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash)

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We recently hosted a friend who has become vegetarian for health reasons. She offered to make exceptions for the evening, but I wanted to add some meatless options to my repertoire. Ed suggested that I make potato pancakes, so I did a Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash) — my favorite topping for placki ziemniaczane.

Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash)

with fried potato dumplings

Adding a host of veggies to the familiar paprika and tomato sauce makes a satisfying entree. Try serving it over potato pancakes, buckwheat kasza, mashed potatoes, potato dumpligs, or pasta.

The very best gulasz comes from sauteing the veggie over a very high heat until they begin to brown. I usually saute the ingredients sepearatley. It will look like things are burnig on the bottom of your pan, but the black stuff will come off with a little scraping when you add liquid. It will dissolve and become part of your broth providing rich color and flavor. . . I say the burnt stuff comes off the bottom of the pan, most of it comes off might be more accurate. My dear husband, who is usually the one washing dishes, has complained about my propensisity for high heat in cooking. You could skip this and just toss the raw veggies into the liquid, just know your broth will suffer for it. It will be just a little less wonderful, but I don’t want to scare you off.

Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash) is a tasty way to get more produce into your diet.

Smacznego!

Lois

 

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Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash)

  • Author: polishhousewife
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 40 min
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4 - 6 servings
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A colorful and tasty vegetable based goulash!

Ingredients

vegetable oil, as needed

6 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally, no more than 1/4 inch thick

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges 3 inches x 1/4 inch

4 onions, sliced

2 bell peppers, any color, sliced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

2 – 4 cups vegetable broth, enough to cover the veggies

2 tablespoons paprika

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 juniper berries and/or 5 allspice berries

2 tablespoons Wondra flour

Instructions

In a Duth oven, saute carrots, sweet potato, onions, and bell pepper in a little oil until they begin to brown

Add tomato paste, red wine, vegetable broth, paprika, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, juniper and/or allspice berries

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 – 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender

Sprinkle in Wondra flour to thicken the broth

Notes

In stead of Wondra flour, you might use a little corn starch mixed into a small amount of water

 

 

 

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

 

Zupa z Kopru Włoskiego – Fennel Soup

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Zupa z Kopru Wloskiego – Fennel Soup was headlining on our menu when we hosted friends from the church where I work for a meal recently. We had Sue (who shared her relish recipe with us), Bill (one of our beloved volunteer receptionists), and Mila and her husband Jan. Mila is a Russian-Swedish artist, whose Icons in Transformation exhibit is at the church for the next few months. Jan is originally from Bydgoszcz, Poland, He grew up in Sweden, but he was raised by a Polish mother, so I suspected that soup would be a most welcome first course.

Zupa z Kopru Wloskiego - Fennel Soup

We were serving salmon, and fennel was one of the many complimentary flavor listed in The Flavor Bible (affiliate link). Fennel soup it was! Given its appearance and the fact that Fennel or Koper Wloski is from the Mediterranean, it makes sense the Polish name translates as Italian Dill.

Fennel isn’t something that I ate growing up. I first tasted it a few years ago when we visited Ireland. I had a quiche with fennel in a wonderful wine bar, that was owned by a Polish woman. I’ve found a few ways to use it since that first experience. The Zupa z Kopru Wloskiego – Fennel Soup is definitely a do over. It was perfect to proceed the salmon. The flavor was harmonious without being overpowering. I’d love to hear about the ways you use fennel.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Zupa z Kopru Włoskiego – Fennel Soup

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Layers of flavor in a delicious cream soup

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 2 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 whole clove
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 large bulbs fennel, trimmed and roughly chopped (I used the stalks too)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • chives for garnish

Instructions

  1. Add the coriander sees, star anise, cardamom pods, clove, and oil to a Dutch oven
  2. Saute over medium high heat for a few minutes until the seeds begin to pop
  3. Transfer the spices to a piece of cheese cloth and bundle and tie into a tight package (or put the spices in a tea infuser that encases the tea on all sides)
  4. Add the fennel and onion to the pan and cook until golden, about 25 minutes
  5. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half
  6. Add the spice package and stock, bring to a boil
  7. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally
  8. When the vegetable are tender, discard the spice package, and puree the soup with an immersion blender or working in batches in a blender
  9. Return the soup to the pan, add cream and season
  10. Gently simmer for a few minutes
  11. Serve sprinkled with chopped chives

Notes

You might include a peeled and cored, sliced apple to the vegetables as they’re cooking.
Candied nuts would also make a nice garnish.

 

Żurek (a Polish Rye Soup)

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The Żurek was the first Polish food I sampled in Poznan, as you can see from this post back in October 2009, recounting our visit to Restauracja Ratuszova, a fantastic place for traditional dishes in the Stary Rynek. Before I describe it, let me say that Żurek is delicious and a hearty soup, but it will sound most unusual to Americans. I can’t think of a comparable soup made in the states.

Zurek

I wish I could tell you where to get or how to make this bread bowl. This photo is from the Polish restaurant I mentioned.

The Żurek broth is made with soured rye flour. Think sour dough starter, but thinner in consistency. If you live in Poland, you can pick up a bottle of zakwas (the sour liquid) at any market, but when you live in Arizona, you have to make your own, and that’s what I did. It’s not difficult it just takes a little advance planning. You’ll need to start this 5 days in advance.

ŻurekŻurek is a traditional Easter breakfast dish in Poland. The soup will include a spicy white sausage, to celebrate and mark the end of Lenten fasting. I’ve been told that Żurek served during Lent will be served without all of the meat, but ordering it in restaurants, I never noticed a difference based on the liturgical calendar.

 

What you can bet on is that there are limitless variations of this soup, by region, by family. Earlier this year, someone on Facebook rigorously critiqued one of my soup recipes because I had used celery and that wasn’t traditional. The thing is, I could easily point to at least half a dozen food blogs written in Polish that include celery or celery root in this soup. Maybe her mother or grandmother just didn’t like celery. A new tradition is born. I knew what I was writing was legit, but it felt like she was calling me a fraud. Blogging, it’s not for the faint of heart. 😉

A reader similarly took Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden to task when a newspaper published their Żurek soup recipe which they also referred to as Biały (White) Barszcz. The reader said the two soups were not the same, and that Anne Applebaum should know better. You can find their cookbook here (via my Amazon affiliate link).

zurek

Olga Smile a popular Polish food blogger says that in her family, it was considered White Barszcz if they added cream, white sausage, marjoram. Without these, the plainer version, they considered Żurek, but even Olga says the distinction is fluid. I don’t know enough to weigh in on this argument, so I’ll leave you with this recipe and say add or subtract to your heart’s content, which to my mind is normal when making soup.

Smacznego!

Lois

PS – speaking of fraud, a few hours after my knee replacement surgery, I noticed that the photo of my bean soup post on facebook wasn’t loading the way I wanted, so I replaced it with a photo and a seperate link. My friend, Gosia, said that’s probably delicious, but it’s not bean soup. She’s right, it was this photo of zurek. I blame it on the drugs! 🙂

Amazon sends me a few cents if you make a purchase via the links above

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Zurek

Żurek (a Polish Rye Soup)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 90 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 6 - 8 servings
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A hearty soup with a sour broth often served in elaborate rye bread bowls

Ingredients

for zakwas (the sour liquid):

  • 5 tablespoons rye flour
  • Crust from a slice of rye bread (optional)
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 5 allspice berries

for the soup:

  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 pound Polish sausage or brautwurst, sliced
  • 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, sliced
  • 1 large parsnip, sliced
  • 1/2 celery root, peeled and diced
  • 6 – 8 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cloves crushed garlic
  • 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoon horseradish (fresh grated or jarred)
  • 2 tablesppons cream
  • hard boiled eggs

Instructions

for the zakwas (the sour liquid)

  1. Add the flour and crust (if you’re using it) to a large jar
  2. Add the water, garlic, bay leaves, and allspice
  3. Mix thoroughly, as it sits, it will seperate with the flour sinking to the bottom
  4. Cover the jar with a paper towel or kitchen towel (I like to secure it with a large rubber band)
  5. Let sit for five days, giving it a swirl daily to mix

for the soup:

  1. Brown the bacon and sasage in a Dutch oven
  2. Add the onion, carrot, parsnip and celery root
  3. Add water and bay leaf and garlic, simmer for 40 minutes
  4. Add the potatoes and marjoram, cook until the potatoes are tender
  5. Add 2 cups of the zakwas (strained or flour mixed in, your choice) if you want the soup more sour, add the remaining zakwas
  6. Season with salt and pepper
  7. Add horseradish and cream
  8. Return to a boil and remove from heat
  9. Serve by garnishing with hard boiled egg, halved, quarted, or diced

Notes

Some cooks will make a broth with the soup veg and discard the vegetables before proeeding. I prefer to eat them. Fiber is good for you.

Some cooks will cook the potatoes seperately before adding to the soup. I wanted them to cook in the soup, the starch adding thickness to the broth.

 

Ogórkowa (Polish Sour Pickle Soup)

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When I first made ogórki kiszone (cucumber preserved in brine), my friend, Chris who writes Kielbasa Stories, suggested that I try making Ogórkowa, a well known soup made with these natural Polish pickles. The thought of a pickle soup seemed unusual to me, but no more unusual that horseradish soup or mustard soup, both of which are now part of my soup lineup.

Ogórkowa (Polish Sour Pickle Soup)

I’ve read the recipe for Ogórkowa in a Polish cookbook in English, From a Polish Country Kitchen, which you can find via my affiliate link, and also on Allrecipes Polska. This is a combination of the two. The American version has you dicing vegetables and them blitzing them, but not until completely smooth. The Polish version, which I’ve gone with in the instructions, has you grating the cooked vegetables. I have to say, I saw the grater used so often, in so many way, in Polish kitchens. It was sometimes used in ways that wouldn’t have occurred to me. Need breadcrumbs for a recipe? Just grab last night’s baguette and grate it!

Ogórkowa is complex soup with many layers of flavor. As you can see from the ingredient list, it’s so much more than just pickles.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Ogórkowa (Polish Sour Pickle Soup)

Ogórkowa (Polish Sour Pickle Souo)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 60 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 servings
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Ingredients

  • Pork or chicken bones
  • 1 leek, the white and light green parts, trimmed and rinsed
  • 2 carrots, trimmed and peeled
  • 1 parsnip, trimmed, and peeled
  • 1 stalk celery, trimmed
  • 1 onion, trimmed and outer layer removed
  • 3 allspice (whole)
  • 1 quart (900 ml) sour pickles
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Instructions

  1. Add the bones, leek, carrots, parsnip, celery, onion and allspice to a large pot
  2. Add 6 to 8 cups of water, or use broth, (chicken or vegetable) if you don’t have soup bones in hand
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes
  4. While this is cooking , removed the pickles, reserving their liquid, grate the pickles and simmer in a small amount of water for 20 minutes, drain
  5. Add the garlic and potatoes to the soup and cook about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender
  6. Remove the bones, leek, carrots, parsnip, onion, and allspice from the soup
  7. Grate the carrots, parsnip, and celery, and return to the soup
  8. Season with marjoram, salt and pepper
  9. Add the grated pickles and juice to the soup
  10. Just before serving, stir in the heavy cream and chopped dill

 

 

 

Fasolka Po Bretonsku (Polish Breton Beans)

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Fasolka Po Bretonsku (Polish Breton Beans) is something Ed discovered before I moved to Poland. He’d had it in a restaurant a shopping mall, a galleria, probably either Poznan Plaza or M1. I remember him ordering it, like an experienced diner, one time after I’d joined him. To describe Fasolka Po Brestonsku, I’ll say that it’s like a gourmet version of Campbell’s Bean and Bacon soup, something I loved from my childhood. There are similar flavor notes, but this is so much more. Of course, it’s homemade!

Fasolka Po Bretonsku (Polish Breton Beans)

Poles will be quick to say that this isn’t a Polish recipe, although it’s very popular in Poland. It’s from the Brittany region in France. The New York Times ran a French version of this recipe. There is no sausage; there is no bacon. I think I can see how Poland took a tasty dish and made it even better! It’s such an improvement that I’m inclined to call it a Polish recipe. No matter which cuisine gets credit, I know you’ll enjoy Fasolka Po Bretonsku.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Fasolka Po Bretonsku (Polish Breton Beans)

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

A hearty bean soup with tomatoes, sausage and bacon

Ingredients

  • 1 pound beans, large white beans or baby lima beans
  • 8 ounces bacon, diced
  • 8 ounces kielbasa, sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 12 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon marjoram
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons Wondra flour (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook beans according to package directions, or cheat like I did and use a box of frozen Lima beans or canned beans
  2. Saute bacon over medium high heat in a Dutch oven, until fat is rendered
  3. Add kielbasa and onion, saute until onion is translucent
  4. Add garlic, cook for 2 more minutes
  5. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and marjoram
  6. Simmer 30 – 60 minutes to blend flavors
  7. (Optional) Sprinkle the Wondra flour over the soup and stir to blend. This will thicken the broth a little bit and seems tone down the tartness of the tomatoes a bit. Wondra is pre-cooked flour, so it blends easily without clumping and doesn’t have a raw flour taste.

 

Italian Wedding Soup

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Italian Wedding Soup

I learned to make Italian Wedding Soup from my sister-in-law, Carol, and then my co-worker, Carole, told me how she makes it.  I think the common thread is chicken broth, meatballs, and spinach, beyond that there’s a lot of room for creativity.  This homey soup has a wonderful array of flavors and textures.

Ed’s comes from a small town, not far from from Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. The the area is a real mosaic of European heritage. While the roots run to many countries, Italian and Polish cusines dominate the food scene.

This is the first time I’ve thought about this, but even though my late in-laws families came from Wales and France, the foods most often served in the family home tended to be Italian and Polish, or maybe it’s just that these dishes were different than my mother and grandmothers would have made. A pot roast or fried chicken wouldn’t have caught my attention but kielbasa with cabbage and noodles certainly did.

It’s not surprising that the first time I had Italian Wedding Soup was at a banquet in Western Pennsylvania. The occasion was Ed’s high school reunion. It’s something I make every winter now. I love how travel and experience add to our repertoire of interesting dishes.  I hope you’ll enjoy this one.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Italian Wedding Soup

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 10-12
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

A hearty soup, full of flavor !

Ingredients

for meatballs:

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons mustard
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper

for soup:

  • chicken stock (I made mine by boiling 2 chicken carcasses from the Polish market in water)
  • chicken meat (in this case, just the meat I removed from the bones after simmering for a couple of hours)
  • vegetables (I used a prepared packet of soup veg: 4 carrots, 2 parsnips, 1 leek, 1 slice celery root)
  • 1 bag of frozen spinach (my frozen spinach turned out to be pureed, I should have purchased fresh)
  • meatballs
  • 1/2 cup orzo (optional)
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

for meatballs:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Combine all ingredients
  3. Form into small meatballs, less than 1 inch in diameter
  4. Bake until lightly brown, about 20 minutes.

for soup:

  1. While the meatballs are baking, simmer stock with chicken and soup vegetables, until veg are tender.
  2. Add meatballs and spinach, simmer another 15 – 20 minutes. I sometimes add orzo at this point.
  3. Slowly add egg while stirring the soup. You’re ready to serve.

 

Zupa Dyniowa Pumpkin Soup

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It wasn’t until I moved to Poland that I roasted a pumpkin; there was no can of Libby’s pumpkin on the super market shelf. (If you want to try your hand at DIY pumpkin, checkout this post.) I roasted a pumpkin, had an enormous bowl of puréed product, and then looked for many ways to use pumpkin, such as this tasty pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin Soup

In the USA, we usually put pumpkin in sweets, pumpkin pie, anyone? Savory uses which have turned up during my adult years, seem creative, sophisticated, and European. I still remember the first time I had pumpkin and Italian sausage ravioli. It seemed like an unlikely combination, but surprisingly good. Like much of the world, savory dishes, like a pumpkin soup, are the normal use for pumpkin  in Poland.

Thick and creamy, this soup had just enough spice.  The heat was ever so subtle, almost an afterthought.  You’ll want to have pumpkin soup again before winter is over.  It’s a good idea to keep some of your puréed pumpkin in the freezer!

Smacznego!

Lois

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Pumpkin Soup

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cumin
  • dash cayenne
  • 3 cups pumpkin puree
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used a dark Muscavado)
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Directions
  2. Melt butter in soup pot over medium high heat
  3. Add onion and cook until translucent
  4. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes
  5. Add the next four spices, cook one minute
  6. Add pumpkin and broth, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes
  7. Remove from heat and puree, I used an immersion blender
  8. Add milk, brown sugar, and cream over medium heat, stirring until combined and sugar has dissolved
  9. Adjust seasonings as needed. I make my broth with bouillon cubes, so mine needed very little salt, but I did give it a generous grind of black pepper

 

 

Easy Turkey Chili

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A webpage listing a bunch of anti-inflammatory recipes is where I came across this little gem. They touted the many health benefits of peppers, tomatoes, beans, and turkey. This page was a gold mine for a foodie with arthritis, so if NSAIDs like Advil and Alleve are part of your daily routine, you know what I mean. If you have young healthy joints, count your blessings and enjoy this delicious turkey chili for the taste and convenience alone!

I’ve made only small changes from the original source, Two Peas in a Pod. I don’t use a slow cooker for this recipe because I’m just not good at planning that far in advance. If you like to use one, know that this can be made in a 6 quart crockpot.

Convenient & Delicious

We’ve gotten to the point where we make a batch of this tasty and easy turkey chili at least every other week. It’s quick and easy to put together, makes a large quantity, and freezes well.

I work four 10-hour days, so I love the convenience of having a full meal ready to eat at the end of a long day, and my husband, Ed, loves the warm, earthy spices.

Turkey chili

Every time I serve this, he comments about how the combination of spices is perfect. We’ve made a lot of chili over the years, even competed in a 4th of July chili cook off at our air base in Spain back in the day. He seemed let down when I said that all I did was follow the recipe. I shouldn’t have burst his bubble, better that he think of me chopping, grinding, and tempering a variety of spices. I’ll let you in on the secret, chili powder and cumin, 2:1.

I hope this doesn’t hurt my chili cook-off friends’ feelings, but this is so much better than the chili we offered up on that 4th of July, but nothing could compare to the fun we had that day.  The length of our shorts identifies this as the early 1980s!

Chili cook off

I hope my easy turkey chili recipe will be as popular at your home as it is at ours.

Smacznego!

Lois

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An easy turkey chili recipe that's quick and delicious!!!

Easy Turkey Chili

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 10-15 servings
  • Cuisine: Tex Mex
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Description

Quick and easy, a delicious pot of chili

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies
  • 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • Chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons Wondra flour

Instructions

  1. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to a frying pan and brown the ground turkey, breaking it into small pieces as you turn and stir
  2. Season with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt. The canned ingredients will be salty and you can always add more. That being said, I like to add a little salt to each layer of flavor as I’m preparing a dish)
  3. Move the turkey to a Dutch oven.
  4. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil the same frying pan and sautéed the onions and peppers, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper
  5. Add the onion and peppers to the ditch oven
  6. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, green chilies, corn, chili powder, and cumin
  7. Stir, add enough chicken stock to almost cover the ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes
  8. Sprinkle with Wondra flour and stir it in to thicken the broth

Notes

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, or sliced green onions