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Polish Housewife

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

Spring

Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings

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Known by many names, meaning ribbons or dried twigs, Chruściki, Chrusty, Faworki, Angel Wings, whatever name they go by, these little powdered sugar treats appear en masse the last week of karnawał, just before Lent. Trays piled high with Faworki and Pączki fill the supermarkets and little shops for Tłusty czwartek or Fat Thursday. Faworki are also popular at all kinds of family meal celebrations, Easter, Christmas, and weddings. 

Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings

They are so popular that in areas of the US with large populations from Central Europe; bakeries insist that customers place their Christmas and Easter orders for Faworki in advance. Like many Polish recipes, the pastry is traditionally fried in lard. You can, of course, use other oils for frying; there will be a slight difference in flavor.

Even though they’re rolled in powdered sugar, the plain, rich dough, is only lightly sweet. While it might not be traiditonal, I think it benefits from the additon of lemon and/or orange zest; it just adds a bit of brightness. Some cooks will knead or roll and re-roll the dough until it blisters. Being a lazy sort, I didn’t, but it still blistered upon frying. By all standards, this probaly makes a small batch, only 48 Faworki. You can easily double or triple if you’re feeding a crowd.

Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings

What do you call them, Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings?

Smacznego?

Lois

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Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings

Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish HOusewife
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 4 dozen
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Crisp and lightly sweet

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs yolks
  • 3-5 tablespoons heavy cream (or sour cream)
  • 1 tablespoon spirits (I used Soplica, but any whiskey or rum will do)
  • 1/2 teaspon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon citrus zest (optional)
  • lard, for frying
  • powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt
  2. In a seperate bowl, combine the egg yolks, 3 tablespoons cream, spirits, vanilla, and zest if you’re using it
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the dough comes together, use a little more cream if necessary
  4. Roll out as thin as possible
  5. Cut into 1 x4 inch strips, cutting a slit in the middle of each strip
  6. Pul one end through the slit, to create a twisted appearance
  7. Heat lard to 350 F
  8. Fry in batches, turning to cook both sides, until golden brown
  9. Drain on paper towels
  10. Roll in powdered sugar

Notes

You can freeze the leftover egg whites to save them for a recipe that only uses egg whites.

 

 

Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)

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Even though Polish supermarkets carry produce from all over the globe, it seems to me that Poles tend to eat what’s in season locally, at least to a greater extent than we do here in the US. At a lunch meeting with Polish friends in the fall, one of the ladies remarked, “this will be my last salad until next spring.” The restaurant will likely still be offering a salad on the menu, she just didn’t plan to order it. That line of thinking makes spring and summer the perfect time of year for Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad). 

Mizeria is the Polish word for misery. The taste is wonderful, but it was said to make Queen Bona Sforza, an Italian princess who married Polish King Sigismund I in the 16th century homesick for Italy. The queen is credited with bringing a great variety of vegetables to Poland. The popularity of her Italian imports soon spread beyond the confines of garden at Wawel Castle in Kraków.  I’ve been told that the Polish word for vegetables means “things from Italy” because of the new plants she brought to Poland.

This salad of cucumbers in sour cream is a cool and refreshing side dish. Even in their somewhat wilted state (from the salt and vinegar), they still provide some crunch.

 

I ended up making two batches of Mizeria before this post. The first vinegar I grabbed from my pantry was a fig balsamic vinegar. The color of the balsamic vinegar was so dark that it turned the sour cream brown, not exactly what I was hoping to photograph. So I whipped up a second batch with an apple cider vinegar. Fortunately, we really like this salad, so having two bowls of it is not a problem.

I have to say that for flavor, I preferred the fig balsamic vinegar. It went so nicely with the other tastes and the hint of fig added an interesting note. It sounds a little too Mediterranean for a Polish dish, but it does seem to be in keeping with the trend set by Queen Bona Sforza. Whatever vinegar you chose, I think you’ll enjoy Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad).

Smacznego!

Lois

(Amazon sends me a few cents if you make a purchase via the links below)

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Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)

Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)

★★★★★ 4.7 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: Serves 4
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A refreshing salad of cucumbers in sour cream

Ingredients

  • 2 cucumbers
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon finely cut chives or green onions
  • 1 tables finely cut fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. For ordinary cucumbers, peel, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds
  2. Slice as thin as possible, no more than 1/8 inch
  3. If you’re using the thin skinned hot house cucumbers, just slice
  4. Spread out the slices and sprinkle with salt
  5. After 20 minutes pat and press with a paper towel
  6. Combine the sour cream, vinegar, chives, dill, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt , and pepper
  7. Chill

Zucchini Blossoms

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Thanks to the generosity of my friend, Klaudia, who shared her bounty of buds, we had fried zucchini blossoms for the first time. I mixed up equal parts of cream cheese and a soft goat cheese. I gave myself a head start by getting the Philly with herbs. I added a bit of salt, garlic, and some herbs from out balcony (parsley, chives, thyme, and basil).

The cheese mixture went into a sandwich size zip-lock bag; I snipped the corner and piped the filling into the blossoms.

The filled blossoms were dredged with flour and dipped into a light batter made with equal parts flour and sparking water and a pinch of salt. Then, fried in oil over medium high heat until light brown.

They’re so delicate and a beautiful medium for conveying fried cheese! A little marinara sauce or ranch dressing for dipping would have been great.

How to Peel and Cut a Fresh Pineapple

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It’s been some time since I took I lunch to work, but when I did, there were two distinct categories – very interesting leftovers, or something plainer than plain that I would finish preparing during lunch.  There was never a sandwich, apple and bag of chips.  One day, I grabbed a fresh pineapple from the kitchen counter knowing that I would find a cutting board and knife in the church kitchen – very dull knives in the church kitchen, but that’s another story.

When I started to carve the pineapple at the table, I was very surprised to have my friends who were part of the lunch bunch that day ask me to explain the process as I was doing it.  My next post involves a fresh pineapple, so their request inspired me to include a few pictures here.

The first thing to do is slice horizontally through the pineapple removing the top and the bottom
The second step is to remove the peel.  I try to follow the shape of the fruit and slice just inside the “eyes.”
Then I quarter the pineapple vertically and cut off the pointy side of the wedge, removing the dense core.  My final step is to slice the quarters into two or three long spears and then to slice the spears into chunks.  Fresh pineapple is so popular with our family that a bowl of chunks in the fridge will disappear in an hour or two.

What’s your favorite way to use fresh pineapple?  I just tried making a Dole-Whip knockoff that reminded me of the high end Italian ices I’ve had from Lulu’s Italian Ice at Phoenix Public Market.

Wheat Berry Pesto Salad

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wheat berry 2 web
Maybe you’ve found yourself in this situation.
I planned my menu for a 4th of July cookout — heavy on grilled meats, and the day before, I learn that our daughter, a vegetarian would be able to join us.  I was thrilled and wanted to offer her something more substantial that grilled veggies and tomato cucumber salad.  A quick trip to Sprouts and I came up with this recipe.
What  surprised me the most about his dish was that one of our male guests, a self-avowed carnivore, loved the wheat berry salad! That was something I never would have expected. At first I thought he was just kidding me with his compliments, but his praise was repeated more than once that day and the next time I saw him, so I think he was sincere. It just goes to show you that it’s good to step out of your comfort zone because you might find the change enjoyable.
PS — Our vegetarian daughter is now vegan. I can still serve her this dish my omitting the Parmesan cheese and buying or making vegan pesto (one that uses nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese). I’ve become a big fan of nutritional yeast. It’s a deactivated yeast, sold as a powder or flakes. You can find it in most natural food stores. It’s a source of complete protein and vitamins, including B-complex vitamins. It has a strong taste that could be described as nutty or cheesy, so nutritional yeast is a popular cheese substitute for vegans. It’s a great topping for veggies, tofu, or even popcorn!
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Wheat Berry Pesto Salad

  • Yield: 8 - 10
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Description

Something different for vegetarians and vegans, loved by meat-eaters too!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups soft white wheat berries
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6-ounce jar pesto (for vegan use your favorite vegan pesto)
  • 2 ounces Parmesean cheese, grated (omit for vegan)
  • 3/4 pound raw asparagus, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan, add wheat and enough water to bring the level two inches above the wheat berries.
  2. Add salt and bring to a boil; simmer approximately one hour, until berries are tender but still have a little crunch and chewiness.
  3. Drain and rinse.
  4. In a bowl, combine cooked wheat berries with remaining ingredients.
  5. Chill.
  6. For the presentation above, place a large round cookie cutter on the plate and pack the salad into it. Carefully, lift the cookie cutter and garnish with asparagus tips.