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Polish Housewife

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

Winter

Kluski Śląskie Silesian Dumplings

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Kluski Śląskie Silesian Dumplings come from Silesia, a region in the southwest of Poland (think Wrocław) that also encompasses small bits of Germany and the Czech Republic, but Silesain Dumplings are so popular throughout Poland that they’re readily available in the refrigerator case of supermarkets all over the country, coming in a package that reminds me of brown and serve rolls. They are potato dumplings much like you’ll find all over Central and Eastern Europe except for the addition of the indentation in the center of Silesain Dumplings. The shape has two benefits; it helps the dumpling cook faster and it is a wonderful repository for whatever topping is paired with the dumpling.

Kluski Śląskie Silesian Dumplings

You might choose any number of toppings for your dumplings, meat drippings, sauteed bacon and onions, gravy, or maybe all of these! For a Meatless Monday or a Lenten Supper, you could top them with butter and toasted bread crumbs. A typical Sunday dinner would be these tasty dumplings alongside rolled (stuffed) beef and red cabbage.

I’ve made these twice and was more successful when I wasn’t in a hurry, not trying to get them on the table right away for dinner. The cooked potatoes need to be really dry before you mash them or push them through a ricer. It gives a texture that holds together well in the water.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Kluski Śląskie Silesian Dumplings

★★★★★ 4.5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 15 dumplings
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A potato dumpling with an indentation to hold yummy toppings

Ingredients

  • 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • potato starch (1/4 volume of potatoes, see instructions)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water, until tender
  2. Drain thoroughly and mash or rice
  3. Press the mashed potatoes into a bowl and smooth the top
  4. Draw two lines on the top of the potatoes, dividing the mass into fourths
  5. Scoop out 1/4 of the potatoes and fill this space with potato starch, return the potatoes you just scooped out
  6. Add egg and salt, stir until well combined
  7. Roll a small amount of the mixture, about the size of a golf ball, in your hands until smooth
  8. Make an indentation with your thumb and continue smoothing the dumpling
  9. Preparing a large pot of barley simmering salted water
  10. Without overcrowding the pot, place dumplings in water with a slotted spoon
  11. They will rise to the top after a few minutes, if a stubborn one or two stay on the bottom, give them a gentle nudge, they may be stuck
  12. Cook for 5 more minutes, remove with a slotted spoon
  13. Top with with whatever wonderful creation you’re using

 

Herbata Góralska Polish Highlander Tea

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One area that everyone raves about is Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains in the southeast of Poland. It’s all about the great outdoors. In the summer, everyone treks down there to hike the beautiful green mountains. In the winter, snow sports rule. Many folks who visit Zakopane mention having Herbata Góralska Polish Highlander Tea. It’s  often referred to as tea laced with vodka.  Reader, Mage, is one of those who sampled Highlander Tea in Zakopane and asked if I had a recipe for the delicious tea. A little research and now I do!

The recipe may be a well kept secret. While there are many mentions of Herbata  Góralska Polish Highlander Tea and many photos of snow bunnies enjoying a mug of Highlander Tea, I found only one recipe online, and that was on polki.pl. It’s seems like each cook puts a personal spin on traditional recipes. So if you and your family have a variation of Highlander Tea, please share it in the comments! I’m curious and want to hear about your experience with the winter beverage.

I’ve adapted the recipe a bit by doubling the amount of tea added. The original proportions are 2 parts vodka to 1 part tea. You can, of course, adjust to your own taste.

Na Zdrowie!

Lois

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Herbata Góralska Polish Highlander Tea

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 2 quarts
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Tea leaves with vodka from the Polish mountains

Ingredients

  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 8 black tea bags
  • 6 tablesonns raspberry syrup
  • 4 cups vodka
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Juice of one lemon

Instructions

  1. Add tea bags to boiling water
  2. Steep 10 minutes before removing the tea bags
  3. Add raspberry syrup, vodka, rum, sugar, and lemon juice
  4. Stir until sugar disdolves
  5. Bottle and store for two months (this is from the Polish recipe, we enjoyed the same day)
  6. Serve warm

 

Krokiety Polish Croquettes

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Krokiety Polish Croquettes are traditionally served along side Barszcz, a spicy beet broth soup or topped with a mushroom sauce or gravy. They’re filled naleśniki or crepes that’s battered with breadcrumbs and fried until beautifully crisp. They are delicious little bits of heaven, and I’m including a couple of shortcuts to tempt you into making them not matter how busy your day is.

Krokiety Polish CroquettesKrokiety Fillings

The filling could take many forms, a mix of vegetables, maybe some meat. Although on Christmas Eve or during Lent you can be sure the filling will be meatless. Just combine flavors that you like.

Veggie fillings should be finely chopped:

  • sautéed mushrooms
  • sautéed onion
  • sautéed cabbage
  • drained sauerkraut
  • grated cooked carrot (from your soup broth if you’re making barszcz)

Meat fillings should be cooked, shredded or ground:

  • chicken
  • turkey
  • beef
  • finely diced ham

Shortcuts

I’ve read some recipes that add egg to the filling to bind it together. I like to use grated cheese, which is quick and easy, or a white sauce. I mix up a bechamel sauce or sos beszamelowy. Here’s Martha Stewart’s recipe. You would just need 1/4 of her recipe, or save a little time with a packet mix or even jarred sauce, the kind of white sauce or Alfredo sauce you might find next to spaghetti sauce in the supermarket. In addition to this substitution, you might even substitute egg roll wrappers for the crepes because when you think about it, these are a lot like egg rolls.

I made these with Barszcz, so for the meat, I just used shortribs, and I picked the meat off the bones after making the broth. They’re equally delicious without meat.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Krokiety Polish Croquettes

Krokiety Polish Croquettes

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 12 krokiety
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Crispy bundles filled with veggie and maybe meat

Ingredients

  • for crepes
  • 1 cups flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • for filling
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 8 ouces mushrooms, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
  • 1/2 cup meat of your choice
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese or white sauce (just enough to bind ingredients together)
  • to assemble
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • oil for frying

Instructions

for crepes

  1. Combine flour, milk, water, eggs, melted butter, salt with mixer or blender
  2. Let the batter rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
  3. Heat a small frying pan, 8 or 9 inches, over medium high heat
  4. Brush or spray the pan with oil
  5. Add about 1/4 cup of batter and shake and tilt the pan to spread the batter to coat the bottom of the pan
  6. Cook about 30 seconds, until crepe is set and beginning to brown
  7. Flip crepe and cook another 10 – 20 seconds
  8. Remove, stack on a plate

for the filling

  1. Add butter and chopped mushrooms, and onion to a frying pan and cook until tender
  2. Add sauerkraut, I snipped the kraut with scissors, it seemed easier than dicing, and cooked meat
  3. Add grated cheese or white sauce and stir to combine
  4. Set aside

to assemble

  1. Put approximately 2 tablespoons of filling on a crepe, if the crepe were a clock, position the filling between 10 and 2 o’clock, keeping it about an inch from the edges, fold the top over the filling and fold the sides in and continue rolling
  2. Repeat until you run out of crepes or filling
  3. Whisk egg and water
  4. Carefully dip in rolled crepes in the egg wash and them roll in breadcrumbs
  5. Heat oil, about 1/2 inch deep, to 350 F over high to medium high heat
  6. Carefully place krokiety in hot oil, cooking until golden brown, about one minute on each side
  7. Serve along side Barszcz or with mushroom sauce

 

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

 

 

Polish Gingerbread Cake Ciasto Imbirowe

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In making this Polish Gingerbread Cake Ciasto Imbirowe, I’m giving you muplitle options, and I hope that doesn’t make it too confusing. You could just make two plain loaves of gingerbread cake and stop there or, possibly brush the top with melted jam and decorate the top of the loaf with dried fruit as you’ll see on Moje Wypieki. I wanted to recreate a commercial pastry that we used to buy at the Zabka, a Polish convenience store, near our apartment in Poznan. It was a package with little petit fours sized cakes that were filled with jam and marzipan and covered in chocolate, absolutely addictive!

Polish Gingerbread Cake Ciasto Imbirowe, filled with apricot jam and marzipan, enrobed in chocolate ganache

I have a mini bundt pan (six little cakes), so I used that in place of one of my loaf pans. I wanted to try putting the jam and marizpan directly into the batter, but I wasn’t sure that would work. My Plan B was to slice the cakes horizontally, brush with melted jam and add a thin layer of marzipan before covering with chocolate ganache. So I filled three of my mini bundt pans only half full of batter, then I made a coil of marzipan about the size of a pencil and added that along with little dabs (about a teaspoon in total) of jam. Then added more batter to cover the filling.

The three remaining mini bundts I left plain in case I needed to make these according to Plan B, thinking that my jam and marzipan might run out and stick to the pan, making the cakes impossible to remove. That didn’t happen, all six cakes cake out nicely. The other half of my batter went into a loaf pan. The batter rises a lot, giving a rustic split to the loaf as it bakes. Still inspired by my gingerbread petit fours, I trimmed the loaf cake until it was a nice rectangle, which I finished off according to Plan B. Using some of the leftover marzipan to make holly leaves.

Polish Gingerbread Cake Ciasto Imbirowe, filled with apricot jam and marzipan, topped with chocolate ganache!

I’m happy to report that baking the marzipan and jam into the batter was successful. The jam and marzipan flavors stayed distinct and unique. I’ll do all of my gingerbread cakes this way in the future becuase it’s easier and the end result flavor-wise is the same. The only reason I see to go to the trouble of rolling out the marizpan and sandwiching it with jam and gingerbread is if you’re after the visual image of the perfect line of contrasting filling as you cut into the cake. There is a pleasing aspect to the look.

Don’t think I wasted the dome I sliced off of the loaf cake. We’ve done a little nibbling and I think the dinner party we’re hosting on Saturday will feature Sauerbraten, a German pot roast seasoned and thickened with gingerbread!

Smacznego!

Lois

 

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Polish Gingerbread Cake Ciasto Imbirowe

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 2 9x5 loaves or 12 mini bundts
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A dense cake-like gingerbread that is extra delicious paired with marzipan, jam, and chocolate ganache

Ingredients

  • 1 cup honey (or golden syrup)
  • 1 cup stong coffee
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa

for optional filling

  • 4 ounce tube marzipan
  • apricot or plum jam

for ganache topping

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Comgine honey, coffee, butter, and spices in a saucepan, heat just enough to let butter, remove from heat
  3. Spray pans with baking spary (the one with flour works best)
  4. Combine eggs, and brown sugar, slowly add in the warm honey mixure with the mixer running
  5. Add baking powder, flour, and cocoa, mix until well combined
  6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans, the batter is very thick
  7. If you’re adding marzipan directly into the batter, only add half of the batter to the pan, add marzipan and jam (a coil of marzipan made from a 1/3″ slice and approximately a teaspoon of jam in a mini bundt, for a loaf pan, use 5-6 times this amount distributing throughout the loaf pan, avoiding the edges) and then top with remaining batter. I filed my mini bundts to just 1/2 inch below the top, they domed over the top of the pan giving a nice tall mini bundt with a slightly rounded bottom when it’s turned upside down)
  8. Bake about 30 minutes for mini bundts, 45 minutes for loaf pans. You can test for doneness by pressing gently on the top of the cake, it should feel firm and spring back or a toothpick inserted in the top should come out clean
  9. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and cool completely on a wire rack
  10. If you want to add a filling, but didn’t bake it into the dough. slice the cakes into two layers
  11. I trimmed my loaf cake to get a flat top and straight, not flared sides
  12. Roll out the marzipan to about 1/8 inch thickness, cut to the shape of your cake
  13. Heat jam, brush the jam onto what will be the middle of the cake, the top of the bottom layer, the bottom of the top layer, add the thin layer of marzipan on top of the bottom layer and add the top layer, creating a marzipan sandwich

for ganache

  1. Heat the cream and chocolate (about 1 minute on 50% power in my microwave), stir until glossy and smooth
  2. Let the ganache cool for a few minutes to about 100 F (or while you’re preparing the filling)
  3. Spoon ganaache over the top of your cakes
  4. If desired, color leftover marzipan for decoration

 

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow

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Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow is often one of the twelve traditional dishes for Christmas Eve or Wigilia in Poland. After simmering dried fruit, spices, and sugar or honey, the “broth” is strained off to served as a holiday beverage. The remaining, now re-hydrated fruit can be served as a stewed fruit, with yogurt, on oatmeal, or, I believe, some even serve it with pasta. I have to tell you, that I fixed this out of curiosity even though I didn’t expect to like Dried Fruit Compote. I half expected the fruit and liquid to taste like the canned fruit cocktail of my childhood. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, an elegant non-alcholic beverage for the holidaysI used in order of descending amounts: dried cherries, prunes, dried apples, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and it was delicious. The liquid (fruit broth) kompot was delicious, the fruit itself was wonderful, the spices really added to the taste without being overpowering. YUM!

So easy to make! Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow serve this Polish classic as is, or with oatmeal or yogurt, or even with pasta!

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow for Christmas Eve

In the interest of complete disclosure, I have never experienced a traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal or even Kompot z Suszonych Owocow until I made this batch. At a recent Girls Night for drinks and nibbles, the group asked me what Christmas was like in Poland. I confessed that we always came home to Tucson for Christmas with our family, so I hadn’t experienced it first hand, but from what I know of it, the huge family celebration involves decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, a little straw underneath the table cloth to remind everyone that Jesus was born in a manger. The meal is not eaten until the first star is seen, it consists of twelve (to represent the apostles) meatless dishes, including at least one soup. The soup(s) might be beet and/or mushroom. There may be a couple of fish dishes, herring is popular, and Jewish style carp. Makowiec, poppy seed roll is a popular dessert for Wigilia. After this feast, a midnight mass takes us from Advent to Christmas.

Quick and easy; Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, a Polish classic, to eat or drink!

Whether you drink or eat your Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, I think you’ll love it.

Smacznego!

Lois

 

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Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owoców

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Dried fruit and spices create a favorful winter drink

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds dried fruit, any variety
  • 1 cup sugar, or less to taste
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves
  • 3 whole allspice

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer, cover
  2. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes
  3. Cool
  4. Strain to serve as a beverage
  5. Serve fruit with or without liquid

 

Cranberry Orange Babka or Babka Zurawina z Pomarancza

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When I was baking my way through a cake cookbook, a cake a week, Ed would often take cake to work while we were in Poland. One week, he was working at the other F-16 base in Poland, near Lask, so this group got to sample the weekly baking. Tradition at this smaller base included all the pilots gathering for a tea break, so my contribution was perfect. The Polish pilots said the cake reminded them of a babka; they then went on to tell Ed that babka referred to a pretty girl. Actually, it means grandmother. The yeast cake, which is usually baked in a bundt pan, is said to resemble a grandmother’s skirt, but I do appreciate their attempt to flatter the cook.

Cranberry Orange Babka or Bakba żurawina z pomarańczą - a wonderful tart sweet yeast bread, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Cranberry Orange Babka or Babka żurawina z pomarańczą is only the second babka I’ve made; it seemed like the perfect flavor combination for this time of year. The recipe is adapted from the King Arthur website. With fresh and dried cranberries, the little red jewels, żurawina, are the predominate flavor. The yeast dough is light and tender, the perfect medium to convery the cranberry orange jam like mixture.

Whether you identify as a pretty girl or a grandmother, or a pretty grandmother (handsome grandfather?), I hope you’ll enjoy cranberry orange babka zurawina z pomarancza.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Cranberry Orange Babka żurawina z pomarańczą

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 3 hours 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 mins
  • Yield: 1 loaf
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A colorful and tart yeast bread

Ingredients

for the dough:

  • 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (110 F)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 egg egg
  • 3 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

for the filling:

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Pour warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle with dried yeast and sugar
  2. Stir, let sit about 5 minutes, it should begin to get frothy
  3. Add egg, butter, vanilla, 1 teaspoon orange zest, flour, and salt, stir and knead until everything is incorporated into a smooth dough
  4. Lightly grease a bowl, put dough into bowl and turn over (to lightly grease the top), cover and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes
  5. Make the filling while the dough rises by adding orange juice, brown sugar, and all the cranberries to a saucepan
  6. Cook over medium low heat until the fresh cranberries begin to pop and the texture becomes jam-like
  7. Remove from heat, stir in buter, orange zest, and cinnamon, cool
  8. Roll out the dough to form a 12 inch x 14 inch rectangle
  9. Spread the cranberry mixture over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch near one of the short ends bare
  10. Roll up the dough starting from the opposite side, pinch the edge without filling to seal the roll
  11. Slice in half lengthwise, place both halves next to each other with cut sides up, twist the two pieces around each other, keeping the cut sides up (if you study my photo, you’ll see I forgot this step)
  12. Pinch the ends together and place in a greased 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pan
  13. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it just begins to get higher than the pan
  14. Preheat over to 350
  15. Bake for 45 minutes (internal temp 190 F), loosley tenting with foil after 30 miinutes to keep it from getting too dark
  16. Rub the top with butter after baking to keep the crust soft
  17. Cook in the pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack
  18. Slice to serve

 

Czerwona Kapusta (Polish Red Cabbage)

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Not long after we arrived in Poland, Ed’s supervisor visited from Florida. I was seated next to him at dinner one night, and the meal we’d both ordered included a side of Czerwona Kapusta (Polish Red Cabbage). After tasting his, John leaned over and said, “mine is better.” To which I replied, Well then, I’d like to have your recipe. You might not picture red cabbage as a well-known dish in Florida and you’d be correct, but John’s wife grew up not far from where we were dining. They have a home there and spend a lot of time in Central Europe, so he had some credibility.
Czerwona Kapusta (Polish Red Cabbage) a colorful, sweet and sour side dish
Like so many home cooks, John wasn’t someone who used a recipe, but it did his best to put it in writing, and I’ve loved the results. The blackberry preserves refresh the color of the cooked cabbage. The sweet and sour taste is balanced by the savory warmth of the onion – very tasty, and John tells me it freezes well. It’s so popular that my mother has made it a regular feature on her Christmas Eve menu. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.
Smacznego!
Lois
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Red Cabbage

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
  • Yield: 8 - 10 servings
  • Category: Vegetable
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A colorful, sweet and sour dish

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 tart apples, peeled, cored & diced
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 head red cabbage
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup seedless blackberry preserves

Instructions

  1. In a large dutch oven, saute onion and apples in butter until soft
  2. Cut cabbage into quarters, remove core and outer leaves, thinly slice remaining leaves to produce a finely shredded cabbage
  3. Add cabbage, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to pan, cook approximately one hour, until cabbage is soft, stirring occasionally
  4. Stir in blackberry preserves, combine over heat until the preserves are melted

Notes

This makes a big batch, but it freezes well

Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies

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Toruń, Poland, home of Nicholas Copernicus, is one of many European cities that claims to have invented gingerbread. One story goes that woman had consumed a little too much mead and made the happy mistake of adding honey and spices to bread she was making. The city, which is one of the few in Poland not damaged during World War II, even hosts a Gingerbread Museum. When we spent the night in Toruń on a Thanksgiving road trip, the hotel left individually wrapped gingerbread cookies on our pillows.

After seeing the beautiful gingerbread figures available at most festivals in the Stary Rynek (Old Market Square) in Poznan, I wanted to buy some wooden gingerbread molds to bring home with me. They’re not easy to find. I found my first at a gingerbread shop in Gdansk (they only had two and my friend bought the other for her daughter), subsequent wooden molds were purchased at a wonderful souvenir shop in Toruń (I wish I had the address), and finally, I bought a large reversible mold (man on one side, woman on the other) in an antique store in Amsterdam, so I guess technically this one would be a speculaas mold.

gingerbread houses

I’ve made gingerbread in the past. I used to make three gingerbread houses every Christmas for our daughters to decorate. My American recipe uses molasses. The Polish recipe I used for inspiration, from Moje Wypieki, uses honey and is a little softer than what I’ve worked with in the past. The finished texture is light and lovely. One change that I will make next time is to reduce the baking soda. I hope with less leavening, the details from the mold will be more distinct after baking.

This is the first time I’ve used the gingerbread molds, which I have seasoned previously with mineral oil. It was fun to try them out. After rolling the dough, I patted and pressed it into the molds, which I lightly dusted with powdered sugar to be sure the gingerbread would release. It worked like a charm. I trimmed the pattern before baking, using a combination of a pizza cutter, a little pasta cutter, and the corner of my metal spatula. My royal icing piping isn’t precise enough to accent the lines in the molds, so Ed had the good idea of speading icing on the relief and then wiping it off, almost as if I were antiquing furniture. It highlights the pattern better. I may also leave them plain in the future.

Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies

In addition to my wooden molds, I tried out two large Christmas cookie cutters and made a bunch of little hearts. I piped a little royal icing on the larger cookies and the molded gingerbread, but I left my little hearts plain, but you could certainly sprinkle them with coarse sugar or sprinkles before baking, or coat with a thin glaze after baking.  Traditional pierniczki should look rustic, not too perect. It would be a great baking project for kids.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 50 little cookies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A light, crisp, spice cookie

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup honey (spray the measuring cup with oil and the honey will pour out easily)
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/4 cups flour (you might like to try rye flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a saucepan, heat the honey, butter, and brown sugar over medium heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves
  3. Remove from heat
  4. Stir in egg
  5. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, and salt
  6. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/4 inch thick
  7. Cut into sharpes or press into prepared molds
  8. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 8 minutes

 

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.