When I was a child, I used to hate this dish with a passion of thousand burning suns. Something about a boiled root that always vaguely smelled of dirt didn't really sound appetizing to me. Recently, though, I got involved in a challenge that forced me to utilize beets. This recipe seemed the easiest and I didn't have to like it, right? Fortunately for me I fell in love and I can't wait to make it again.
Ingredients:
- 1lbs beets, boiled
- 1/2 small onion, chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp of cooking oil
- (optional) 1 tsp flour
You will need a large frying pan or even a large pot, and a grater.
Grate the beets on the medium side and set aside. In the frying pan, heat up the oil and throw on the onion. Cook until it starts browning. Add the beets and all the spices. Keep stirring until everything heats up and the flavors meld together. If you desire to thicken it, add flour and continue mixing.
Serve with dinner. It goes best with pork schnitzel and potatoes.
Enjoy!
When you ask a Pole about Polish cuisine and its signature dishes there will always be a number of commonalities. Pork schnitzel, kotlet schabowy as we know it, is one of those dishes and has been a staple in all Polish homes. When I desire a taste of nostalgia, this is what I make.
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless pork chops
- 2 large eggs
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika
- breading of choice (I use coconut flour, regular breading will do)
- frying oil (I use coconut oil)
You will need a tenderizing mallet, a gallon ziplock bag, and a frying pan.
Tenderize the pork chops on both sides and put in the baggie. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs and spices and add to the pork. Leave it marinating in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When ready to eat, bread both sides of each pork chop and pan-fry it until each side is a nice golden color.
Traditionally, it is served with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, but the sky is the limit here.
Enjoy!
Tomato soup was a staple in my house growing up; I think everybody had that experience. The only difference is that Polish tomato soup isn't served with grilled cheese sandwiches. A shame, really.
Ingredients:
- beef soup bone (ask a butcher at your grocery store)
- water (at least a gallon?)
- 2 carrots
- 1 parsnip
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 tsp Vegeta seasoning
- 1 tsp parsley flakes (optional)
- 1 box of pasta of your choice, boiled according to instructions
You will need a large pot.
Boil the bone and Vegeta in a large pot filled 3/4 with water for roughly 30 minutes; the meat on the bone needs to be cooked through. Add veggies and boil until tender. Take out the bone and veggies, add half a can of tomato paste and stir until blended completely. Keep adding more until the soup is fragrant and flavorful.
Serve it in a bowl with pasta and thin out the soup with a little of sour cream.
Enjoy!
I think the origin of this dish comes from a Polish woman who had a whole lot of weird leftovers and decided to stick them together then cover them in mayonnaise. Because in Poland, we cover everything in mayo or sour cream. True story.
Ingredients:
- 1 big potato
- 1 can of sweet peas
- 3 eggs, hard-boiled
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 1 big apple
- 3-4 medium pickles (cannot be sweet, pickles in brine are best)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
Boil carrots and the potato without peeling first. Cool completely and peel the vegetables. Cube everything, add peas and mayo, and mix until it's all fairly uniform. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat with bread of choice or as a side with a main dish.
Options: You can add chopped up cold hot dogs or ham, substitute cucumbers for pickles, or add corn.
Enjoy!
The traditional Polish apple cake was one of the first cakes I have ever learned how to make. My grandma was downright ecstatic when I displayed interest in learning how to cook and bake. That being said, this is a relatively labor intensive cake. It will take you a couple of hours to put together, that's for sure.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
- 4 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2.5 cups of sugar (3.5 cups if you like super sweet things)
- approx. 1lbs of flour
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream (if necessary)
- 6 large Granny Smith apples
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
You will need a 9x13 baking pan, a variety of mixing bowls, a pot, and cooking spray.
Preparing the dough: Combine all the flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, salt, and a cup of sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and 4 egg yolks, and knead the dough with your hands until it becomes uniform (I'm sure this could be done in a mixer, but I do not possess one). If the dough comes out too dry, add some sour cream until the dough no longer crumbles. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for an hour.
Preparing the apple layer: Peel the apples and grate them; you can either do it by hand or run the apples through a juicer and put everything back together. The choice is yours. Put the grated apples into a pot, add a cup of sugar, and simmer until the apples have completely softened. Optionally, you can add a tbsp of cinnamon to apples. Set aside and let it cool completely.
Preparing the whipped layer: Put 4 egg whites into a sturdy bowl and whip them into foam with hand mixer until you have soft peaks. Add 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tbsp of flour and 1/2 cup of sugar while stirring carefully with a spoon.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Assembling the cake: Grate 3/4 of the frozen dough onto the baking pan and stick the rest back into the freezer. Bake that for about 25 minutes, or until the top is just barely baked (it will start showing golden edges). Take out the pan. Pour the apple layer onto the cake layer and smooth out. Pour out the whipped layer onto the apples and also smooth out evenly. Grab the remaining frozen dough and grate it on top of the whipped egg whites. Try to cover as evenly as possible, even if the grated dough will try to splatter everywhere. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Let it cool before serving.
Enjoy!
Racuchy are essentially Polish pancakes. They are extremely straight-forward and will most definitely delight for an autumn breakfast. I suggest a complement of nice glass of milk and maybe some powdered sugar to top the pancakes.
Ingredients:
- 2 large apples; peeled, cored and sliced into relatively small pieces
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups of flour
- 16oz of milk
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (optional)
- frying oil of your choice.
- In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients and make sure the batter is uniform. Flour pockets are unpleasant when eating pancakes.
- Add apples and stir.
- Heat up the frying pan and fry up all the batter. You can make the pancakes any size you want, though they're best if they're almost palm-sized.
