Cuisine Focus – Polish – Camaraderie Via Tastes

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Polish cuisine is not your basic culinary melt pot. With influences that include Turkish, Italian, German, and Jewish, it is safe to say that Polish cooking is about diversity and geographical timelines.

Polish cooking gives prior importance to meat, vegetables and spices. Dairy products like cream and eggs are essential ingredients. Food preparation usually takes time as shown by marked breakfasts during holidays. For the polish, food has remarkable significance to the family and gatherings are about camaraderie via flavors and tastes.

Traditional Polish cuisine is not about reducing calorie counts or worrying over such excesses. Since Polish food is generally hearty, it is expected that one will surely feast on meat. Prime products likewise include sausages and breads. Cakes and pastries are also considered the most popular desserts.

Poland’s culture gives weight on foreign influences, which is an advantage in terms of their cooking. With notable contributions coming from the Italians and the French, it is no secret that this cuisine accepts and enjoys food with no pretense. They do not mind serving non-native dishes. The Polish are also bold enough to try unusual flavors and exotic recipes.

Ingredients Utilized in Polish Cuisine

Meat:

Beef, Pork, Chicken, Duck, Lamb

Seafood:

Carp, Salmon, Trout, Herring, Pike

Vegetables:

Cabbage (Sauerkraut), Cucumber (Gherkins), Mushroom, Peas, Potatoes, Beetroot, Horseradish

Preserves and Fruits:

Apples, Plums, Prunes, Raisins

Dairy:

Cheese, Eggs, Milk

Oils:

Lard, Butter

Spices:

Parsley, Caraway seeds, Pepper, Dill, Marjoram

Famous soups include Zurek, a sour rye soup comprising of potatoes, sausages and eggs. Another specialty is Zupa koperkowa, a type of soup with dill as main ingredient. The Polish are also fond of cooking other main courses that comprise of beef and veal. Common dishes include beef sirloin with mushroom sauce and chunks of beef cooked in horseradish. Beef rolls, also known as Zrazy zawijane, are likewise favorites featuring items such as bacon, onions and gherkins.

Polish food is also about hors d’oeuvres like the famous steak tartar and Smalec, a dish that is typically served with pickled cucumbers. Side dishes normally offer chips, dumplings and pancakes while desserts offer various specialties like doughnuts (Paczki) and sweet poppy cakes (Makowiec).

While it is true that Polish cuisine represents different personalities, it is undeniable that being traditionally diverse means allowing fruitful change. Others may contest originality and equate such as something inferior or of less quality, but with the manner the Polish handled food and its culinary ways, it is no doubt that Polish cuisine is about groups and family.

Authentic Polish Recipes

Pierogi with Meat Filling Recipe

Recipe Source: tastingpoland.com

Ingredients:

0.5 kg of beef
3 carrots
1 parsley
1 leek
half of a celery
1 onion
butter or oil for frying
1 roll
parsley leaves
two eggs
salt & pepper
pierogi dough
crackling or fried onion

Methods:

1 Wash 0.5 kg of beef without the bone. Put in salted water. Cook, until the meat softens.

2 Prepare wloszczyzna vegetables: peel and cut into small stripes three carrots, one parsley, one leek and half a celery. Throw this vegetables into stock with meat and leave gently cooking on half an hour. I usually don’t buy raw vegetables in such situations. I prefer buying in a grocery those already cut up frozen vegetables.

3 While the meat is being cooked with vegetables peel onion and cut it into cubes.

4 Fry onion on the frying pan with the addition of butter, until it lightly browns itself.

5 Take the meat out of stock and tear into smaller pieces.

6 Put one roll into the bowl and fill with stock. Wait a while, as far as the roll will become soaked. Then take it out of the bowl, drain and add to the meat.

7 Add also fried onion and precisely mix everything.

8 Grind the blend of onion, meat and roll in a meat mincer.

9 Chop parsley leaves up and add to stuffing.

10 Wolf two eggs down.

11 Add salt and grinded black pepper. Mix. Season to taste.

12 If your stuffing is too dry add some stock.

13 Now arrange this stuffing with teaspoon on pierogi dough circles and carefully glue the dough, forming pierogi.

14 Cook pierogi on salted water. After floating to the surface cook until become soft. Then sift out.

15 We pan-fry the cooked pierogi. Use butter or sunflower oil. Fry pierogi from both sides – from time to time turning from side to side. Fry pierogi, until become firmly browned from both sides.

16 Lay pierogi on plates. To make the dish more tasty sprinkle pierogi with crackling prepared in the meantime, or use onion fried to gold. Many people like to eat meat filled pierogi with ketchup, mustard or other nice sauces. You can try it, but it is worthwhile knowing that such a way of eating isn’t truly traditional.

I hope that you find this pierogi with meat filling recipe useful. Enjoy your meal! Smacznego!

Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew Recipe)

Recipe Source: recipes.epicurean.com

Ingredients:

1/4 pound salt pork trimmed of rind and diced
1/2 pound lean boned beef chuck, cut in 1″ cubes
1/2 pound lean boned pork shoulder, cut in 1″ cubes
1/2 pound lamb shoulder, cut in 1″ cubes
1 (3-3-1/2-pound) frying chicken, cut up
2 large yellow onions, peeled and minced
1 carrot, peeled and split lengthwise
2 stalks celery
2 stalks parsley
6 peppercorns tied in cheesecloth with 1 bay leaf
1 cup beef broth (about–just enough to keep meats from sticking)
1/4 pound dried mushrooms
2 pounds sauerkraut
1 kielbasa sausage, sliced 1/2″ thick
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS flour blended with 1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup dry Madeira wine

Directions:

Brown salt pork in a large, heavy kettle over moderately high heat; remove and set aside.
In drippings brown each meat separately; drain on paper toweling.
Also brown and drain chicken, adding a little bacon drippings, if needed.
Lightly brown onions, return meats to kettle, lay chicken pieces on top, and scatter with the saltpork cubes.
Add carrot, celery, parsley, cheesecloth bag, and broth, cover, and simmer 1 hour, adding a little extra broth, if needed.
Meanwhile, prepare mushrooms for cooking.
Pour their soaking water over the sauerkraut, cut mushrooms in thin strips and mix with kraut.
Remove vegetables and cheesecloth bag from kettle and discard.
Lift out chicken. Cut meat from bones, and return to kettle.
Add sauerkraut mixture and remaining ingredients and toss carefully to mix.
Cover and simmer 1/2-3/4 hour until all meats are tender.

Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes.

Makes 6-8 servings.

*Directions for mushrooms:

Black mushrooms and wood ears should be soaked in boiling water to cover 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze as dry as possible before cooking.

About 755 calories for each of six servings. 565 calories for 8 servings.

My neighbor who is polish makes a version of this using other meats or just a couple of meats. It’s pretty good. He usually uses pork, beef and chicken, so use the meats you prefer.

Image Credit: polandpoland.com

tastingpoland.com

simplyrecipes.com

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