Polish Hunter's Seasoning or Przyprawa Mysliwska

Maria Strybel is my culinary hero.  She wrote the classic "Polish Heritage Cookery". 

I used to buy the pre-made Bigos spice mix at the Polish store, which is good.  But, since I used it so often for so many dishes, it helps to be able to make this mix myself.  Since I asked my Babcia about it and her measurements were "However much you like it", this recipe helped me.  Thank you, Mrs. Strybel.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Marjoram
1 tablespoon Pepper (this time I used Herbal Pepper instead of Black Pepper)
1 tablespoon Onion Powder or Dried Minced Onion
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt
1 tablespoon Juniper
1 teaspoon Caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon Allspice (ground or whole berry)
1/4 teaspoon ground Bay Leaf (for me, it means one leaf)


Juniper is very difficult to find.  If you cannot find it, try the Polish stores or other Ethnic stores.  Here is the packet I bought, to give you a reference.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Store in an airtight container, such as a sterilized jar.

You can use this in Bigos, as part of a Marinade, to help add flavor to meat dishes, soups, stews, sauerkraut dishes, etc.

Smacznego!

Why I Love the Polish Store

My husband knows how to show that he loves me, he goes to the Polish store.  And, of course, I have to tag along.  I love going to the polish store.

First, I have to share with you something I personally enjoy.  The old tradition of walking into a shop is to greet the owner with a "Dzien dobre" may not be practiced by all anymore as time has gone from the days when all shops were the lower level of a business owner's house, but I still love it and teach the tradition to my kids.  I think it's just nice to acknowledge the persons working to give me a pleasant shopping experience when I enter their establishment.

I also have an obsession with bread.  Some people could never give up steaks, chocolate, alcohol, or other foods, my passion is good bread.  The kind of bread that molds or becomes stale just a few short days after being purchased because it is free of preservatives.  The kind of bread that smells like it was baked that day, and the crust still crunches oh-so-right when I squeeze it.  Mmmmm, bread...

I lost my train of thought there, sorry about that.  But then, bread does that to me.  My husband knows to buy at least two loaves for me.  I have to love that man.  Especially since he hates bread.

Some, but not all, of the items which are different at the Polish store than elsewhere are the mustards, farmers cheese, Polish Dill Pickles (which the Polish store variety has no food coloring or preservatives, tastes better, and is the same price or cheaper than what the major grocery store carries, go figure), teas, jellies, Ketchup, and donuts.  Well, to be clear, actually they are Paczki (pronounced "Pohn-ch-kee" and meaning a Polish style Donut). 

Other items which cannot be bought elsewhere are real actual Kielbasa (pronounced Kee-ehw-bahsah and meaning Sausage, which could literally mean any one of about 250 different types), Polish Movies, CD's, magazines, premade Polish foods, etc.



I also can buy packets of Kisiel, Budyn, premade Nalesniki, Steak Tartar, and a myriad of other delicious pre-made Polish foods.

On today's trip, I purchased the following:

Polish Dill Pickles

"Wiejskie" (Old Country Style Polish Dill) Pickles

Sauerkraut

Black Currant Jam

Pierniki z Czekoladzie (a Polish gingerbread cookie covered with chocolate)

Granulated Bran with Plums (Never had this one, so decided to give it a try)

Ketchup "Ladodny" (This is not the Ketchup you buy at the typical American store)

Budyn

Juniper berries (For making Hunter's Spice Mix)

A pound of Ham (vague, I know, I called it out to my husband as I walked protectively with the Baby so that she wouldn't hit her head or break something so who knows what kind he got)

A pound of Mazowiecki Cheese

A plastic container of Kluski (for a quick dish for kids when I need a break this weekend)

Honey Mustard (Forgot to grab French Mustard & another, oops)

6 Parowki (little Veal Wieners which are way more awesome & healthy than hot dogs & my kids love)

A tub of Farmer's Cheese

A Szarlotka (Polish Apple Pie/Cake, how could I resist?)

And 3 Polish Magazines so that I could get ideas and also practice my Polish...

Altogether, the trip cost us less than $70, so I would say it was definitely worth it!  I hope you feel inspired to visit your local ethnic store and give something amazing a try...

What a Winter Wonderland

It snowed outside.  Actually, it seems more like my house was placed in the middle of Antarctica.

That's my window caked with snow.  Two of the windows in our house ended up having snow coming inside because we need to replace them.  Oh, the joys of moving into a new house.  Oh, the joys of winter.  Oh, joy...

Thankfully, we are plant people.  So, I can look at my various plants and remember that soon winter will end.  At least, according to some Groundhog.

In the meantime, my older child likes to eat snow.  So, we decided to do an experiment.  Which kept both busy for a good half hour.  First, we gathered snow in a clean bowl and waited for it to melt.  Because children are impatient, I gave them a cup full to play with in the meantime. 

Next, we poured the melted snow, or water, into a cup through a coffee filter.



Then, we looked at our results.

And through a magnifying glass.

All I can say is, I refuse to eat snow.  But the kids?  They thought it was gross and dirty but still wanted to get more and eat it.  Mommy sighs.  Kids laugh at Mommy sighing and continue to eat snow.

Yesterday, a friend reminded me of this verse.

"He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work, he stops all people from their labor." Job 37: 6-7

At least my older child is off school so that we could all snuggle together, chase each other around the house and laugh and scream and dance...  After all, why else would God bless us with them if we can't spend snow days laughing with them?



 

If you liked this post, check out Winter on the Prairie.

Nalesniki z Serem or Polish Crepes/Pancakes with Cheese

This is actually a sweet dish.  And is it gooooood...

There are many recipes for the batter but in the end, it's like Dessert Crepes.

Ingredients for Batter:

1 1/2 cups Milk
1 cup Flour (I used unbleached)
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Melted Butter

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Mix really well.  Make sure, if using a mixer, to scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times so that no flour clumps on the bottom.

A tip I learned from a French friend years ago, allow the batter to sit at room temperature for 1/2 an hour to an hour.  In a medium sized frying pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and pour in a couple of tablespoons of batter.  Immediately, twist pan around to evenly distribute batter.  Heat until lightly golden brown (I constantly overcook them slightly, oops, I'm a Busy Mommy!) on one side. 

I love the French saying "The first crepe goes to the dogs" since the first one absorbs the most oil and just doesn't quite turn out right...

Ingredients for Cheese Filling:

1 1/2 cups White Cheese (Farmers Cheese, Ricotta, or very dry Cottage Cheese)
1 Egg Yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Sugar
Sugar
Zest from an Orange (or Lemon, if you like)
(See Notes)

Mix all ingredients together.

On the browned side of the crepes, smear filling as thick as you like.  I usually do about one tablespoon. 

Roll either into a burrito style shape or fold into a quarter.

At this point, you can set them aside with plastic wrap for later.  Or you can brown slightly on each side and serve. 

You can drizzle with fruit syrup, if you like, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.  I buy mine from the local ethnic store (a Polish brand for about $3-4 for 1 Liter), which we also sometimes drizzle on ice cream, other desserts, mix into beer or other drinks, or dissolve into water for a different drink.

Smacznego!



Notes:

I cannot really tell you how much Sugar to use, since, according to my Babcia (and I agree), it depends on the cheese and how you like it.  I used Ricotta cheese and 4 tablespoons of Powdered Sugar.  Granulated Sugar can also be used.

I love the Polish language.  My Babcia in telling me her recipe, said "Żółtko" (pronounced Zoo-TKOh, and meaning Egg Yolk), which always makes me think of "Złoto" (pronounced Zuoh-Toh, and meaning Gold).

Don't worry, a recipe for Vanilla Sugar will be coming soon.

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How to Make Packet Kisiel

A Photographer/Blogger/Pole/Mom and I have been talking about Polish desserts lately.  We talked about Budyn and Nalesniki and now, Kisiel.

I love Kisiel.  It's a great way to get some sweetness packed with Vitamin C into your little ones.  You can mix fruits into it if you like.  It's inexpensive.  And it's ridiculously easy to make.  If you can boil water and stir, you can make packet Kisiel which can be bought at any Polish store, or other European stores.  And on a cold day like this, a warm dessert is perfect for everyone.

Again, I did not get any financial or gifts from this company.  It's just the packet I have in my cabinet.  And I wanted to translate it for others who cannot read Polish and are interested in making this at home.

Step 1:
Z 0,5 litra zimnej wody odlac pol szklanki. 
From 0.5 liter (2 cups or 500 ml) of cold water pour out 1/2 cup (to the side).

Wsypac zawartosc torebki. 
Pour in the powder from the packet (into the 1/2 cup of cold water).

Dobrze wymieszac. 
Mix well.

Pozostala czesc wody zagotowac.

The remaining water (now 1 1/2 cups) bring to a boil.

Step 2:

Odsunac wode z ognia, wlac rozmieszany proszek. 

Remove the water from heat, immediately add the dissolved powder.

Calosc chwile gotowac, ciagle mieszajac.

While still heating, mix the whole time.  (I do this off the heat, personally)

Step 3: 

Kisiel wlac do salaterek.

Put Kisiel into salad bowls.

Polecamy podawac ze swiezymi lub mrozonymi owocami.

We recommend serving with either fresh or frozen fruit mixed in.  (I do too)

  

Smacznego!

A Winter Vegetable Soup Dinner

Last night, I was supposed to make a Pot Roast.  And I did!  But, it wasn't finished until 8 pm because I didn't start it until after 4 (oops).  The family still had to be fed.  Which is why I always keep a pot of soup in the refrigerator, especially in the winter.

I have no idea what you would call this soup.  I had purchased a packet of vegetables from the local ethnic store a few days prior and had made a soup from some of the ingredients.

Inside, there were 2 Red Potatoes, a 1/2 Head of Cauliflower, a 1/2 Head of Cabbage, 3 handfuls of Baby Carrots, 2 handfuls of Celery sticks, a bunch of Flat Parsley, a Chayote, Zucchini, an Ear of Corn, and 4 Chicken Bouillon cubes.

I looked at it, thought "Hmmm, now what do you do with that?" and bought it.  After I brought it home, my husband asked some Mexican coworkers about the Chayote and he was told that there is a particular soup/stew made with these ingredients.  Well, that would be no fun just chopping up everything and basically following a recipe. 

Sometimes, I like to buy produce and experiment.  Sometimes, the experiment fails miserably but other times, it's fabulous.  This time, it was a success...

Winter Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 Head of Cabbage
1/2 Head of Cauliflower
2 Red Potatoes
One Leek, the Dark Green Tip
2 Handfuls of Baby Carrots
2 Celery Sticks
4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
4-6 large pinches of Dill
Water
1 teaspoon of Herbal Pepper or 1/2 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper *
Sour Cream


Peel and dice the Potatoes.  Chop the Cabbage and Cauliflower to bite sizes. 

Split the Leeks in half, lengthwise.  Separate each leaf and wash in a bowl of cold water.  Chop into bite sizes.

Add all ingredients, except Sour Cream to crock pot.  Use enough water to cover the vegetables and to make the amount of soup broth you like.  Cook until all vegetables are soft.

Serve with one to two tablespoons of Sour Cream mixed in.

I think this would also be delicious with Mushrooms.  Or with a hard boiled Egg chopped and added on top as garnish.

We served it with homemade Pierogi covered in Butter.

* Herbal Pepper can be bought in Polish stores or other Ethnic stores.  Sometimes, Herbal Pepper is another word for Ground Coriander.  Sometimes, it's a mix which is meant as a substitute for Black Pepper, which is called Herbal Pepper.

Smacznego!

How to Make Packet Budyn

I was looking at a beautiful photo blog by another Polish Mama living in the USA and decided to make Budyn (pronounced "Boo-Dinn" and meaning Pudding).  I had packets I had bought from the local Polish store and, upon glancing at the instructions for myself, I realized that not everyone can read Polish so I thought this might be appreciated by some.

The flavor I chose was Smietankowyn (pronounced ShmEEeh-tahn-kow-im and meaning Cream, but it's like a light vanilla is the closest thing I can compare it to).

As a side note, I did not get compensated by the company which makes this product, in fact, they are completely unaware of me or my blog.  But, if they do happen to see this, I am looking for a corporate sponsor which makes Polish food ;)

The instructions say:

Step 1: 
Zagotowac 500 ml mleka i odstawic z ognia. 
Bring to a boil 2 cups of milk and remove from the heat.

Step 2:
Po uplywie ok. 2 min. proszek wsypac do mleka i mieszac trzepaczka-rozga lub widelcem ok. 1 min. 
After waiting about 2 minutes, add the powder from packet to the milk and mix together with handmixer or fork for about 1 minute.

Step 3:
Budyn wlac do salaterek lub szklanej misy. Podawac na ciepla lub na ziemno.Pudding put into dessert dish or glass bowl.  Serve warm or cooled.

I, like many, like mine very warm with some preserves or jam mixed in.

This did not turn out as thick as I normally have, so I would suggest using a bit less milk, perhaps 1 1/2 cups or so.

Now, the question...  Did I and the children enjoy it?

Well, that was my only bite.  My older child ate a glass, my husband snuck a glass (who knew he liked it!), and the baby ate all of mine.

I hope you feel inspired to go to a local store and try something from another country.  Smacznego!

The Snow is Coming...

Starting tonight, we are supposed to get at least a feet of snow.  I've heard perhaps even 2 feet.  Around this time of year, I start getting pretty grumbly about snow, especially this year when my oldest is in school and her school does not close for something as trivial as snow, typically.  So, I decided to take pictures and try to find the beauty in it.

Can you see what looks like a tiny little snail?