Polish Hunter's Lamb

I love lamb.  I know it's not considered a very common meat in Poland but it is still delicious.  Sheep is raised in Poland alongside pig and cattle, so while lamb dishes are not the most popular, they do exist.

My Tato and Babcia both do not enjoy the taste of lamb but my Wujek does enjoy it.

Lamb, or sheep, has a strong taste.  Some will express dislike for it's strong taste, well, stronger than conventionally raised beef which is the closest red meat many will have to compare it to.  But to me, it tastes like it grazed on grass, shrubbery and other greens.

Lamb stands up well to stronger sauces, spices, etc.



Ingredients:

1 leg of Lamb
1 teaspoon Ginger
1 cup Water
1 cup White Wine
1/2 cup Vinegar
12 Peppercorns
8 Allspice berries
5 Bay Leaves
20 Juniper Berries
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1-2 Onions
Marjoram or Curly Parsley
Salt
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Flour
Sugar

Remove the fell from the lamb and any large chunks of fat.  Place fat side up in a roasting pan without a rack.


In a saucepan, combine all but the Garlic, Onion and Salt in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Pour this marinade over the meat and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.  Flip over one to two times a day for 3 to 5 days.

Position the leg of lamb so that the fat side is up.

Cut the garlic and onions into slivers.  Make slits into the meat about 1-2" deep and stuff with garlic, onions and marjoram or curly parsley.  Pour the marinade over the meat one more time.  Rub the lamb all over with salt.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 1/2 an hour to crisp up the outside. 

Turn down heat to 325 degrees and cook for 2-3 1/2 hours.  Inside temperature of meat should be 150 degrees.

Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Mix in flour and add the marinade juices.  Season with sugar and any additional vinegar you would like to suit your taste.

Serve with boiled potatoes or buckwheat grouts, fried cabbage, carrots or rubbed beets.  You can also serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, if you like.

Because I decided to let the lamb sit another hour after adding the slices of garlic, the garlic turned green but it is safe to eat.



The final verdict:  My Tato did not like it, but he doesn't like lamb.  My husband inhaled it as did both of my children, who do not like lamb.  My older daughter does not like sour foods but since I found the right amount of balance when I added the sugar and she mixed sour cream into her sauce, she loved it.  I loved it and ate nothing else for several days. 



Smacznego!

Barszcz Meets Pot Roast

I found a recipe online called "Polish Pot Roast" from the 1970's. 

I decided to make it for dinner last night. I figured I could get a couple of days without having to stress over making dinner while I prepare for Wigilia.

 

I think next time, I will cook the cabbage in water seperately for about a half hour before adding to the dish, since the flour from the meat will have by then made a thick sauce that doesn't really help to soften the cabbage well enough for my personal preference.


Also, I think the beets could then be added to the cabbage for another 1/2 hour to get the flavors to blend together more.


It did turn out to have the flavor of Barszcz in the form of a Pot Roast.  It was a hit in our house.  I hope you enjoy this recipe I found.


Today, I am making a list for the local Polish store.  Included on the list are Oplatki, Dried Polish mushrooms, Kielbasa (for Christmas Day and Bigos), Sauerkraut.  We are also starting to make cookies, such as Bezy, Pierniczki and Kolaczki.


How are your Wigilia and Christmas preparations going?




Related Posts:

Another Version of Barszcz

My Favorite Holiday Memories

My Meatless Golabki

Photos of Some of Our Cooking Last Weekend

We are battling a nasty bout of croup at my house at this moment.  I hope you will forgive me as I will today just be sharing photos of some of the items I cooked here the past few days.  Recipes will be shared as we start feeling better.

"Glazed Porkloin", also known as Applesauce Pork Roast or Pieczony Schab

"Polish" Roasted Chicken stuffed and baked with potatoes and onions

The drumstick my 5 year old stole off the chicken before I could photograph it all together...

Cheese bread

Kuchen or Placek made with three different plum varieties and a new recipe I found in a handwriting I don't recognize...

Cheesecake stuffed Carrot cupcakes...

My Tati (Dad's) Polish Tomato Soup...

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a wonderful week. 

Na razie...

My First Attempt at Zeberka w Miodze or Polish Spare Ribs in Honey

I recently tried to recreate a recipe my mother and father would make when I was a child.  The Polish version of Barbecued Spare Ribs- Zeberka w Miodze.  The difference being, less tomato and honey instead of brown sugar.

The odd thing about this, I believe it's an older recipe.  And my parents had never had barbecue when I was younger, yet the similarity between this and the American version is uncanny.



Ingredients:

2 lbs. Pork Spare Ribs, rinsed
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying (I used vegetable oil, since I ran out of Sunflower oil)
2 Onions, thinly sliced
6 Garlic cloves, diced
1 Tomato (see Note)
5 tablespoons Honey
1/2 cup Vinegar
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Marjoram, to taste

Optional:
Basil, to taste
Dried fruits, such as apricots, plums, raisins (you can reduce the honey a bit in this case)



Sprinkle salt and pepper on the spare ribs and allow to sit for 1/2 hour to hour.

Fry the spare ribs on all sides on medium high heat. 

In the meantime, in another pot, sweat the onions in a tablespoon of oil.  Add garlic.  After a couple of minutes, add tomatoes, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, herbs.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  See Note.

Place meat in crock pot.

Pour the sauce on top.

Cook on high for about 7 hours.

The question with children, American husband, and picky father?  Yes, they all gobbled it up.  Although, this is one of very few meat dishes my older daughter is now eating, as she has decided to become a vegetarian for ethical reasons.  I'm a proud Mama.

Smacznego!



Note: 

My first attempt, I used 2 fresh tomatoes and 1/2 a can of tomato paste, as well as a cup of water for the crock pot.  While it turned out delicious, it wasn't what I wanted.  Next time, I plan to use one tomato or 1/2 a can of tomato dice, (plain) sauce, or puree and no water. 

I am also thinking to maybe marinade the meat in honey, as well as the salt and pepper, before frying to crispy outside and adding to crock pot.

You can also just add the ingredients into the crock pot without cooking first.  Place meat, then onions and garlic, mix the tomatoes, honey, and spices in a bowl and pour over.  However, if you have a sensitive stomach, I highly recommend cooking the onions and garlic first and also adding a 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds to the crock pot.

I did not have time to thicken the sauce a bit with a tablespoon or two of flour, as I had added water.  I would recommend the flour if your sauce turns out too thin.  (Make a roux, add cup of sauce into roux until thickened and bubbly, add back into crock pot for a few minutes until all thickened).

Pickle Hamburgers

For Father's Day, I made a dish which forces my father and husband to eat every time I cook it.  Not because of their size, but because they are so delicious that the two men in my life can't eat just one.  I have to point out that these two are not over eaters.

The reason I make the burgers the way I do is, so that as a Mama, I can sneak more vegetables into my 5 year old.  I think most moms will agree that they can relate to that struggle.  My husband is not a big vegetable eater, so I sneak it into his diet this way as well.

I am also not the person who cooks them on the grill.  That is my husband's responsibility.  Meat on fire, man's job.  He uses hardwood, no starter fluid, only natural woods.


Ingredients:

2-3 lbs. ground Beef (can also blend with ground lamb, veal, or pork, if you like)
4-6 Polish Pickles, depending on their size (not the kind with yellow food dye, real pickles), finely chopped
1/2 Sweet Onion, finely chopped, can be caramelized in oil beforehand if you like *
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon, Pepper
1 clove Garlic, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon salt or 1/4 stalk celery, finely chopped *

Either:  1-2 teaspoons chopped Dill or
1-2 teaspoons chopped Dill and 1 teaspoon Paprika or
1 teaspoon Paprika and 1 tablespoon Curly Parsley


Combine all, shape into patties, and grill.

Serve on bun with cheese and mustard, or on plate with horseradish sauce if you like.

Smacznego!



*My Mama Tips of the Day:

If you are trying to lose weight or keep extra weight off, a tip my mother would always do is if a recipe calls for salt and finely chopped celery can be used instead, she would use the celery.  Celery naturally has salt in it and requires more calories burned to digest it than the amount of calories you take in by eating celery in the first place. 

If you suffer from digestion issues, raw onion or garlic can be a culprit.  Caramelizing the onion or garlic ahead of time before using in a recipe can help for some people.

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Stuffed Rolled Beef Warsaw Style or Zrazy Wolowy Zawijane po Warszawsku

Stuffed Rolled Beef is one example of a Polish recipe which is many centuries old and elegant.  I have purchased it at Polish Stores before ready made for reheating at home on nights when you do not want to cook but still want to eat real food.

Since my father had been working many hours the past two weeks and my husband has been missing friends since our move, I thought I could cheer them up with a dish that would appeal to any man.  I am very glad that they appreciated it, as the dish took almost an hour to prep and all together about 2 1/2 hours to make.



Ingredients:

2 lbs. Beef sliced and pounded very thin and cut into sections (should be about 8 pieces)
1/2 Sweet Onion, finely dices
5 tablespoons Breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons Butter
pinch of Salt & Pepper
Flour
Oil
2 tablespoons Butter and 1 tablespoon Flour for gravy



Combine the Onion, Breadcrumbs, Butter, and Salt and Pepper into a thick paste.  Smear onto one side of Beef slice, being sure to leave a 1/2 inch edge with no filling.  Roll up and secure closed with toothpicks*.

Roll in flour and brown on each side on high heat in oil, being sure to keep roll from falling apart.  Drain off oil, add to pot and fill with water to the top of meat.  Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours.

After removing meat to set aside, in a seperate pot melt butter, combine with flour and pour into the broth created in cooking the meat.  Cook for a few minutes until thickened.  Serve with meat.  We enjoy this dish with either beets or sweet peas and with mashed potatoes.  If you like, you can add dill or parsley to the gravy.

Smacznego!

* Be sure to keep track of how many toothpicks used and remove before serving, for safety.

Roasted Bone Marrow and an "Anthony Bourdain Moment"

A while ago, my husband wanted to have an "Anthony Bourdain Moment", as he called it.  He bought what he thought would work for a Roasted Bone Marrow recipe, Oxtail.  However, that wouldn't work so I made Oxtail Soup.

The other day, my former-fast-food-junkie husband found 2 packs of Beef Shank Bones at the local butcher, for a total of 5 pieces.  He called me excitedly on the phone "I found it!  I found the bones!  What else do I need for it?"

I have been thinking about this recipe for a while, since he has been raving about watching the episode where Bourdain talks about eating Roasted Bone Marrow, at I believe it was St. John Bar and Restaurant.  So, I spouted off the ingredients and he hunted for them at the local ethnic store.

Once we cooked the recipe as close to the show as possible, my father was excited to eat it.  Apparently, he ate this growing up and I did as well.  I took one whiff and I was transported back to my childhood.  I took another and my eyes closed and I forgot about making sure the kids ate without making a mess. 

By the way, yes, I did give them each a piece of toasted French Bread smeared with the marrow and some of the salad on top.  And they did eat some of it as well, and rather enjoyed it.

My husband?  He loved slurping out the melted fat parts with a straw but didn't care for the gelatinous parts, which I happily ate for him.  Would he eat it again?  That man is planning on buying at least 10 the next time we make it.

Before you turn your nose up at Bone Marrow, I have to point out that scientists believe that the reason why our brains suddenly grew up in size was because we began to eat bone marrow from animals.  Also, some believe it may contain cancer fighting properties.  Here are some other sources which state the health benefits of eating Bone Marrow.

Also, beef shank bones are not cheap or easy to come by.  If it wasn't good, it wouldn't cost so much, for sure.  And people the world over wouldn't use in soups (yes, I will be sharing a recipe soon of using Bone Marrow in soup).

Why do I eat it?  Because it's good.  Yes, good enough to be a part of my last meal as well...


Ingredients:

5 pieces of Beef Shank Bones, cracked open to expose the Bone Marrow (we ate regular, but Veal and Grass Fed would be healthier and more fabulous)
1/2 bunch of Curly Parsley
1/2 Lemon
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
pinch of Sea Salt
pinch of freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon of Capers
1 Shallot, sliced super thin


First, preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a roasted pan with Aluminum Foil to catch all the yummy juices.  Rinse the bones in cold water (as you would with any meat).  Place with thinner part facing up.

I didn't place the bones on slices of bread but next time, I will for sure.

Roast about 20 minutes, until Marrow is soft, loose, but not completely melted away.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes while you get the salad and toast ready. 

For the toast, slice bread at an angle and place in still hot (but turned off) oven to toast for about 2 minutes.

For the salad, tear the leaves of the Curly Parsley off the stems and rinse well in cold water.  Drain.  Slice the Shallot in really thin slices with a sharp knife.  Add to Parsley with drained Capers.

Slice Lemon in half and sqeeze out juice from half, removing seeds.  Add Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil.  Beat with whisk.  Drizzle over the Parsley Salad.  Toss. 

Serve.  To eat, scoop out with a tiny spoon and smear on toast.  Top with Salad.  Here is a picture of my husband's plate initially when he was feeling slightly apprehensive, before his first bite and fell in love.

My older daughter was super proud to eat such a grown meal and asked that I share a picture of her plate.  Polish Meatball in Dill Sauce, Asparagus a la polonaise and a piece of Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad on toast.

Smacznego!

Polish Hunter's Seasoning Chicken

Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday and I decided to make a chicken dish, since on Ash Wednesday and every Friday we would be eating fish.

However, my older daughter has been sick for a few days now (Upper Respiratory Infection) so it needed to be something simple for me to make.

I ended up pulling a family favorite out of my bag of goodies...



Ingredients:

1 family sized pack of Chicken Thighs
2 tablespoons of Polish Hunter's Seasoning (no Juniper berry and with ground pepper)
1 tablespoon of Salt
1 tablespoon of sweet Paprika
At least 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Optional:  Make with Marinade, see Note



Combine the Spices and Oil in a bowl together with a whisk.

Rinse Chicken under cool water and pat dry.  Loosen the skin from the meat and place a small amount under the skin, massaging a bit to allow to spread more under the skin and flavor the meat.

Pour a small amount over each piece of Chicken Thigh and spread under covered.

Bake at 425 degrees for at least 30 minutes to an hour, until they are brown and crispy and cooked through and juices run clear.

Smacznego!

 Note:  If you wish to make using a Marinade, you can also make as Maria Strybel suggests in her book Polish Heritage Cookery, by combining 1 cup water, vinegar and dry white wine and the spices above, heating until boiled and turning off, allowing to cool completely before pouring over the meat.  Allow to sit in the marinade, rotating the meat occasionally, for at least one hour to several days before baking.



Let's Just Call This Polish Pierogi Stir Fry...

Or else I would have to call it My version of Rachel Ray's version of her friend Jon's Polish Stir-Fry and Pierogis Pot Stickers with Herbs and Sour Cream. 

Which would mean you would have to call it Polish Mama on the Prairie's version of Rachel Ray's version of her friend Jon's..., well you get the idea. 

Except that Pierogi are spelled with no "s" so then, we would have to call it...

Alright, I'm just going to stop the madness and call it Polish Pierogi Stir Fry, with a nod to Rachel Ray for the inspiration.  I'm sure Rachel Ray will understand.

So, the question becomes "What started this recipe naming madness?"  I had bacon last night as an ingredient and my mind went blank what to cook.  I saw I had spaghetti noodles from the night before and thought "Hmmm, Polish Stir fry?  Could there be a version of this in my cookbooks?  What would you even call it to see?  Let's Google it!" 

I found nothing offhand of what I had in mind to cook except Rachel Ray's recipe.  Which means that now I had two recipes I wanted to make, the original recipe I thought of last night I will be making tonight for dinner and hopefully sharing tomorrow. 

However, I had Bacon, not Kielbasa.  And Cabbage, not Kale, although I do think that this would be delicious with those two original ingredients.  Also, I have a deep love for Leeks over Onions any day.


Ingredients:

1 packet of standard grocery store Bacon (not the smoked Polish store Boczek/Bacon)
1 box of Pierogi (I used Potato Pierogi I bought at the local Polish store)
1 Leek
1/4 head of Cabbage
3 Carrots
1/4 jar of Sauerkraut (I used Sauerkraut with Carrots)
2 teaspoons of prepared Mustard (I used Sarepska style)
1 teaspoon of sweet Paprika
2 teaspoons of dry Dill
2 teaspoons of dry Chives
2 tablespoons of dry Parsley
pinch of Caraway seeds (I always use this in Cabbage or Bean dishes)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Sour Cream to garnish
Parsley and Chives to garnish
Butter, if needed


Boil water in large pot and season water with salt.  Add frozen Pierogi when boiling.  As they begin to cook, gently separate with a spoon a little at a time.  They will be done cooking when they float.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

While the water boils and Pierogi cook, dice the Bacon and fry in a large deep frying pan until crispy.  Remove from frying pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Remove all but a couple of teaspoons of the Smalec, or melt a couple of tablespoons of Butter.

The Leek should be prepared in the following way:  Slice off the dark green tops (reserve for Rosul, etc.).  Remove the root end and discard.  Cut in half lengthwise, separate all the leaves and wash very carefully in a large bowl of cool water to remove all grit.  Slice into strips as wide as the Sauerkraut, Cabbage, and Carrots, to keep all the Vegetables all the same size.  Fry the Leeks until tender and caramelized.  Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl.

Cabbage should be sliced into strips as wide as the Sauerkraut, Leeks, and Carrots.  The Carrots should be peeled, and julienned to same size.

Add the Cabbage and Carrots to the pan with either Smalec or Butter and a few tablespoons of water.  Cover with lid and cook on medium heat until tender but not too soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Add Sauerkraut, mix together and heat briefly.  Remove and set aside with Leeks and Bacon (cover the bowl with a plate to keep the heat).

Fry the Pierogi in some Smalec or butter on all sides just until crispy, as you like it.

This was the point when I realized that mixing everything together in the large frying pan but I didn't want to dirty a third pot.  So, I drained and washed the pot I used to boil the Pierogi in, added the Vegetables and mixed them together with the Bacon and Pierogi.

In a bowl, mix the Herbs, Spices, and Mustard.  Add to the pot and mix well together.  Heat up briefly together, if needed.

Arrange on serving plate, with Pierogi on outside in a ring and vegetables inside, garnished with Sour Cream and a sprinkling of Parsley, Chives, or Dill, whichever you like.

This dish would be a great addition to a party, as it is fairly inexpensive depending on the cost of the Pierogi and whether you use Onions or Leeks.

As a side note, you can make this dish Vegetarian by simply omitting the Bacon and Smalec.  You can go further and make it Vegan by using Olive Oil for the fat and buying or making Vegan Pierogi, or even substituting the Pierogi with boiled or English Roasted Potatoes or Vegan Potato Dumplings, etc.  Just be sure to properly combine the right incomplete proteins in the carbohydrate and vegetable.  You can also add a legume of your choice.  I personally think that fresh Green beans, Butter or Broad beans may be a delicious addition to this dish.

Pork Chops in Sour Cream or Wieprzowina w Smietanie

I have a friend who's family is from the Northeastern region of Poland known as Warminsko-Mazurskie and she reminded me of a dish I had once before and loved.  Wieprzowina (pronounced "Vee-ehp-zhow-VEEN-ah" and meaning "Pork") w Smietanie (pronounced "v Shmee-eh-TAHN-ee-eh" and meaning "in Cream" or "in Sour Cream").

Wieprzowina w Smietanie (Polish Pork Chops in Sour Cream, if you will) is so simple, easy, delicious and the flavor combinations really make sense of Polish cuisine.  Pork, Sour Cream, Vinegar, and some Onion.  How can you go wrong?


Ingredients:

6 Pork Chops (Bone in or out)
Butter
Salt
Pepper
1 small Sweet Onion
1/2 to 3/4 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 Milk, Water, or Dry White Wine *
2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sugar



Sprinkle Salt and Pepper on Pork Chops and fry about 2 minutes on each side in Butter on high heat.

Pile into casserole dish.  Slice Onions and either place raw in casserole dish on top of pork or caramelize and add to casserole dish.  In a bowl, combine Sour Cream, liquid of choice, Vinegar and Sugar.  Pour over Pork Chops.  Cover and bake in oven 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until super tender.

The Sour Cream will separate so the picture doesn't look perfect but I wish you could smell and taste this!  It was Pyczne!

Smacznego!


* I used Milk this time for the recipe but Dry White Wine would be amazing.  The water I have heard of others using but I don't see it really adding anything to the dish.

Polish Beef Pot Roast One Way (Peasant Style)

Technically, this Pot Roast is inspired by the Peasant Style (Wolowina Duszona po chlopsku or wiejsku), however, I did not add the Rye Sour, which would have made it delicious as well.  I plan to make it again with the Rye Sour very soon and will share at that time.

So, my husband saw a ridiculously large piece of beef and bought it.  Here is the recipe I made with it.


Ingredients:

1 large piece of Pot Roasting Beef
Flour
Vegetable Oil
1 packet of Mushrooms
2 Shallots (see Notes)
Rye Sour, Water, Red Wine or Beef Broth
Salt
Pepper
Sour Cream or Sweet Cream

Seasonings:
Marjoram and Bay Leaf or
Polish Hunter's Seasoning



First, the Meat did not fit in my pan, so I had to cut out the largest bone.  I froze this for making Beef Broth another time.



Of course, because I got a bit grumpy about having to cut the Beef and not being sure if my Dutch Oven could hold everything, I forgot to dry the Beef and dust it with Flour before I went to brown it nicely in the Vegetable Oil.  But, I suggest that you do it that way.  Remove meat to the side for a moment.

Remove oil with a tablespoon, leaving behind the drippings.  Add back the Beef.

Clean and chop the Mushrooms.  Add to pot.

Slice the Shallots and (optional, caramelize in Butter) add to pot.

Add Seasonings.  Cover and simmer on stove for a couple of hours until very tender.

Pull out bones, Bay Leaves, and if using Polish Hunter's Seasoning, the Juniper and Allspice berries.  Add Sour Cream or Sweet Cream.

I decided to serve with Roasted Acorn Squash and lightly Mashed Potatoes, but I think a green salad of some sort or sauerkraut would have been delicious with it.

Note:  Can use Sweet Onion, Shallots or Leeks, whichever you like...

Smacznego!