Simple Vegetarian Meal

Potatoes with Buttermilk.  So simple.

This is the type of recipe which kept the people of Poland going during hard times; peasants and fasting Catholics during Lent and other seasons.

Potatoes with Buttermilk is the sort of recipe that transports my Tato and myself back to our childhoods.  When I made it yesterday, I could tell it made him miss his mother, my amazing Babcia.  This truly is one of few dishes I would dare to call comfort food, a title I do not give to just any dish.

Ingredients:

6 or so Potatoes, red or white, scrubbed, boiled and skinned
Dill
Salt
Butter
Buttermilk

Optional:2 sliced and caramelized Onions
Bacon, cooked and diced

Place potatoes in large bowl, drizzle with butter, top with dill.  If using onions and/or bacon, top with that as well.

Serve with a tall glass of cold buttermilk for each family member.

Notes:

If you can get "new potatoes", this very simple recipe becomes even more delicious.

You could also mash the potatoes with a bit of the buttermilk, if you like.

Polish Mama Nutrition And Language Lesson:

This meal actually has more nutrients in it than you might think at first glance.

Potatoes, boiled, skinned

Ziemniaki (Zee-ehm-nee-ah-key)
A "a good source of Vitamin B6, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Vitamin C."  This is why during the Irish Potato Famine, many suffered from a Vitamin C deficiency when corn was given in substitute of potatoes.
They also have as much fiber as an average serving of typical grocery store mass produced American white loaf bread.

Dill, fresh

Koper (Koh-perr)
A "good source of Dietary Fiber, Niacin, Phosphorus, Zinc and Copper, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese."
It is has fiber.

Koper is also safe for diabetics to eat.


Buttermilk, low fat

Maślanka (Mahsh-lahn-kah)
A "good source of Potassium, and a very good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Calcium and Phosphorus."


Onions, Sauteed

Smażone Cebuli (Smah-szoh-neh Tseh-bool-ee)
A "very good source of Vitamin K".
It also has fiber.


I won't count the bacon because we all know that it's loaded with protein but also saturated fats and salt.



All in all, with or without bacon, this can be a filling, frugal and quick meal for the family on Meatless Fridays or during days of fasting. 

Smacznego...

Related Posts:

Baba Kartoflana

Polish Potato Salad

Ruskie Pierogi or Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Buckwheat Risotto from "Cuisine PL"

I received a print copy of Cuisine PL in the mail, a cookbook "published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in the framework of the Polish Presidency in the EU Council (2011)".  You can view the free digital copy in English and Polish.

The first recipe I needed to try from this cookbook was the Buckwheat Risotto (by Kurt Scheller of Akademia Kurta Schellera/Warszawa).

If you are looking for a new recipe to try, I recommend this recipe.

It took about 25 minutes total to make, with only prep work and gently frying the vegetables for about a minute before adding the water to steam (off heat) and then adding the cheese and a little bit of butter.  Extremely easy and could be made on a workday without stress.

Before adding the water and cheese...

This recipe turned out to be perfect as a bed for over easy eggs and some wilted kale.

Kasha Nutrition:

Polish Mamas will tell you "Kasha is good for you."  And it's true. 

Kasha is chock full of nutrients and fiber and a must have in the Polish kitchen.  In fact, in American kitchens right now, many Chefs and Mamas are searching for new grain and carbohydrate ingredients to experiment with and embrace in place of refined bleached flour.  Kasha, in my opinion, should be one of those grains more should try cooking with. 

Of particular interest now for many people is the gluten-free diet, which Buckwheat can fit into nicely and as an inexpensive pseudograin. 

Here is the FDA's breakdown of nutritional information in 100 grams of Buckwheat groats.




Final Verdict:

Did the family love it?  Yes.  It is now a new family favorite.  The preschooler and Kindergartener both ate all of their Buckwheat Risotto gladly and my American husband did not complain as he ate it either.

Smacznego...



I was not in any way compensated for this post and wrote it because I wanted to share with you a recipe I found which we enjoyed and which I feel with confidance that your family will as well.

Pea and Corn Salad or Sałatka z Groszki i Kukurydzy

I made this dish knowing what the results would be. 

My younger daughter ate all of hers, a second serving, and some of her older sisters, who proclaimed the onions to be "spicy" but ate a large amount once the onions were removed. 

My husband ate all the rest that was made and then requested that I make more.

I secretly felt guilt at feeding them "GMO" foods, but salved my "Mama Guilt" with the knowledge that we rarely eat corn and that at least they were eating their vegetables.

My father looked at it, shook his head and stated that he does not eat corn because "we feed corn to chickens in Poland.  People don't eat corn, except maybe once in while on cob."

I said that I thought this salad was a Polish American adaptation and he nodded, "Yes, I think so.  This is not Polish dish.  What else you make for dinner, Ges (goose in Polish)?" and I produced various containers filled with other Polish salads.  Which I will share recipes to another time.

But, right now, I am sharing the recipe to this dish.

Ingredients:

1 can of sweet Green Peas, drained
1 can of yellow Corn, drained
1/2 sweet Onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Optional:  (Any of the following in any combination, if you like)
1-2 Eggs, hard boiled, peeled, and diced
Chopped Ham
Chopped mild yellow Cheese



Mix it all together.  Eat.  That simple.

Smacznego!

Zucchini in Dill Sauce

I cannot tell you that this dish is Polish or what it's origins are.  I remember having had this once at a Polish dinner when I was a young girl and loving it.  It was an Easter celebration at a church and someone had made this for the "potluck" dinner.

Since my children and my not-a-vegetarian husband loved the Cheese Stuffed Zucchini, I decided to make another dish with Zucchini in it.



Ingredients:

2-4 Zucchini, washed and cut into "fingers"
1/4 cup sweet Onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 tablespoon Dill, chopped
1 tablespoon Flour
1/3 cup Sour Cream

*Either 2 tablespoons Water and 1/2 cube Chicken Bouillon cube or 4 tablespoons Chicken or Vegetable Broth



In a large saucepan, add Zucchini, Onion, Water and Bouillon cube*, Butter, and Dill.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until Zucchini is almost tender.  Remove from heat.

Stir Flour into Sour Cream with a fork.  Without draining the Zucchini, add the Sour Cream mixture into the Zucchini mixture.  On medium heat, cook and stir until it is thick and bubbly.  Cook for 1 minute longer.

Serve immediately.  Smacznego!

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Fried Cabbage or Kapusta Smazona

The classic Polish dish, many would say, is Kotley Schabowe, a Polish dill pickle, boiled potatoes, and Fried Cabbage. It is a dish seen at many Polish restaurants across America and served at Polish festivals as well.

At the Polish festival when I worked at my church’s stand, the priest’s wife made this dish and it was always just like my mother made it when I was a child. The Polish immigrants could usually be spotted in the line because they would order this dish instead of Golabki, Kielbasa, or many other popular dishes.

Of course, I wouldn’t be a mama if I didn’t point out that this dish is extremely inexpensive to make. In fact, the week or two after St. Patrick’s Day, cabbage can be purchased for as little as 19 or 29 cents per pound. So, the dish could easily be made to feed 6-8 people for less than a dollar.

And I have to point out that cabbage packs a huge nutritional punch. Per cabbage head, the Percentage Daily Values are impressive, with Vitamin A at 23%, Calcium at 43%, Iron at 28% and Vitamin C at an astonishing 636%. Easy to understand why I have never heard of a case of Scurvy in East European countries where cabbage is an important part of the diet.

So, as your mama always told you, “Eat your vegetables!”, starting with cabbage.
　


 Ingredients:

1 head Cabbage
1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Flour
Salt,  and Pepper to taste1-2 tablespoons Lemon Juice or White or Apple Vinegar to taste
1-2 tablespoons Sugar
Optional: ½ Sweet Onion, diced (Cook in butter until translucent, if you like)
1-2 Carrots, peeled and julienned

Core the Cabbage, slice into quarters and finely shred. Place into large pot and pour in Broth. If using Carrots and Onions, place in pot at this time. Bring to boil, then cover and cook on low for ½ hour, until tender.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and whisk in butter. Pour in 1 cup of broth from cabbage pot. Whisk and cook until thickened. Scrape out into cabbage pot and mix well, cooking on medium low until all broth thickens.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Add Lemon Juice or Vinegar, a tablespoon at a time to your liking, I usually use 3 tablespoons. Add sugar to your liking, I usually use 1 tablespoon.　

Serve with Beef or in the Polish Classic Dish above.

Smacznego!

Join the Barn-Hop!

Cheese Stuffed Zucchini

Last week for Lent, I made a delicious dish which is technically Romanian.  But, as Europe has been exchanging words, ideas, recipes, trade, and many other things for centuries upon centuries, I thought this recipe could be changed a bit to be more Polish influenced.

In Romanian it is called Dovlacei cu Brenza.  In Polish, it would be Cukinia Nadziewana z Serem.  Instead of using Curly Parsley in the Romanian recipe, I used Dill.  And I did not make the typical 2 cup whipping cream mixed with 1 tablespoons sugar which is poured on top.

In the end, though, the question with recipes is "Will the family eat it?"  My definitely non-Vegetarian husband and both children enjoyed it and said it was allowed to be made again sometime for our Meatless Friday meals. 

We eat Meatless every Friday of the year for several reason.  To save money.  To lower our environmental impact.  To eat more vegetables.  To teach the children to think more about and appreciate what they eat.  And because we are Catholic, it makes it easier to do.

So, here is a Vegetarian dish which I am quite sure has Peasant origins and is simple and delicious.



Ingredients:

5 Zucchini
1 cup sharp white Cheese, such as cheddar, grated
handful of Dill, chopped finely
several tablespoons of plain Breadcrumbs
several tablespoons of Butter
Salt and Pepper



In a large pot, fill with salted water and add Zucchini.  Cover and boil for 10 minutes or until soft but in mushy.

Grease a baking tray with Butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Breadcrumbs.

Slice Zucchini in half and place, cut side up, on baking tray.

Sprinkle with Cheese.  Sprinkle with Dill, Salt and Pepper.  Dot each Zucchini with Butter.

Bake in oven 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Smacznego!

Mushroom Soup or Zupa Pieczarkowa

While there are two basic Mushroom Soups in Polish cooking, I decided to make Zupa Pieczarkowa which is made with button mushrooms typically found in grocery stores instead of wild mushroom soup.  After all, it is not the time of year for wild mushroom picking. 

I also wanted to make something simple for Meatless Friday during Lent season.

While you might think this soup is a family favorite for us since we are Polish, I have to admit my brother has always hated mushrooms and my father no longer eats them.  My mother was also never a huge fan of button mushrooms.  So, this soup was really one only I ever enjoyed. 

Thankfully, my husband is a mushroom nut since he was a baby.  To put it bluntly, for Thanksgiving we typically buy $20-30 worth of button and crimini mushrooms.  Even last year, when Thanksgiving only involved our children, my husband, my father, and myself.  I sincerely think that my husband's greatest pleasure in life is when I cook the mushrooms the day before and he steals mushrooms from the pot all day long.



Ingredients:

1 pound White Button Mushrooms
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 Sweet Onion, diced
32 oz. Vegetable Broth
1 tablespoon Flour
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Salt
Teaspoon or two of Apple Vinegar or White Vinegar
Curly Parsley or Dill to garnish, if you like



Wash the Mushrooms well to remove all dirt.  Remove caps and slice.  Trim ends off roots and dice roots finely. 

In soup pot, melt Butter and add Mushrooms and Onion. 

Cook on medium low, stirring once in a while to caramelize the Mushrooms and Onions until the water from the Mushrooms has cooked off. 

Add Broth and bring to a boil.

In a bowl, combine Sour Cream with Flour well.  Add a couple of tablespoons of hot broth and mix well.  Pour into soup and bring gently almost to a boil and turn off.

Add Salt and Vinegar to taste.

If you like, you can add a handful of Curly Parsley or Dill into the pot at this time. 

Serve with good crusty bread.

Smacznego!

Farmer's Cheese Spread or Pasta Twarogowa

My older daughter's first sleepover was at her oldest second cousin's condo in Wroclaw, Poland.  Of course, I spent the night as well so that I could spend more time with my cousin. 

The night started with the two oldest second cousins bathing together and blowing bubbles all over the bathroom at each other and their mothers.  After they were scrubbed and dressed in their pyjamas, the girls snuggled under a blanket together.  They giggled contagiously while first my cousin read "The Three Little Pigs", then I translated word for word as best I could into English.

After two hours past bedtime and hearing constant giggling and listening to them communicate (one completely in Polish, the other completely in English, and yet somehow they understood each other), the girls were separated so that energy would still be had for the funeral of our Dziadek. 

My daughter snuggled with me on my cousins futon in the dark, the sounds of a foreign city around us but having become familiar after a couple of days.  Her little sister was comfortably oblivious inside my growing belly that she was already a world traveler. 

My older daughter kissed my forehead, proclaimed me the best mother ever, and proceeded to share her new life dream to me.  Of one day living in Poland nest door to her second cousins and playing everyday with them in a hushed voice, my own secret dream for her and her yet unborn little sister.  As the little voice whispered on and on about what games they would play, an occasional word would come out in Polish rather than her native English.  Her words came slower and slower... until eventually it was replaced with quiet breathing.

The next morning was filled with the sounds of children playing and squealing in two languages and adults preparing for a day of mourning. 

My cousin made a breakfast I grew up with and always loved for it's simplicity.  Farmer's Cheese Spread or Pasta Twarogowa can be served at parties, for breakfast, or even for a simple vegetarian dinner.  It should always be served with my favorite food, good bread.  On that day, I needed such a dish most.  I wonder, how did she know? 



Ingredients:

1 cup Twarog, Farmer's Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, or even Cottage Cheese if that is what you have
up to 1/2 cup Sour cream or Heavy Cream, if you like
1 stalk of Chive, chopped finely
1 Radish, shredded
pinch of Salt and Pepper

Mix it all together, it's that simple.

Smacznego!

My First Guest Post: Nachinka by Dine and Write's

In my search on Twitter a few days ago for fellow Poles and other Slavs and Eastern Europeans who blog, I discovered Liv from Dine & Write.  Her blog is about cooking, her background is Polish and Danish, and she also speaks English.  All in all, she's very interesting to talk to and of course, a member of Ze Bloc Blog.

Here is her guest post:

The ultimate Slavic comfort food

There are some heavy hitters in terms of Slavic comfort food: perogies, cabbage rolls, nalesnyky... These are all very well and good, but for me, nachinka trumps all of these. Nachinka, for those who are yet uninitiated, is a thick, baked cornmeal pudding. It may be thought of as the Slavs' answer to polenta, and many versions exist. My version is traced to my maternal grandmother's mother. As I write this, I just finished eating the last few bites of the nachinka I prepared earlier in the day, taking care to scrape up the delicious browned bits at the bottom of the pot. It's remarkably easy to prepare; detailed instructions follow. Smacznego!

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup yellow cornmeal

5 cups warm milk

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

4 eggs, well-beaten

1/2 whipping cream or half-and-half

1 tsp baking powder

Assemble your ingredients (cute whisk is optional).

Saute onion in oil over medium heat until translucent.

Slowly and thoroughly stir in cornmeal.

Constantly stir over medium heat until cornmeal thickens (~10 min).

Continue stirring until mixture is very thick.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, cream and baking powder. Reserve 4 tbsp for topping.

Stir egg-cream mixture into cornmeal until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat.

Scrape cornmeal mixture into a deep, well-buttered casserole. Pour reserved egg-cream mixture over the top. Bake at 325 deg F for 45-60 min, or until nicely browned.

Enjoy as a stand-alone dish or as an accompaniment to ham or chicken.

 And that, dear readers, is nachinka.  Each golden forkful is a trip to my grandmother's sunlit kitchen, where a well-worn gravel road runs past the sizable garden, something always smells delicious, and peace is found.

********

After reading this recipe, I recall having this as a child and cannot wait to go to the store to buy cornmeal and whipping cream, my two missing ingredients.  Smacznego is right!