Chłodnik, A Cold Soup

Chłodnik (pronounced Hwod-nyeek) means along the lines of "cooler" or "thing that cools you". Chłodny means cool (temperature wise) and adding the k at the end (which means you change the y into an i) turns the meaning of the word into a soup that cools you.

Think Gazpacho but with Polish ingredients and flavor. 

Yesterday, the temperatures climbed up into the 80s.  This entire week should have temperatures in the 70s and 80s, so it's time to pull out refreshing and nutritious recipes that can cool us off and keep us fueled for playing outside, such as this soup.

Chłodnik is such a simple dish that apart from the beet, there is no cooking.  It's perfect for days when you don't want to heat up the house or yourself in order to feed your family.

Chłodnik is full of flavors that represent the Polish Kuchnia (pronounced KooH-nyah and meaning kitchen) and cooking style.

One interesting thing to point out with this soup is that there are many varieties of it, depending on each family's recipe. 

A great many make this soup using the beet greens as well, finely shredded and blanched for about 3 minutes. 


Additional Options:

• Serve this soup with a dollop of sour cream on top
• Make this soup with more buttermilk if you like
• Add a bit of lemon juice if you want a more sour flavor, but it's not necessary.
• Use up the remaining canned beets from the year before in your pantry while you wait for your baby beets to be ripe enough in your garden, local farmers market or grocery store.
• Add good Polish dill pickles
• Add raw finely diced garlic cloves
• Substitute Kefir for the Buttermilk

My two children lap this soup up every time.  I tell them it's Pink Polish princess soup.  My Tato loves this soup for really hot days.  My American husband also really enjoys this soup, even though he thought I shouldn't make it because nobody would eat it, before he ate a very large soup of it in the blink of an eye.

Ingredients:

1-3 fresh Baby Beets
1-2 Pickling Cucumbers
4 Radishes
1/2 cup finely chopped Chives
1/4 cup fresh Dill, finely chopped
1 cups Buttermilk
Salt and Pepper, to taste
3-4 Boiled Eggs, to garnish

Optional:
good Polish Dill Pickles
Kefir
Sour Cream
Garlic, finely diced
Lemon Juice



Remove tops.  If using in soup, wash well, finely shred in 1 inch strips.  Place in almost boiling water for about 3 minutes and immediately place in an ice bath.  Drain and set aside in the large bowl which you will use to serve in.

Scrub and peel the baby beets.  Place in pot, cover with water and cook.  Make sure not to actually boil the water but rather keep it at the point when it's about to bubble.  Cook until completely tender.  You can actually do this part ahead of time in the morning when the outside temperature still is cool.

Using a grater, or with a knife, coarsely shred the beets, cucumbers and radishes.

Add everything to a serving bowl and stir. 

Garnish with sliced boiled eggs and some dill or chives on top, if you like.

Smacznego!

Polish Mama Nutrition:

Cucumbers are full of electrolytes to help replenish lost moisture in the heat.

Cucumbers are usually about 20 degrees cooler on the inside than the outside temperature.

Beets are said to potentially help fight cancer, heal nerve damage in diabetics, aid in detoxifying the body, protect against heart disease, birth defects, etc.

Beets are loaded with fiber.

All of these items added together with the other ingredients means that you are fueling your body with lots of nutrients and helping your body stay healthy. A healthy body can regulate it's core temperature better in almost any weather than an unhealthy body.

Related Posts:

Polish Cold Carrot Salad

Polish Strawberry Bread

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

Polish Potato Salad

Polish Potato Salad is called one of several different names in Polish.  Why so many different names?  I'm not sure but they each are different yet similar.  But if you look for a recipe for any of the different names you will find a million variations for each name.

It can be called Sałatka Warzywna (Vegetable Salad), Sałatka Kartofli or Sałatka Ziemniaczana (two different ways to say Potato Salad), Sałatka Zydowska (Jewish Salad, although the ingredients don't seem particularly specific to Jewish food traditions), or several other different names.

I personally call it Sałatka Warzywna, or around my non Polish friends and family, Polish Potato Salad.

Polish cuisine includes many such recipes using bits and pieces in the kitchen to make different delicious sides and salads.

One rule I follow in making this salad is making sure that the potatoes in my salad are no more than 1/2 of the amount of vegetables. 



Ingredients:

2-3 Red or White Potatoes, skins scrubbed, boiled in jackets
1-3 Carrots, peeled and boiled
1-2 ribs of Celery
3-4 Dill Pickles
1/2 Sweet Onion
2 Sour Apples
1 can of Sweet Peas, drained
3 hard boiled Eggs, peeled
1/4 cup Mayonnaise (more, if desired)
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped Dill
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: 
1/2 Leek
1/2 lb. diced Ham
Replace part or all of the Mayonnaise with Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt



Peel and dice the potatoes in 1/4 inch cubes.

Dice all other vegetables (except peas) to about the same size as the peas, smaller than the potatoes.

Mix all together. 

Garnish with another hard boiled egg, dill or parsley, if you like.

Serve with Polish Pickle Burgers or other cookout foods. 

Smacznego!




Polish Mama Nutrition: 

If you use celery in the salad, you typically do not need to season with salt, since celery naturally contains salt and yet, is much more healthy for you.  Also, digesting celery burns more calories than you take in from it, which is why it is often recommended in weight loss plans.
If you use Apples in the recipe, you don't need to season with sugar, as some recipes recommend. 

If you make sure that your proportion of vegetables is larger than the potatoes, you are taking in more fiber and nutrients per bite, as well as more flavor.

This recipe is a great way to hide vegetables from kids, helping you raise Future Foodies.




Related Posts:

Bean and Pickle Salad

Our Easter Table (We serve this salad every Easter)

Kluski z Makiem or Poppy Seed Noodles

Poppy Seed Noodles, or Kluski z Makiem (pronounced Klooskey z Mahk-ee-em) is a once a year dish which takes several hours of preparation and is usually reserved for Wigilia.


If you haven't started soaking the poppy seeds in boiled milk for at least 5 hours (preferably 12) and want to make this dish, there is still a short window of opportunity to do so today.  Or you can use a can of poppyseed filling in place of soaking the poppyseeds in milk.


My Tato told me to inform you that children can enjoy this in small amounts as this makes them sleepy.  Perhaps this is an old fashioned remedy for children trying to stay up late on Christmas Eve to catch a peek at Santa Claus, or Sw. Mikolaj.


Ingredients:

1 12 oz. bag of Poppyseeds *
1 1/2 cups Milk or Water
1 cup Honey
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Lemon or Orange Zest
pinch of Salt, if you like
about 3 cups of cooked Kluski (Polish Egg Noodles)
2 tablespoons Butter


In a saucepan, combine the poppyseeds and milk.  Bring to a boil, cover with lid and set aside to soak for at least 5 hours, but preferably 12 hours.

Drain in a sieve.  Grind twice.

You can use a coffee or seed grinder. I prefer to use a mortar & pestle with my kids. 
Just call me Baba Jaga. ;)

In a clean saucepan, combine the poppyseeds, honey, raisins, nuts, extract and zest.  Also, add the salt now, if using.

Heat through and toss with noodles and butter.

Smacznego!



Notes:

* In place of the poppyseeds and milk, you can used a can of poppyseed filling.

You can also add chopped prunes to the dish, if you like.  Also, you can add Almonds with or in place of Walnuts.

I'll add the photo of the completed dish later today, as I won't be combining the dish until just a little bit before serving.



Related Posts:

Pierniczki or Polish Gingerbread Cookies, Not Torunski Version

My Meatless Golabki

My Favorite Holiday Memories

Polish Tomato Soup Made by My Tato

My Tato loves tomatoes.  He has about 7 different dishes that he makes just for himself out of tomatoes.  Of course, he is always delighted when someone wants to eat some of his tomato creations.

Because it is the end of the Tomato season for many of us, with frost already either having arrived or about to arrive across the Northern Hemisphere, this is a great time to use up the last of those shiny red beauties in a warm soup.

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)

1/2 a Leek, carefully washed and sliced

2 ribs of celery, sliced

2 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced carrots

1 clove garlic, minced

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2-3 pounds peeled and chopped tomatoes

handful of fresh curly parsley, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon marjoram

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cooked rice or uncooked pasta

Garnish with sour cream (optional)

 

In a large saucepan, saute leek, celery, carrots and garlic until leek is soft. Add stock, tomatoes, marjoram, bay leaf, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 1 hour or until carrots are tender and tomatoes have "melted" and the broth has reduced a bit.

Add the pasta to cook or toss in the cooked rice.  You can serve with sour cream if you like but we just eat it as is.

Smacznego!

Note:  Before adding the pasta or rice, some people like to puree the soup, which you can do if you like.

I shared a photo of this recipe a couple of weeks ago when we were battling croup in the house.

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A Different Version of a Polish Poppyseed Roll

In my house, we love Makowiec so I decided to try this carrot version called Marchwiak (pronounced Mahr-veeahk). 

Let me tell you how I came across it, as it isn't a family recipe.  I was online looking for inspiration for what to do with the 20 lbs of carrots my husband recently bought.  I've already made a massive dent in it with my Polish twist on a stuffed carrot cupcake and a few other recipes.  This recipe I found on Milk and Pumpkin sounded interesting.

I used the recipe I had used 4 times before for the dough, which is a different version than the one Ewa from Milk and Pumpkin offers.  But I'm sure both doughs are tasty. 

I also was measuring out ingredients for the dough in the midst of dealing with my two daughters wanting snacks.  So, I accidentally measured out too little butter for my own personal taste.  I prefer 1 1/2 sticks of butter but instead used 3/4 of a stick. 

The dough was delicious, just not as buttery as I like.

I also split the filling into two rolls since I added raisins and a tablespoon of butter to the filling.  Next time, I will double the filling since my husband likes his rolls to have a more equal amount of filling to dough.

The children loved eating this and my father and husband both thought it was interesting and delicious enough to try again with the above modifications.  I will be adding this to our family recipes quite happily.



Ingredients:


Filling (per roll):

3/4 cup grated Carrots
1 handful Poppy Seeds
tablespoon of Butter
handful of Raisins, soaked in hot water or warmed rum for 10 minutes
1 Egg White


Dough (for two rolls): 

1 .25 oz packet active dry Yeast
1/4 cup warm Water
3 cups all-purpose Flour, unbleached
2 cups whole wheat Flour
1-2 tablespoon wheat germ or milled flax seed *
1 1/2 sticks Butter
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Powdered or Regular Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons grated Lemon Peel, if you like


Glaze:  (optional)

Powdered Sugar
just enough milk to be able to drizzle



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Proof the yeast in the warm water and a teaspoon of sugar or flour for about 5 minutes.   You can skip this step and just add to the dough if you like as well.

Combine ingredients for filling.  Set aside.

Combine the two flours and wheat germ.

Cut the butter into the flour blend until the mixture resembles course crumbs.   Add the salt and sugar.

Mix in the yeast, eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon rind.

Mix until it forms a ball of elastic dough, turn out onto a work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes (or use a stand mixer to knead for 5-8 minutes) until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Cut dough in half, roll each piece out into a rectangle, and smear with egg white (a tip from Milk and Pumpkin's recipe that I found to work well in helping to keep from having gaps between dough and filling.  My Ciocia said was something she did as well on the phone Sunday).

Place on baking sheet.

Add filling, allowing about a half inch to inch border around so that the dough is easy to seal.

Roll dough, seal well, place in a warm place covered with a moist clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the exterior is golden brown. Allow to cool.  You can either serve as is or add a glaze.

Smacznego!



Notes:

Butter, Eggs, Egg Yolks, Sour Cream and all other ingredients should be at room temperature to help the yeast roll to rise better.

*I have returned to adding a tablespoon or two of either wheat germ or milled or whole flax seeds to all my dough recipes or to fillings. 
The reasons are because of the many added health benefits:  added fiber, protein, iron, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, Lignans, Alpha-linolenic acid (Omega-3 fatty acid).  
Because the benefits are so many and it's so simple to add just a tiny bit and make a positive impact on our health, this Polish Mama would recommend this simple step to anyone. 
While these ingredients may seem expensive, you only need to add a very small amount and the benefits will make a large impact on you and your children's health for a long time. 



Other Recipes You Might Like:

Carrots in Cream Sauce

Cold Carrot Salad


Also, if you enjoy my recipes (and perhaps the stories, photos and other topics on my blog) it would be really appreciated if you donated whatever you felt comfortable with using the Donate using the PayPal button on my sidebar.  Every little bit helps.  Thank you.

Polish Cold Carrot Salad

My husband just bought me a 20 lb. bag of carrots.  That is a lot of carrots.

So, I scoured my memory for several easy recipes to make.  I remembered a salad that came up very often on our table when I was a child and was almost always on restaurant tables with anything we would order while eating in Poland.

In Polish, it is called Surowka z Marchewki and means Cold Carrot Salad.

We even had this salad as part of my husband's first meal in Poland while on our honeymoon.

This salad is served cold, is very easy and inexpensive to make, and delicious. 

I wouldn't be a Mama if I didn't mention that eating carrots prevents night blindness, are high in Vitamin A and have some Vitamin C, Iron and Calcium in them as well.  Also, a diet high in fruits and especially vegetables significantly lowers your chances of diabetes, obesity, cancer, and all sorts of other health disorders and diseases.  Eat your vegetables!

Alright, Mama's ballad to carrots is over.  On to the recipe...


Ingredients:

4-6 Carrots, tops removed, washed and peeled
1 Apple, washed and peeled
Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
1 tablespoon of Sunflower Oil *
Sugar and Salt, to taste


Grate the Carrots and Apple.  Mix all ingredients together.

Serve cold.  It's that simple. 

Smacznego!



Notes:

This dish goes great with pork and is perfect for hot weather.

* In Poland and many European countries, sunflower oil is used as often as "vegetable" (soybean) oil is here in the USA.  You can substitute with "vegetable" oil, if you like.  I usually buy my sunflower oil in the Polish or European stores since I like to try to avoid soy and corn as much as possible.

Bean and Pickle Salad

Summer is ending but for now, the weather is still warm enough for cool salads and side dishes.  I decided to create a bean salad based on the Polish cuisine.

Did the family eat it?  My older daughter ate only a little because she had already eaten a bit beforehand.  The toddler gobbled it up.  My picky American husband enjoyed it, as he does just about all my salads.  And, of course, I loved it!  My father, however, wasn't in the mood for this, preferring instead to eat the baked beans I also made.  I definitely plan to make this again and include it in my party menus.



Ingredients:

1 can Cannellini Beans, drained
2-3 Polish Dill Pickles, diced
2-3 small ripe Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 Leek, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon Vinegar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Any of the following:
Marjoram, to taste
Dill, to taste
Curly Parsley, to taste

Salt and Pepper



Mix.  Allow to sit covered in refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.  Eat.

Smacznego!



Notes:

If your stomach is sensitive to onions and leeks, caramelize them in a tablespoon of oil beforehand as I have done.

Also, real Polish dill pickles are not this strange day-glo color as in the picture.  My husband just decided to buy regular pickles from the local grocery store, which always contain yellow food dye.

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!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup or Zupa Kalafiorowa

I will always remember the lesson I learned once from a chef who decided to give a few pointers to me when I first started cooking for others.  "There are two things which say how good a chef is.  Their eggs and their soups.  If you can't cook these two things, you just can't cook."  It's one of my life's goals to master as many ways to cook these two.

And because soups play such an important part in the Polish diet, I have many recipes and inspirations to draw from. 

Typically, soups in Poland are eaten before the meal and are very common place.  My father often requests that I make for him a soup of some kind and there are often times when we make soup together while spending time together.  As long as I remember, he and my mother have told my brother and I that eating soup before a meal is "good for the digestion".  It's a line I have also heard many times from my Dziadkowi (grandparents).

Children in preschools and in schools everywhere might eat soup as part of their lunches provided by the school or sent from home.  My older daughter has fond memories of her first trip to Poland being filled with such soups.  One of my cousin's mother-in-laws made a fantastic lunch for us all to share together one day before a trip to the local zoo.  We had freshly made Ruskie Pierogi and "Pickle Soup".

"Pickle Soup" is a phrase my older daughter had thought she had made up once as a two year old joking whether turkeys ate certain foods.  And every time I had told her, "You know, there is such a thing as Pickle Soup in Poland."  I had even made it for her a few times without telling her because she was convinced she would hate it since she hates pickles.  She always called it "Vegetable Soup" and gobbled it up.

So, the other day I made Zupa Kalafiorowa, a dish I had always loved.  Once again, my children gobbled it up.  I had made a very large pot of it and it was gone within two days. 

When I had told my father I made it, he came right over for dinner and was very pleased with it.  He even said it was just like his mother's, except that it is usually not made with dill.  But, I love dill and for me, dill celebrates Spring.  And since I am now living in a place that is two months slower in Spring's arrival than what I am used to, I have been using more dill to keep my spirits up.  So, contrary to the classic version of this soup, I added dill this time.  But the dish does not need it, so it is up to you.



Ingredients:

1 large head of Cauliflower, washed and cut into very small florets
Vegetable Broth
2-3 Carrots, washed, peeled and julienned
3-4 Potatoes, washed, peeled and finely diced
Salt and Pepper
1 Egg Yolk
Heavy Cream (or Sour Cream, if you need to substitute)
Dill and/or Curly Parsley, if you like



In a large pot, add the Cauliflower, Carrots and Potatoes.  Add enough Broth to cover the ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer.  Allow to cook until all ingredients are soft. 

Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Remove from heat.  Quickly mix in the egg yolk and enough Heavy Cream to lighten the soup and thicken a bit, perhaps about 1/2 cup.  Bring back to heat and allow to warm up but do not bring to a boil.

Serve with a garnish of Dill or Curly Parsley, if you like.  I added the dill to the soup as it was cooking as my own personal preference.

I served this soup with a Polish Meatball in the center this time since my husband is not a soup or meatless meal person and I am slowly easing him into eating more like in Poland, since his dream is to one day live there.

This dish is always much more tasty the next day since the flavors get a change to blend together more in the refrigerator overnight but is still really delicious the day you make it.

I hope you will forgive me that the picture is taken with my phone as the picture needed to be taken quickly since my toddler (I can't believe I can't call her a baby anymore) is teething three fangs at once and just not happy.

Smacznego!

Guest Post: Ewa Kuc on Potato Pancakes and Being Polish in America

I have been following a fellow blogger for a few months now, Mom Photographer.  She is a fellow Polish immigrant who came to the US just a few short years ago and takes amazing photos.  I love her perspective because so many times I can either relate or learn from her.  And her daughter looks remarkably like my younger daughter as well. 


So, I asked her to do a guest post on my blog on whatever she wanted and here it is:




After I was asked if I want to write a guest post for Polish Mama I’d been thinking about the topic.  I thought I’ll write something about being Polish in US (because I’m Polish as well), about dealing with everyday consciousness that I’m different. 


Wherever I go, whatever I say the first thing people ask me is:
“Hm ... where are you from?”
“Hm... I’m from Poland”
“Oh ... from Holland, NICE”
“No, NOT HOLLAND. POLAND. I’m from POLAND” and I see the confusion in people eyes. Yes, just a few of them knew where Poland is, and no, it’s not in Africa.  Why everybody knows where Holland is but they have such a big problem with Poland!  That’s amazes me.

Anyway, I thought that I better write something about cooking.  Much easier.  I like to cook; I like to take pictures of what I cook; I like to share recipes and I wouldn’t have to write a lot because I’m not very good at that.  Not in English at least.

I consider English as my SECOND language.  Still.  Polish is what I’ve been using since I was born, long time ago. English is what I’ve been using along with Polish for the last 3.5 years.  It’s really hard to teach an old dog new tricks (don’t get me wrong I’m not THAT old).

I read and talk in English for most of my days. I’ve limited my Polish to minimum. Not because I don’t want to talk in Polish anymore, but because I wish I could speak English fluently.  I’m getting tired of using very simple vocabulary when it comes to very serious conversations. I’m tired of people saying that I sound cute, when I want to sound and to be treat serious.  It was cute at the beginning. Right now is frustrating.  Right now I prefer to abandon the discussion than make myself look (or sound) even more silly and childish.

These days I feel like I’m in a middle of a transition between English and Polish and it frustrates me even more.  Every time I talk with my parents or Polish friends I find myself looking for the right Polish words, and it happens that I can’t find them (I have to go around). 


At the same time I don’t want my family or friends to think: Oh, she’s been living there for only 3.5 years and she already forgot Polish [sigh].  How is she gonna teach our granddaughter to speak Polish?  Then when I speak with my husband or I try to write a post for my blog (in English) I find it very hard to find the right words to describe something.  I feel like I’m loosing something instead of gaining.  I’m losing my Polish, but I’m not actually gaining much English, either.  I know I know, I should just take the dictionary and start memorizing words.  Yeah, right!  My laziness is calling ;)


Somedays I think how much easier it would be to just go back to Poland, where everybody speaks your language, where you’re familiar with the food, and customs.  Where going grocery shopping I won’t be asked “Where are you from?” or ...“HOW DID YOU GET HERE?” (based on true story!).  I ran and swam to here in case if you want to know ;-)


Where french fries are made from potatoes and not from potato like substance.  Where cherry, apple, plum, pear trees grow wild.  Where you won’t see a single waisted fruit under those wild trees.  That thought came to my mind while looking at all those rotten oranges, grapefruits, lemons, pomegranates in our neighborhood.  Why would you want to have so much that you can’t even digest?!  I go for walks and think that if I had those trees on my front/back yard I would be making all bunch of different jams, juices, fruit cakes and smoothies.  If it’s still too many I would be giving it away to people. 


In Poland if you have to much you share it with your friends, family, neighbors.  I remember when I was a kid when we had bunch of plums and cherries from our summer garden I would go visit my friend and take with me bucket or two of those cherries or plums.  The next day while visiting my friend again (she lived next door) I would get a piece of a fresh baked plum cake.  If somebody was visiting us they wouldn’t leave without a basket of fresh picked fruits.



I know that there is many different opportunities here (in US), but sometimes I think: is it worth it.  I know many Polish people that really don’t care about those kind of things, they would laugh at those silly questions at the store or simply snap back with an answer that is as silly as the question was.  I’m not one of them.   For me it was cute and funny two years ago but today it’s annoying.  I really want to get my grocery and go home, and I do not need anybody to reminds me that I’m different, that I have an accent, or look original (whatever that means).



One more thing I want to talk about (did I say that I’m not good at talking about myself in English... hm... lol).  When I left Poland I didn’t really expect how much I’ll be missing Polish food.  Not all of it.  Just particular dishes that reminds me of my childhood, that I call my comfort food.  


It is even more difficult because my husband doesn’t like Polish food.  He likes pierogi, but who doesn’t?!  He doesn’t like cabbage and many Polish dishes that I like have cabbage in it.  For example bigos, or cabbage rolls, or boiled cabbage with apples.  He can’t stand the smell of boiling cabbage.  So, I try to cook it once in a blue moon.  Read:  Never!  That’s how good wife I am! :)



I love barszcz, he doesn’t.  I love żurek, he doesn’t know what that is, and actually doesn’t want to know.  I love potato pancakes, he definitely does not want to eat them, and so on!  I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I wish he was a little bit more open to new food.  


Today if I want something Polish I need to cook it myself rather than find it in a store or restaurant, and it’s a cooking 3 dishes for three people:  Something different for my husband, something different for our Little One (thanks god she is getting to that age that she can eat what her dad or mom eats.. uff...), and something Polish for me.


So you can imagine how often I’m willing to cook something Polish for myself. I rather skip this part that stay in the kitchen for extra hour. My laziness again ;). If I want to go out to eat it’s hard to find a good Polish restaurant if any.  



So when this day comes and I really feel like I can’t put my craving away anymore I like to make something what’s very easy and fast to cook. Placki ziemniaczane, potatoe pancakes.  That’s what I actually was planned to talk about in this blog post, and only about this.  Oh well, I hope you don’t mind my previous ramblings.  



So, for this recipe I use:
3 medium size potatoes (You can use whatever potatoes you have.)
1 egg
1/2 medium yellow onion
1cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn (optional)
1/4 cup peas (optional)
1 stick of butter, (or 1/2 cup oil)
spices - sal, peper, marjoram, complete seasoning (if I use this I don’t use salt)

Peel them and cut into small pieces. I wash it after all to wash the starch out. So those pancakes are not very starchy.

I do not have food processor so I use blender. I have much easier that my parents anyway. When I was a kid I remember my parents grating the potatoes one by one using the old school shredder.  When me and my siblings got older they would use us to do “if you want to help me cooking” part.

Move the batter to the bowl and mix in egg, chopped into really small pieces onion, and spices

Add all purpose flour. I remember my parents used to mix it half and half (potato starch and all purpose flour). I do not use the starch, because I like those pancakes not so starchy, and heavy.

Add corn and peas. This is optional. My parents would never do that, but I try to smuggle as many veggies to my cooking as it’s possible. I try not to overdo it, though. So sometimes I would grade one or two carrots, and use it instead of corn and peas, or in addition.

Heat oil in a large skiller over medium heat. Spoon the mixture into skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Eat

In Poland people eat it with sour cream, sugar, mushroom sauce or so called gypsy sauce. I eat it with ketchup! :)

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!

Potato Soup or Zupa Ziemnianczana

Potato Soup is so simple that it's one of the first soups I ever learned how to make.  It's also extremely frugal.

Potato Soup also has played a large role in Polish culture, just as it has in other cultures.  It has been eaten by peasants for centuries.  Because it can be made with a vegetarian broth, it is a popular dish during Lent and other meatless days.

Even in movies such as The Pianist, Potato Soup is mentioned.  It is a soup that has kept people going during lean times.

On talking about living under Communism and why my family left, my Babcia once lamented that "You could stand in long lines behind people to buy your allowed food at the store.  Then, when it was finally your turn to buy, you would see that the shelves in the store were all empty except for one rotten bag of potatoes.  You couldn't even make Potato Soup."

Yesterday while my father joined us for dinner and we ate this dish, my father asked me if I remembered the man with the really big spoons.  I looked at him with surprise.  The flavor of Potato Soup always brings back a faint memory of a man smiling at me while I tried to eat Potato Soup with very large spoons.  The sort of spoons that for my age felt like they were as big as my face. 

I never knew what this memory is of. 

My father explained to me that when we were in Austria as refugees, the man would bring us Potato Soup with very large spoons.  Spoons which were too big even for my father to use.  Spoons like the ones used in The Pianist when the Szpilman family sits around eating what was probably Potato Soup.

Potato Soup is my memory of waiting and being given random acts of kindness from strangers. 

Waiting to be given a direction where we could go. 

Just like Lent is filled with waiting and being given a random act of kindness.


Ingredients:

1 piece of Smoked Polish Bacon with Ribs*
1 Onion, peeled and quartered
2 Carrots, washed, peeled and cut into 3 large pieces
handful of Curly Parsley, chopped
20 Peppercorns, whole in spice ball
10 Potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
Salt to taste
Cream or Sour Cream, if you like
Chopped Chives or Curly Parsley to Garnish



In a large pot, place the Bacon, Onion, Carrots, Curly Parsley and Peppercorns and add water.  Bring to Boil and cook on medium heat for 1/2 hour. 

Remove from the liquid the Bacon, Onion, Carrots. 

Add Potatoes

Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are soft.

Season with Salt.

Serve in bowl, garnish with Sour Cream and Chives or Curly Parsley, if you like.  On the side, you can serve the Meat.

Smacznego!

* I made this soup with meat to enjoy of Wednesday since we do not eat meat during Holy Three-Day Period.  To make vegetarian, just remove meat from list of ingredients.

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!

"Busia's" Mizeria or Cucumber Salad

My husband's grandmother, who liked to be called "Buzia", woud always make this family favorite for special occasions, Cucumber Salad.  It is a different version of the Mizeria I grew up with but it is still delicious and I felt it was worthy of sharing with others. 

As the days start warming up and Lent is nearing it's end, such recipes are welcome additions to the Easter Table, picnics, and warm weather days.  Because I am becoming very impatient for winter to end, I am starting to make such dishes off and on, to remind myself that summer is coming.



Ingredients:

3 Cucumbers (I used 2 European Cucumbers instead this time)
Salt
2-4 tablespoons Sour Cream
1-2 Chives or 1/2 small Sweet Onion, diced finely
Salt, Pepper, Sugar and White or Apple Vinegar to taste


Peel cucumbers, if you like *.  Depending on your family's preference, you might julienne, dice in 1/2" to 1" cubes, or slice thinly using a mandolin slicer.

In a dish, layer cucumbers with pinch of salt between layers.  Allow to sit for 1/2 hour to an hour so that the salt can draw out the moisture from the cucumbers. 

In a colander, rinse under cold water well, squeezing cucumbers to remove extra moisture (I don't squeeze them, but this is how "Buzia" did it).

In a bowl, combine the Sour Cream with the Pepper, Sugar, and Vinegar.  Mix with Cucumbers. 

Taste to see if any Salt is needed.  Serve with bread and Chicken or Pork.

Smacznego!

* If cucumbers tend to upset your stomach, peel and also remove seeds,as this works for some people.