Witamy!
Just a few days until Thanksgiving. The stores are stocked up with all the traditional ingredients and there’s definitely a hint of excitement building in the air as the temperatures drop into fall and we’re starting to salivate over that turkey to come.
Truth be told, Thanksgiving is not a classic Polish tradition. But it is catching on and there is no reason why we can’t add a Polish twist to our own feast at home. In fact, after 68 years of traditional Thanksgiving dinners, adding a Polish twist is a pretty attractive idea. This Turkey recipe comes from Peter's Mom and is a variant on one from her book, The Art of Polish Cooking. And if you really want to get out of the box, try it with a duck or goose. And the two salads below are classic Polish salads that will pair very well with your bird – regardless of its DNA. Smacznego!
Roast Turkey with Sweet Stuffing
One turkey, 14 – 16 pounds
½ cup butter, melted
Your turkey’s liver, chopped
Salt
Stuffing
6 slices white bread
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
Your turkey’s liver, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs separated
½ cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons almonds, peeled and slivered
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon sugar
One dash Allspice
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 cup of breadcrumbs
Preheat your oven to 450°F. Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze out the liquid well. Add the brandy, butter, egg yolks raisins, almonds and spices. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the stuffing mix a scoop at a time, alternating with the bread crumbs. Mix lightly.
Image courtesy of Thermoworks
Stuff the neck and body cavities and close with skewers. Brush with butter. Place the bird on a roasting rack in its pan, breast down, in the center of the oven. Reduce the oven temp to 325°F and roast about 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Baste skin frequently with the drippings. Sprinkle skin with salt about half way.
Be sure to use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness (160 degrees) making sure the probe is set in the thigh and not in the stuffing.
There are a ton of recipes out there for roasting turkey -- your favorite method will be great, as long as you use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Serve your Polish bird with Apple Cabbage Salad, Polish Vegetable Salad, and roasted potatoes sprinkled with butter & dill.
Cabbage & Apple Salad
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
2 apples, cored, peeled and shredded
Juice of 2 lemons
4 tablespoons sugar
Boil the shredded cabbage in salted boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain & cool. Combine the lemon juice and sugar to make a dressing. Toss the cabbage and apples with the dressing. Cool well before serving.
Polish Vegetable Salad
4 cups cooked, diced potatoes
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and drained
2 cups frozen peas, cooked and drained
3 large dill pickles, diced (optional)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Mix the potatoes with the vegetables, pickles, onions and dill. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix mayonnaise with sour cream and mustard. Combine dressing and vegetable mixture.
Chill thoroughly. Arrange salad in a pretty bowl. Sprinkle top with the chopped or sliced egg. A few slices of radish and sprigs of dill will add a nice touch of color.
Witamy:
I struggled with what to call these meat patties in English. Google translate wasn't very helpful because they are not cutlets as we think of Pork or Lamb cutlets. As you can see from the picture, they aren't traditional burgers, they aren't baby meatloaves, and they aren't Caribbean meat patties. So I decided to just not worry about it, because anyone who grew up with classic Polish cuisine is probably familiar with these traditional "kotlety siekane."
The texture and flavor of these patties are vaguely reminiscent of a Polish meatloaf…only more dense. What makes them truly Polish is that they are rolled in breadcrumbs, and browned before baking. The recipe here is a classic version, but you can easily make it your own by adding into the meat mix some finely chopped, fresh mushrooms and dill (of course) or other herb. But please be cautious with the herbs—too much, or more than one, could be overwhelming. After all, the meat is the star of this dish.
You can also freeze any leftover patties and serve them later for a quick and delicious cold lunch, sliced thinner on a very fresh, crisp hard roll with sliced tomato and a little mayo, and with a crunchy Polish dill pickle on the side.
Yields 6 patties
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 slices of dry white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 ½ pounds meatloaf mix, OR:
1 pound ground beef
½ pound pork
1/3 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Soak the bread in the milk until all the milk is absorbed by the bread. Rip the wet bread into very small pieces.
Saute the chopped onion in the bacon drippings until golden. Set aside to cool. (Hint: we always keep a jar of bacon drippings in our fridge for just these kinds of uses.)
Combine the beef, pork, egg, bread, and onions in a large bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Form the mixture into 6 thick, round patties about three inches across, and one inch thick. Roll them in bread crumbs. Brown the patties in the oil. Place the patties in a casserole dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
In the interest of healthier eating, you could also make these with ground chicken or turkey, as shown in this image borrowed from http://www.mojkulinarnypamietnik.pl/
Garnish with a sprig of dill, and serve with your favorite vegetables, sliced tomato, cabbage beet salad, or any other seasonal side dish.
Smacznego!
Witamy!
Have you noticed how store-bought pork has changed over the last few years? Center-cut boneless pork chops are lean and devoid of flavor compared to what we used to enjoy.
That’s why the safe cooking temp was lowered by the USDA to 145 °F - a full 15 degrees less than before. And now the USDA says it’s OK to eat your pork slightly pink. So we no longer buy boneless chops, opting for bone-in, with a nice layer of fat around the edges (great for cooking - it gets cut off before eating).
Pork has always been an important part of the Polish diet. This classic cutlet is a tasty choice anytime and anywhere in Poland. Quite similar to Viennese Schnitzel, the Polish version is often served with boiled cabbage, dill pickles or Brussel sprouts & carrots.
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| Heffron Farms |
Serves 4
4 thin center cut pork chops
3 tablespoons flour
1 egg, beaten
½ cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon marjoram finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Use bone-in or boneless chops, either will work. Trim most of the excess fat from the chops. Pound the meat to tenderize until about 1/4 inch thick. (Hint: pound the chops under a plastic freezer bag to make the process easier and cleaner). Cutlets may be cut into smaller pieces to better fit your skillet.
Season generously with salt and pepper.
Mix bread crumbs and marjoram.
Dredge the cutlets in flour. Dip in the beaten egg. Roll in bread crumb mixture and press in to make bread crumbs stick to the cutlets.
Preheat the oil in a large skillet and saute the cutlets until golden on both sides until the pork is just barely pink - about 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or dill. Serve with your favorite vegetables, boiled baby potatoes, and slices of dill pickle.
Smacznego!
