Give The Gift of Heritage

Witamy! 

 

Thanksgiving is over and it is time to turn our attention to holiday gifting.

Amazing food is in our genes and it’s in our history! Poles everywhere love to eat and traditional Polish cuisine is as rich in flavors as Poland’s history is rich in customs and traditions.  Many Polish traditions involve food, especially at Christmas and Easter.  And as the younger generations move farther away from our parents and grandparents who grew up with these traditions and foods, it is important to preserve what was left to us by those that came before us. 

When Peter & Laura started writing their first book, it was really about updating The Art of Polish Cooking, by Alina Zeranska – Peter’s mother.  Her iconic cook book is still available in many on-line book stores, but it was written before the days of standing mixers, immersion blenders, or microwaves.  So the goal was to produce a new book based on traditional cuisine.

Now there are two.  As each book was released, Peter & Laura spent a lot of time on the road signing their books at Polish heritage festivals, book fairs, and many Polish church gatherings.  Everywhere new friends tell their stories about growing up with the traditions and with these dishes.  So they quickly learned that their books have become a way to bring back the memories and to preserve the culinary culture for those who don’t have frequent opportunities to taste these heritage dishes.

Each book showcases classic heritage dishes that have thrived over many generations.  Each is true to its roots, just updated for modern kitchen tools.  Each recipe has been thoroughly tested and Laura included a lot of tips and hints to help even the least experienced home cooks produce a successful dish.  Each book features over 100 stunning photographs. 

Most of Peter and Laura’s new friends who purchased these books, fall into three groups:  1)  those who want to help their grown children to reconnect with their Polish roots;  2) those younger generations who want to relive the memories of the food from their childhoods;  3) others who experienced Polish culture and food through Polish friends and want to experience those fabulous tastes again. 

Christmas is literally right around the corner, so here is a great way, with one click, to take care of your shopping.  Polish Classic Recipes and Polish Classic Desserts will make great gifts.  Everyone who looks at them just loves them.  So please just click on the title images at the top.  That links to a PayPal page and you can receive your personally signed and dedicated books in just a few days. 

Wesołych świąt i smacznego! 

Goulash Soup - Polish Style

Witamy!   The orange and yellow fall leaves are mostly down from their branches, and the temperatures have been dropping.  Today it’s just as cold in Warsaw as it is in Washington DC.  Laura and Peter have retrieved the heavier down comforter from the closet and are once again sleeping with the windows open.  Last night they were awakened by the neighborhood red fox barking and again by deer snorting their way through the back yard, on their way to a better feeding ground.  And so it’s time to turn our culinary attention to comfort food and the soups and stews that keep us warm and satisfied on a brisk, chilly day.  

Goulash Soup is a staple of many European cuisines and only varies by its spices and flavorings.  Peter prepared this rich and satisfying soup in a Polish style by using dill as a key flavoring.  In Hungary we might use sweet paprika.  In Spain we might add olives and use saffron or coriander.  In Italy we would probably flavor our soup with bay leaf, sage, rosemary or thyme.  But regardless of where in the world you live, or which cuisine you love best, you will never go wrong with dill.   

Serves 10,  OK to Freeze

• 2 medium onions, shredded
• 3 teaspoons cooking oil
• 4 tablespoon fresh chopped dill (double if dried)
• 2 pounds stew beef (sirloin is good) trimmed and cut into small, bite-sized cubes 
• 8 cups beef stock or broth
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 can (14 ounce) whole tomatoes (save the juice)
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 parsnips (or other root vegetable)  sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot (any 5 or 6 quart pot with a lid) sauté the onions in oil until golden, add the meat, cover with broth (about 1 ½ cups) water, salt & pepper.  Cover and simmer for 1½ hours or until the meat is tender.  Check the pot periodically to make the liquid has not evaporated.  Add the vegetables, half of the dill and the remaining broth.  (Note:  substitute the retained tomato juice for an equal amount of broth).  Cover and simmer for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are just soft.  Adjust the seasonings.  Garnish with the rest of the fresh dill.  Serve hot with a slice of crusty dark bread and a glass of hearty red wine. 

Smacznego!

Polish Wedding Chicken

Witamy!

During our travels to heritage Polish festivals throughout the Mid Atlantic region of the U.S. a lot of new friends asked if we have a recipe for Polish Wedding Chicken.  Truthfully, Peter had never even heard of it, but that’s probably because he didn’t go to any Polish weddings while growing up.  So Laura did the research...checked the usual on-line cooking websites, Peter even checked Polish websites and we found them -- a lot of recipes for Polish Wedding Chicken.  Well our research suggested that that this dish actually is a Polish-American invention created by preparing roast chickens for hundreds of Polish American weddings in Polish American communities throughout the U.S.  And as many weddings as there were, each big pan of roast chicken was prepared by just as many church ladies in just as many church halls of just as many Polish churches.  And we found just as many variations.

So, you may ask, isn’t this just a “glammed up” roast chicken?  Can’t anyone stick a chicken in the oven and pull it out after 90 minutes?  Well, yes that’s technically possible, but then it wouldn’t be Polish style, and it wouldn’t have the love of an authentic Polish Wedding Chicken!  

Here’s a recipe that Laura prepared for yesterday’s supper and how it looked right out of the oven. 
It was a far cry from the fast food chicken joints, or the Latino chicken joints, or the rotisserie chickens from the Safeway.  This was moist, flavorful, and just plain delicious. There was no residual taste of the vodka and the sauce had a distinct flavor of the dill. 
If you take the time to do it right, everyone around the table will love you for it, and who knows...could there be another wedding in your future?  

• 1 roaster chicken, 3 to 5 pounds
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt, more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
• 1½ cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1/3 cup vodka  (Polish potato vodka is smooth)
• 2 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely ( or 3 tbsp dried dill)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Remove giblets from the chicken; discard or keep for making homemade stock.  Remove big pieces of excess fat from the bird but don’t take it all because some fat will keep it moist while roasting.  Dry insides with a paper towel.  Use your fingers to slightly loosen the skin in a few spots on the breasts and thighs but be careful not to tear the skin.

Combine onion, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender; puree until smooth.  

Spread half of onion puree in the bottom of a roasting pan.  Place chicken in pan on top of the puree.  Rub the rest of the puree under the skin around the breasts, thighs and in the cavity.  Tuck wings back and tie legs.

Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.  Baste on top with 1/4 cup of broth and roast for 40 minutes more, basting with pan drippings and/or broth every 15 minutes or so.  Watch the color of the skin to be sure it doesn’t turn too dark.
When the skin goes just past golden brown, place a “tent” of aluminum foil loosely over the top.  Continue roasting and basting for an additional 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, reads 175 °F and the cavity juices are clear.

Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil while resting.  The inner temp will rise about five more degrees. Pour off the pan juices (those fat separating cups are genius) and chill until the fat has risen to the top.  While the pan juices are cooling, add remaining chicken broth and vodka to roasting pan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, scraping up all the little brown bits of goodness stuck to the bottom of the pan. 

Skim off fat from chilled pan juices and add back to the roasting pan. Bring back to a boil for just a couple of minutes.  Strain juices through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Blend water and cornstarch in a small bowl; whisk into the sauce pan to make the gravy. Cook about a minute while continuously stirring, until slightly thickened. Whisk in dill and sour cream.  Taste and season as needed. 

Carve the chicken.  Arrange on a pretty platter.  Serve with Vegetables Polonaise (Polish Classic Recipes, page 65).  Pair with ice cold vodka, a light red wine such as Pinot Noir, or a dry Rosé.
Smacznego!