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This herbal vinegar is probably the most well known and it has its roots in a legend from the Black Plaque. The story is of 4 thieves who either got caught robbing those who died of the plaque and a judge in awe learning of an herbal concoction they used to keep them safe let them go in exchange for their recipe, or 4 thieves who got caught and as punishment had to bury those dead from the plague by burying them and to protect themselves dowsed the deceased in an herbal concoction. Either way the legend went on and the herbs used might have changed over time, this is the most common recipe that has stayed.

Vinegar itself is known to have antibacterial properties and even current studies can attest to its benefits as a great cleaning solution.

The other herbs are warming and have aromatic, diffusive and diaphoretic properties. Aromatic herbs like sage, lavender and thyme are high in volatile oils which lend them to having anti microbial properties. Diffusive herbs like rosemary, sage and garlic bring heat from the core to the surface helping stimulate circulation. And diaphoretic herbs like rosemary, sage and lavender increase detoxification by promoting sweating. Garlic is also antibacterial and antiviral.

I tend to be liberal with herbal preparations, often considered the folk method so instead of measuring exactly I do it more by eye. But here is a rough raft of what I like to do.

You can use either dried or fresh. Fresh you want to use more because the water content is high and the shelf life is a little shorter.

4 Thieves Vinegar

1 tbsp dried lavender buds

1 tbsp dried sage (or 2 tbsp fresh)

2 tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)

2 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)

6 cloves garlic crushed

Apple cider vinegar to cover (about 2 cups)

– Crush and chop all the herbs and garlic. Place in jar and pour vinegar to cover.

– Place parchment or wax paper to cover over your lid if it has a plastic sealant. Shake and leave for 1 month or a little more, in a dark place.

– Strain and enjoy like any vinegar or take sips like a tonic. Or add to your favorite natural cleaning solution.

These are seriously so good I can’t stop eating them! We still have some blueberries in the freezer from last summer when we went to a blueberry pick it yourself farm in Indiana so I was inspired to start using them and mixed some recipes together to make these and they have become my favorite! We also made a bunch of blueberry jam last summer so I used that and man, nothing like real blueberries that you picked yourself.

I used rye flour the first time because I ran out of regular but loved it so much that it is staying, it adds such a nice hearty flavor. You can also just use regular flour is you don’t have rye but maybe also try it with rye sometime!

Blueberry Jam Rye Bars

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup rye flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup blueberry jam

Preheat the oven to 350 and spread a 8 x 8 pan with butter.

Mix the flours, salt, sugar, baking powder cinnamon and butter together in a mixer until starting to blend. Then add an egg. Mix well.

Take half of the dough and pack it into the pan.

Mix the blueberries with lemon zest and cornstarch. Dollop the jam over the dough. Add the blueberries over the jam. Crumble the rest of the dough over the blueberries.

Bake 45-50 minutes.

I wish I could say that this blog is where I share all the knowledge and recipes passed down by my grandmothers, that what I share is rooted in a deep tradition from my motherland. But the truth is, it is not. ‘Babushka Training’ satisfies and challenges me and what I share is from what I teach myself by reading and watching and sometimes what my mother teaches me.

I did not grow up with my grandmothers. My parents left their home country when they were a bit younger than I am now. Many people in America know what this type of life is like. I met my grandmothers a handful of times. Some people move on, they are citizens of the world and find happiness anywhere they go. Some live their life with one foot back in their home country. My parents did a little of both and as their child I always felt a part of me was missing.

It wasn’t until I was older and started spending my days how I wanted that I started to yearn for deep old traditions. The beauty of folk art and culture really touched me. I was living in New York at the time and after moving around to 4 different apartments in 5 years I moved to the Polish neighborhood of Brooklyn called Greenpoint. It is a really charming little community that is now what you would call very ‘hipster’. But the Polish history still stands. I started going to the Polish church and the little deli and I realized I don’t want to loose this as I get older. I finally felt like I was home, I finally realized I missed this part of myself and If I didn’t work to keep it, it would just disappear.

This year seemed like the perfect year to really dive in to more babushka training. More time at home, more time in general! That’s what I am always lacking is time. But for some reason it was hard to motivate myself. But I realize now that I was practicing another skill, maybe an even more important skill. Babushka training isn’t just about cooking and baking and making, babushka is amazing because of her character. I posted on my Instagram and my last post that we can get through whatever this year is and it is because people have gone through worse, my babushkas were teenagers when WWII broke out in Poland. They were right in the middle of it all. Their country destroyed, people being killed for no reason except that they were Polish; hiding, fighting, living in fear. And then they raised their children in Communism. Their land was taken away and they had to live in apartments that were too small. Everything they stood for was no more, the only thing that got you ahead was to be a part of the ‘party’. Freedom as we know didn’t exist. But they endured. They were stronger than us.

That is what I have been thinking about this year. They were stronger than us. How can I be strong like them. So here is my babushka manifesto, what makes a real babushka. Maybe you feel the same way, maybe you call yours something else, in Polish it’s actually babcia. But at the end of the day, real babushka training is character. And with that hopefully we can carry the traditions of our ancestors as well.

Babushka:

works hard

doesn’t complain

doesn’t think of herself first

cooks you too much food, is always welcoming

doesn’t let you leave too quickly

does not care what people think about her

stays calm when things get crazy

will tell you the truth when needed

family is number one

takes her time

let’s you sneak in some chocolate once in a while

values the simple things in life

has high standards but will love you no matter what

is polite and has impeccable manners

stays humble

Maybe your babushka was different and that is ok. Whatever in was in her that you looked up to, I hope you keep striving for that in your life. I hope your babushka will live in you and you pass that on to your future generations!

Peace and lots of love to anyone who reads this!

This is an Easter soup.

I didn’t realize when I started this blog that I would have so many soup recipes, although I am not surprised because Polish food is so much soup. A meal is not complete without a soup. Even in the summer. I have a secret dream of opening a soup shop somewhere, maybe here in Chicago, called ZUPA, and we just serve soups. It won’t even be just Polish but French and Italian, all soups welcome. And we’ll have really good bread and coffee. Would you go to a place like that?

This soup, like barszcz in general, needs to be prepared in advance, you need to know you will be making it because you need to make your sour starter. But the good news is you can buy it ready made in a jar from Eastern European stores, so check it out. This time we are using rye. We are making a fermented rye juice. There are different ways to make it, here is my way.

żur zakwas (fermented rye liquid)

1/2 liter warm water (2 cups)

60 g rye flour (1/2 cup)

peppercorns

4 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

a small pieces of stale naturally leavened bread (optional but helps it turn sour faster)

liter jar

– Stir everything together in a very clean jar with a clean spoon. If you don’t have a piece of stale bread that is ok, it might just take longer. Cover the jar with a paper towel or cheese cloth with a rubber band. Let it sit for 4-8 days. Stir it around the first two days and then check it to make sure it is not getting too sour because you don’t want it to grow mold. Keep it in a bowl in case in bubbles up. If it turns sour enough you can always put it in the fridge before you use it for soup. But sour is good, that is what makes this soup good! Longer is better is you like it to be very sour so give yourself time to have some wiggle room.

Żurek – a white barszcz

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 parsnip, peeled

1/4 celery root, peeled

4 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

a couple of dried mushrooms if you have them

1 tbsp butter or ghee

3 white sausages (like Polish or German bratwurst)

1/4 pound thick slab bacon, diced

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 tbsp dried marjoram

1 tbsp horseradish from a jar, less if you can get fresh

4 garlic cloves crushed and minced

1/2 liter żur zakwas

4 hard boiled eggs

salt and pepper

sour cream (optional)

– First make a base broth. In a large pot add the carrots, parsnip, celery root, peppercorns, bay leaves, dried mushrooms and one sausage. Cover with 2 liters of water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

– In the meantime you will sauté the other sausages. If they are really fresh, cook it with a lid on a low heat so it cooks through all the way and then slice it after it has cooled. If it is pre-cooked or you can easily slice it, sauté with butter or ghee in small circles on a skillet. Set it aside.

– On the same skillet or cleaned if that one is dirty, sauté the bacon for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until just a little crispy. Add the onion and sauté for another 5-8 minutes. Set aside.

– Once the broth is ready, remove the parsnip, celery root, mushrooms, bay leaves and peppercorns if you can with tongs. Otherwise strain it into a different pot. But you want to keep the carrots! (At least I do). Take out the sausage and slice it up. Add that sausage plus the sautéd ones and bacon and onions. Stir well.

– Strain the zakwas and add it into the soup and cook for about 3-5 minutes to break down any flour. Add the marjoram, horseradish and garlic and cook another 3-5 minutes on low. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

– Serve the soup with slices of hard boiled eggs. enjoy! You can also add a bit of sour cream.

-julia

I love soup. Polish people love soup, and I love that they do. Soup is easy to make, it lasts a long time, it feeds many and it fills you up. Plus this one has sauerkraut which is really good for you. So many reasons to make it and love it.

Kapusta is cabbage. The underrated vegetable that kept many Europeans from starving. Kapuśnaik is just a cute way of saying cabbage soup. I mean what is not to love! I always put a lot of garlic into my soups, feel free to add less or more. I also used Italian sausage I have to admit! I was trying to avoid saying it but I just like the flavors better for this soup, traditionally it is made with kielbasa. Don’t get me wrong, kielbasa has my heart forever just not in this soup. We’ll save that for bigos (Polish hunters stew). In the meantime this is much easier and very satisfying.

Kapuśniak

2 tbsp neutral oil (like grapeseed or sunflower)

half of an onion, diced small

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery sticks, diced

1 tsp ground fennel seeds

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 tsp salt, more to taste if needed

1 tsp pepper, more to taste if needed

4 small yellow potatoes, diced

1 cup thinly chopped cabbage

8 cups vegetable broth

1 cup sauerkraut, roughly chopped

3 Italian sausage, diced into pieces

parsley for serving

– Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is soft. Add the carrots, celery, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Sauté about 3-5 minutes. Add the broth and the cabbage and potatoes.

– Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

– Add the sauerkraut and the sausages and cook for another 20- 30 minutes until the potatoes and sausages are cooked all the way through. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. serve with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Some people love fall. I get it. It’s not my favorite I will admit. The transition just doesn’t do me well, it hits me out of nowhere and I get a bit depressed. But I do what I can and cook and bake and start to be a babushka again.

This recipe is actually really easy and so tasty, it will impress if you think your not a good cook. It’s also mushroom season right now so feel free to use some different types if you can get your hands on them!

Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs beef sirloin, lean, cut into thin slices

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms, baby bella will do just fine or some sort of button type

2 small onions, cut into thin half moon shapes

2 cups of beef broth, sometimes I use mushroom which is also good

4 tbsp all purpose flour

1/3 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup chopped parsley for serving

12 oz of egg noodles

– In a wide saucepan add the butter to melt and sauté the beef for about 5 minutes on each side until it is half browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside for a moment.

– In the same pan add the onions and the mushrooms until soft. Add the beef back in and season with salt and pepper. add the broth and the flour and mix everything very well.

– Let the sauce boil and then bring it to a simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and simmer for another 10 minutes.

– Meanwhile cook your noodles.

– Once the sauce has thickened adjust the seasoning if needed and mix in the sour cream. We like to add a lot of black pepper! Serve with noodles and parsley on top.

Enjoy xoxoxo