polish food – Babushka Training

paszteciki!

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Oh man I love foods like this. There are so many variations of dough filled with stuff in Eastern European food. These are the kind my father said his grandmother made, so I am trying to carry on that tradition. I can’t wait to serve them at Christmas Eve, that is when they are usually served. On Christmas Eve in Poland you don’t eat meat and you have a big dinner in the evening, so these are perfect to munch on while you wait for the cooks to finish the meal. They are so good fresh from the oven.

Pasztet actually means pâté, so I will have to try them with pâté next time!

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Paszteciki

1 cup milk

1 packet of instant dry yeast (7 g or 2 1/4 tsp)

1 tbsp sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 egg yolks, save the whites

300 g mushrooms – all types but the more flavorful the better

300 g sauerkraut

2 tbsp butter

– First heat the milk a bit so that it is warm, about 100° F is good. Sprinkle in the yeast and sugar and stir it up a little bit. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that it blooms.

– In a bowl or in a mixer stir the flour with salt. Add the milk once it has bloomed. stir or mix it well. Add the egg yolks, mix well. Add the butter pieces a little at a time. If you don’t have a mixer, you will use your hands now. Knead the dough to incorporate everything and then knead it for about 10 minutes, it will be wet, try not to add too much more flour. Cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour until it is doubled (it might take more than an hour).

– To prepare the mushroom and sauerkraut filling first clean the mushrooms and grate them on a grater so you have really small shredded pieces. Strain the sauerkraut in a strainer and press to release more liquid from it. Heat a skillet and add the oil. cook the mushrooms until they are soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and cook for about 15 minutes on medium-low, you don’t want it to brown too much. Let the mixture cool before doing the next part.

– Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

– Once the dough is ready, flour your surface a bit and roll out the dough into a big rectangle, about 9 inches. Cut the rectangle into three long pieces. fill each piece with some of the filling right down the middle and not too close to the sides. Fold the dough over the filling from both sides and press to seal it.

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– Cut each long piece into smaller pieces about 2 inches long. Place each piece fold side down on the baking sheet.

– Lightly beat your left over egg whites and brush on the top of each piece.

– Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

– They will last about 2-3 days, after that they dry out a bit.

Enjoy!

jagodzianki! (blueberry yeast buns)

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I am going to be honest with you. I have been determined to get a a good recipe for these mostly because I love the name. They are good, don’t get me wrong, especially when they are fresh. But the name is just the best. In Polish blueberries are called jagody, so it’s just a cute word for blueberry buns. It’s a little harder in English because it doesn’t have as many ending options of making something cute, but it would be like saying blueberry bunsies, cute little blueberry buns.

Another thing I will be honest about is that these are more popular in the Spring and early Summer when blueberry season first starts. This year I was a little late at making these the way I wanted and I was late to go blueberry picking in Indiana like I try to do every year. But, I did go and now I have a freezer full of blueberries! And actually these are perfect with defrosted blueberries, I think because they turn jammy better when baked.

They are easier than you think, just like with any yeast dough you gotta stick around and watch it, because it’s alive! The folding can also be tricky, I had many a leaked jagodzianki.

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Jagodzianki

3 cups packed all purpose flour (or 500g)

1 cup milk

1 packet instant dry yeast (7g or 2 1/4 tsp)

8 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 stick of European style butter (113g, 8 tbsp), softened

3 1/2 cups frozen blueberries, defrosted

2 tbsp potato starch

for the crumble:

3 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp cold butter

5 tbsp flour

1 egg for brushing

– Heat the milk until it is lukewarm, not more than 100º F. Mix in a little bit of the sugar and all of the yeast and let it sit until it blooms.

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– Mix the flour, salt and add the rest of the 4 tbsps of sugar in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, or in a big bowl with a large spoon. Add the milk mixture and mix on low in the stand mixture or continue with a spoon if you have a bowl instead. Add the egg and keep mixing until incorporated, possibly using your hands if not in a stand mixer.

– Add the softened butter a bit at a time and knead or mix it in. Mix or knead for about 15 minutes, you want the dough to be very soft and elastic. Cover it in a bowl and let it sit in a warm place for about an hour.

– Make sure there is no more liquid in the de-frosted blueberries and mix the blueberries with the sugar and starch.

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– Once the dough doubles in size take it out of the bowl. Divide the dough into about 12 even balls. flatten each ball on a floured surface and place about 2 tbsp of blueberries on the dough. Pinch four sides together to make a little sack to cover the berries. Really gather the sides and twist the top slightly, and fold it in. Make sure there is no space for liquid to leak through and place it twist side down on a lined baking sheet.

– Repeat with all of them and let them sit for about half an hour.

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– Pree-heat the oven to 375º.

– Make the crumble by mixing the flour and sugar first in a bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add it to the flour. Mixing with your hands or a fork, but probably ending up with your hands, mix the crumble. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and set aside.

– Once the little balls have rested, brush the with the egg and sprinkle some crumble on top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

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enjoy!!!!!!

cheesecake and jello cake (my Polish-American pie)

Does it seem weird? Does it kind-of sound not appealing? Maybe. But we do it anyway and actually it’s quite delicious. Especially because I would eat jello everyday if I made it everyday. This cake is so very Polish to me and maybe even Polish-American. I saw it in Poland. But jello is so American to me, as well as no bake cheesecake. So it’s one of those things that somehow became a thing when mainstream American commercialism made its way to post Soviet countries. At least that is my story. I can say I never grew up having this at any of my American friends houses and we have had it many times and I see it at almost every Polish bakery. So there you go.

Here is a picture of me on my second birthday eating a very similar style cake my mama made 🙂

Here is how I made mine, I thought it was very good. Also yes to no baking in the oven!!

Cheesecake and Jello Cake

2 cups crushed up ginger cookies (the dry hard kind)

5-6 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup ricotta cheese

8 oz cream cheese

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of half a lemon

2 packets plain gelatin – 1/4 oz each

2 cups white grape juice

1/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups berries (about), cut into bite size pieces if big like the strawberries especially

– Mix the melted butter with the cookies and press them into an 8 inch spring form pan (or something close to that size) to create a crust. Place it in the fridge for half and hour.

– Mix the ricotta and cream cheese together in a food processor until well blended. Add the zest, extract and honey and mix well.

– Once the crust is hardened enough pour the cheese mixture onto the top and let the whole thing sit in the fridge for an hour.

– In a small saucepan heat 1/4 cup of the white grape juice until warm enough to mix in the sugar to dissolve it. Keep it on low.

– In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over another 1/4 cup of the white grape juice. Let it sit 2 minutes.

– Turn the heat off the saucepan and pour in the other gelatin mixture and mix well with a whisk. Then add the rest of the grape juice.

– If the jello mixture is cool pour it over the cooled cheesecake and start to add your pieces of fruit in whatever way is pleasing to you. Make sure not to touch the cheesecake part with your fingers and don’t press the fruit down too much.

– Let it cool about 1.5 hours until set. Before serving run a knife around the edge before removing the spring form. Keep it in the fridge if not eating 🙂

Enjoy!

strawberry pierogi

Hey! Strawberries are in season, yes they are! Did you know that you can make strawberry pierogi? And you eat them with sweet sour cream and dream about the Eastern European countryside.

I think rolling and kneading pierogi dough might be may favorite thing ever. It has a great texture. It’s really soft and supple and quite elastic. There are a couple of ways to fill pierogi with strawberries, but I think this is the best one. A whole little strawberry tucked inside the lovely supple dough. The other way would be to cut the strawberries into little pieces and shape them differently, more like a half moon. But these are more cute, right!?

So here you go, try and love them.

Strawberry Pierogi

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 large egg

2 tbsp neutral oil (like sunflower or grape seed)

1 tsp salt (plus extra for boiling water)

1/2 cup – 3/4 cups warm water

1 pound small strawberries, hulled and cut in half if not small

1 tbsp powdered sugar

sour cream and powdered sugar for serving

– To make the dough pour the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack the egg, pour the oil and sprinkle the salt. Mix a little with a fork and then slowly add the water, just 1/2 cup at first. Start to mix with your hands forming a dough. Add more water if too dry and flour if too wet. Flour your kneading surface well and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until well incorporated and it looks like the gluten has formed well. Keep adding flour as needed. Place the dough ball on a well floured surface and cover with the mixing bowl you used before, let it rest for about half an hour.

– Meanwhile prepare your strawberries. Once they are cleaned and cut toss them gently in the powdered sugar. Set a big pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a cutting board with flour.

– Once the dough has rested take half of it and roll it out on a well floured surface until thin but not see through. Use a wide thin cup to make circles, as close together as you can.

– Take out a circle and use the stickier side to fill. Place a strawberry, or half in the center. Using your thumb, index and middle finger on both hands take all the corners like you are pinching to make a little cross and then and seal it tightly. They will look like cute little packages.

– Place each one on the floured cutting board, making sure they don’t touch each other. You will put them in the freezer after doing a couple and keep adding. They cook nicely if a little bit frozen. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

– Once they are ready plop them in the water, not more than 10 at a time. Stir them a bit to make sure they don’t stick. After they float to the top let them cook another 5 minutes. Strain them out with a slotted spoon into a strainer.

– They taste the best served right away. Mix some sour cream with a little powdered sugar and enjoy!

-julia rad