Pierogi & cooking with Grandma

Whenever I'm in my hometown, Warsaw, I visit my Grandma.  We laugh and chat (usually about latest fashion trends, travels and family gossip) and sip Grandma's homemade chokeberries liqueur ("aroniówka") - deep and smooth in flavor.  We also cook together, just as we did in the old days when I was a little girl and my head barely reached above the kitchen counter.  Grandma is one of the best cooks I know.  Dinners at her place always follow the traditional Polish way of dining: first you get soup, then the main course (accompanied by kompot - a light fruit juice), and then cake for dessert (all homemade of course).   

Grandma is a real fairy when it comes to cooking.  She makes complex traditional dishes in the blink of an eye (as if she'd just waved her magic wand), and everything she prepares is truly delicious.  I think her secret is that she puts a lot of heart into her dishes - she loves cooking and it's the love you taste.  

Stages of pierogi-making

Pierogi are a kind of dumpling - bigger than ravioli, and bursting with delicious stuffing.  You can have sweet versions (e.g. with blueberries or fresh cheese, all served with sweet cream and sugar) or savory ones (e.g. with minced meat, mushrooms & sauerkraut or with potatoes & curd cheese (so called "pierogi ruskie") - featured here).  The secret of good pierogi lies in the dough - it shouldn't be rubbery or tough, but at the same time it should be firm enough to hold the stuffing when the pierogi are boiling.  Grandma's dough strikes a perfect balance - and now that you have the recipe, you can master this art too :)

My absolute favorites among the pierogi family, are the ones with potato and curd cheese, with onion and lean bacon added to the stuffing for that smoky, defined flavor.  Think "goat's cheese and parma ham" and you'll know what flavor combination I mean.  These pierogi are an absolute hit among both Polish and non-Polish people.  I hope you like them as much as I do :)

METHOD

15-20 pierogi - Serves 2 

INGREDIENTS:

Stuffing:

• 1 medium potato, cooked
• a piece (150 - 200 g) of curd cheese (you can use soft goat cheese too)
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 80 g lean smoked bacon, finely diced
• dried marjoram
• salt (freshly ground)
• pepper (freshly ground)

Dough:

• 300 g flour
• 2 heaped tbsp sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• some warm, boiled water

DIRECTIONS:

• Stuffing: fry the bacon with the onion until golden brown.  Mince the cheese, cooked potato, and fried onion and bacon.  Mix well with a spoon.  Season with freshly ground salt & pepper, and dried marjoram (about 1,5 tsp).  After boiling the pierogi, the stuffing will be less salty/more bland than at this stage, so make sure it's seasoned well (don't over-season though).
• Make the dough by kneading the flour, sour cream and yolk, adding a bit of warm water to get a firm, but smooth dough.  Knead thoroughly, to allow as much air as possible into the dough.
• Sprinkle some flour on your working surface and rolling pin.  Roll out the dough to approx. 1-2 mm thin.  Cut out circles using a glass.  (Repeat the process with the dough left over after cutting out the circles).   
• Stuff each circle with a heaped teaspoon of stuffing, fold the dough over forming a half-moon.  Press together with your fingers, making small curled folds along the edge (you can also use a fork, pressing it to seal the pierogi).
• Cook in boiling, lightly salted water until the pierogi resurface.  Serve with fried onion or lardons.  

Smacznego!

Grandma's pierogi ruskie with fresh apple kompot

Mini stuffed pork roulades

Today: a real treat for the palate and a truly sophisticated dish!  Mini pork roulades stuffed with tarragon-marinated prunes and camembert, wrapped in prosciutto ham and served with a spicy wine sauce.  The pork is really soft and tender and goes very well with the moist and sweet prunes, rich camembert and salty cured ham.  Each bite just melts in your mouth!  The thick wine sauce is essential - it adds the spice, and also gives the dish a festive touch.

BE WARNED - there is quite a lot of work involved in making 20-30 petite rolls!!!  First, you have to slice your pork tenderloin, and tenderize each slice with a meat hammer, until really thin - almost transparent.  Watch out not to make any holes!  Second, you have to marinate the prunes, slice the prosciutto in thin strips and dice your camembert. Third, stuff and roll your roulades -- that's where the fun starts, but it takes some time.  Fourth, you wrap each roll in the ham and secure with a toothpick, if necessary.  Finally - pan-fry the rolls, until the ham is crisp and the meat nice and tender.  

And let's not forget you need to make the sauce too.  And a salad.  And baked potatoes.  So if you want a quick fix dinner - forget this and just bake some fish.  

Stages of preparation:

The roulades are just packed with flavors and spices.  Prunes and camembert are sometimes paired with meat, but the surprise ingredient here is gingerbread spice.  It is added not only to the sauce, but also to the prune stuffing.  Nonetheless, if you don't know it's in there, you would not guess it; all it does is elevate the taste of the meat -- it does not give it a gingerbread-cookie kind of flavor.  Gingerbread spice works very well with the other seasoning added - tarragon and tangerine zest.  These three spices complement each other, but also balance the overall flavors.

The dish is best served with a fresh salad and baked potatoes.  It goes very well with a rich, smokey red wine.

Making these mini roulades is a great idea for the coming holidays -- Thanksgiving or Christmas.  It's very elegant and festive, which makes it well-suited for special occasions.  Also the particular spice combination strikes a very festive note.  When preparing the sauce, your house is filled with the most welcoming and delicious aroma.  Every single person in your home will be drawn into the kitchen: intrigued and instantly very hungry and impatient to try some of the sauce (which is great on its own too).

I made this dish for the first time when preparing for the Flemish TV show "Come dine with me" ("Komen Eten").  I have made it several times since then for family and friends.  As it has always been received with the highest praise from my guests, I plan to add to my top recipes list, and make it on special occasions.  Highly recommended!

  

METHOD

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Roulades:

• Pork tenderloin of about 500-600 g
• 150 g prunes, pitted
• approx. 80 g camembert
• approx. 200 g dry-cured ham in thin slices (prosciutto, jamón serrano etc.)
• 1 big tbsp butter, very soft or melted
• 2 tsp dried tarragon
• 1 heaped tsp gingerbread spice
• 2 tbsp of non-sweetened plum marmalade or spread (typically Polish "powidla" can be bought in any Polish store)
• zest of 1/2 tangerine
• freshly ground pepper

• additional oil and butter for frying

Sauce:

• 2 glasses (400 ml) of dry red wine (I recommend the Carménère variety)
• 8 tbsp of non-sweetened plum marmalade or spread (typically Polish "powidla" can be bought in any Polish store)
• 4 tsp gingerbread spice
• zest of 1 tangerine
• freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Roulades:

• Trim the excess fat off the pork tenderloin.  Cut it in 1,5 cm pieces, and tenderize with a meat hammer (best to cover the meat with cling film first).  You need thin, almost transparent pieces, but make sure not to make holes.  Season each slice with pepper.
• Cut the prunes in half, and place in a bowl.  Add the butter, tarragon, gingerbread spice, plum marmalade and tangerine zest.  Stir thoroughly.
• Dice the camembert in small pieces.
• Cut the ham in thin, long strips.
• Put 2-3 pieces of prune and a piece of camembert on the pork and roll into a roulade.  
• Wrap the roulade in the cured ham.  You can secure the rolls with a tooth pick, but usually it's not necessary.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan, once hot place the roulades in the pan.  Add some butter. Fry around 4 minutes on each side, then gently remove the toothpicks and fry the sides until nice and brown.  It's good to start with a high heat, and then lower it, when frying each side.
• Serve with the sauce.

Sauce:

• Mix all the ingredients and let simmer on a small heat for about 1h - 1h30, stirring occasionally.
• Serve hot with the roulades.

The recipe comes from the Polish website Kwestia Smaku.

Bon appetit!

Quinoa & mung bean patties

Lately I have been in a real "cleaning and organizing mood".  My inner Monica Geller (remember "FRIENDS"?) woke up and and told me to arrange my drawers, segregate the paperwork, and throw out clothes I haven't worn for a while.  Of course the first step to every proper cleaning up is making a total mess.  You take all the stuff out your closets and introduce major chaos to your environment.  It is highly advisable to do this when no one is around -- after all you don't want your boyfriend to make remarks along the lines of "do you really need so many pairs of shoes?" or "how can so many clothes fit into one closet?".  

Despite the overarching chaos I find that organizing your stuff can be really therapeutical and cleansing - you feel like things in your life regain their purpose and fall back into their place, and most importantly: you get rid of all the clutter.  I don't know about you guys, but I just loooove throwing useless things away - it's so liberating! 

Mung beans: after and before soaking

Whilst in my "Monica Geller mood", I also got to cleaning and organizing my kitchen cabinets and pantry.  There, I discovered I have quite a decent stash of mung beans.  I have actually never had mung beans before in my life.  I just heard they were really healthy and good for you, so I bought them a few months ago without a clear idea of what I would do with them.  And now - BINGO!  Time to put them to good use :-)

I have always been a big fan of veggie burgers and patties, so my first idea was to make some with the mung beans.  To be honest with you -- the rest of the ingredients were also part of my "clearing the pantry plan".  But hey - they go so well together, and I wouldn't change a thing even if my pantry was stuffed with every ingredient there is.  

I decided to go for the quinoa to add some more texture to the patties -- the plan was to mash the beans, but leave the quinoa sprouts intact and with a bit of bite to them.  Not to mention that quinoa is super healthy too -- thus boosting the "good-for-you-value" of the patty.  For additional flavor, I spiked the burgers with some red onion, garlic, lime, and coriander -- you need that to give some character to the bean/cereal background.  And the finishing touch: creamy tahini, which really is essential to the dish.  It brings an incredible sesame nuttiness, which really enhances the flavor.  Plus you need the fat - after all it's the only fat going in the patties, and it helps keeping the burgers from falling apart.

These patties are very versatile.  You can experiment with the ingredients and spices -- and add things you like (or you need to get rid of when you have your own "Monica Geller cleaning mood").  Try them with chickpeas or lentils, add some curry or ginger - maybe peanut butter instead of tahini?

The burgers go very well with a fresh salad.  I made a beetroot-apple salad, for a delicious and very healthy meal - the recipe is coming soon!

METHOD:

Makes 6 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 cup / 200 g of dry mung beans (you could also use other beans, lentils etc. - just cook them according to their package)
• 1 cup / 180 g of quinoa
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons of tahini
• juice & zest of 1 lime
• ground coriander
• fresh coriander
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Soak the mung beans overnight and cook the next day according to the package instructions until completely soft (mine were done after about 20 minutes).  Mash the beans roughly in a big bowl.
• Cook the quinoa according to package instructions (mine took 8 minutes).  Let cool a bit and add to the mung beans.
• Dice the red onion and garlic very finely, add to the beans.
• Add tahini, lime juice and zest, and season well with ground coriander, salt and pepper.  Taste the mixture and season some more if needed.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper.  Form six flat patties with your hands and bake the patties in a preheated oven (180°C) for about 30 minutes until golden brown (no need to turn, as the tray will be hot and the bottom will brown too).
• Serve warm, sprinkled with fresh coriander, with a light and crispy salad - e.g. the beetroot/apple salad.

Bon appetit!

Reactivation: almond & basil-crusted salmon

Hello world!  It's been a while since I posted here.  Obviously the circumstances are to blame - not me.  You are asking: how come?  Well, my inspiration for writing was brutally beheaded time after time by the changing aura.

First, I wanted to complain about the bad weather (not an infrequent inclination of mine :P)  And the weather got much better...  So then I wanted to write about the sun, hot weather, ice cream, running through fountains, pleasant evenings on the terrace, and lying on the grass waiting for that first sunburn -- pretty much your average summery stuff.  Before I got to that, however, the weather changed again.  It got chilly and rainy, and the possibility of catching sunburn was exchanged for the possibility of catching a cold.  Nonetheless, at that point it seemed pointless and so-oh passé to complain about the bad weather, and I was left without topic, yet again.

 

This whole (questionably interesting) inner debate brought me to the conclusion that maybe I shouldn't base my blog posts on weather descriptions -- as fascinating as they may be (...for grannies waiting for weather reports whilst finishing knitting new scarfs). After all, this blog is about so much more than weather (theoretically, at least).

I guess what I'm trying to say by this whole litany of excuses and boring weather talk: I missed this blog, and will make sure to start posting on a regular basis again! The good thing is that I managed to take an insane number of pictures in the meantime -- all of insanely delicious food -- so I have plenty of great resources to draw from.

 

Thanks for bearing with me. And hold on to your hats: the reaaaaally good stuff is just about to start!   

 

Speaking of really good stuff: this almond & basil-crusted salmon is packed with flavors and utterly delicious.  The freshness of the basil paired with zingy lemon zest and buttery roasted almonds makes a perfect combination.  When you are making the dish, the most amazing harmony of scents fills your kitchen and hungry housemates intrigued by the smell flock to you.  I also like the combination of textures - meaty salmon, crunchy almonds and delicate herbs -- it really melts in your mouth.

 

The dish is very easy to make, so you can prepare it for a simple weekday dinner.  At the same time, the perfect flavor blend and appealing presentation make it a sure winner for dinner parties with friends -- your guests will love it!

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless salmon fillets (approx. 600 g)
• 100 g of whole unsalted & unroasted almonds
• small bunch of fresh basil
• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt
• pepper

 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180-200 °C.
• Chop the almonds coarsly and roast for a few minutes in a hot dry frying pan, until golden-brown.  Transfer to a bowl, add the lemon juice and lemon zest.  Let cool.
• Chop the basil and add to the almond mixture.  Add the butter and a bit of salt and pepper.
• Spread the crust on top of the salmon fillets.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes (check if your almonds are not burning -- if so decrease the heat).
• Serve with steamed veggies and/or garlic baked potatoes.

 

*I found the recipe (by doktorek) on a Polish discussion forum.

Bon appetit!

Thai red curry with shrimp & noodles

Have you ever wondered how your imagination can write the most fascinating, yet somewhat bizarre scenarios?  My mind, in any case, seems very prone to coming up with the craziest ideas.  One thought I'm often puzzled by, for example, is what would the world look like if everybody had the same personality, talents and flaws as me.  I'm not talking about looks, educational choices, or even interests.  Just hard skills & character = what you are born with.

Imagine all the plumbers, architects, athletes, policemen, doctors and taxi drivers would have your take on life (optimistic or pessimistic), your enthousiasm (or the lack of it), your ability to learn (slowly or quickly), to tackle problems and face challenges, your dedication or your laziness, as well as your social skills.  

It's a funny exercise for your mind and I recommend you have a go at it and see what kind of world you would come up with.  All you need to do is think of yourself in every possible social scenario and profession -- and assume you have full power to do things your way.  After all -- the only person who could stop you would be you.

You don't need to dig deep when playing this game and keep it simple.  Think about things you are good at / not good at.  Maybe with your skills there would be a cure for cancer by now?  Or maybe we wouldn't have even made it to the Moon?  What would the buildings designed by you look like (IOW: what is your style?)?  How would cities and road networks be planned (IOW: do you have a decent spatial intelligence and can you predict social needs or technological developments?)?  What would you find on the shelves of an ordinary supermarket: more types of yoghurt? more exotic fruit? less meat?  Would the Air Force One have a SPA on board?  Would there be different TV channels? 

If you do wish to dig a bit deeper -- focus on the more fundamental issues.  Would the world be a cleaner, safer and more peaceful place?  Think carefully!  The fact that now you are against war does not mean much.  You probably live a nice, cheerful life in a safe country, have a decent job and never go hungry (except when on a diet :P ).  But would you still be against war if you were born poor, in a third world country, and some guys sent by a ruthless dictator threatened your family?  Would you fight -- or still choose peace?

But enough of this philosophizing: let's get to the food :D  This Thai red curry is really one of the best things I ever ate!  Spicy, creamy, and with a perfect balance of flavors and textures.  I love curries in general, but used to be more familiar with the Indian ones, rather than the Thai, which I discovered quite late.  I love their exotic taste: the blend of heat, sweetness and zingy freshness, combined the lovely smoothness of coconut milk.

Once you get a grasp of the basics and are able to make this amazing red sauce, you can throw in almost any ingredients you like.  You don't need to go for shrimp -- try using meaty fish, chicken or veal instead, if that's more to your liking.  Also various types of veg go very well with this.  Based on the original recipe you should add bamboo shoots and soft green peppercorns -- but baby corn or red peppers are great too.  Enjoy!

[METHOD]

Bon appetit!

Oh-so-yummy stuffed peppers

Lately the idiom "I could eat a horse" has evolved from a fun expression to a very literal -- yet unfortunate -- prophecy for the European consumer.  Reports of horse meat found pretty much everywhere and in everything have made me think twice even when buying horseradish in a jar.  Seems like greedy food producers are going out of their way to make consumers reach the bitter conclusion that nothing will ever surprise them again.

Rest assured -- this recipe has nothing to do with horse meat.  Nonetheless, the horse idiom is definitely appropriate here, as the dish is great for very hungry people.  After trying this, you will want to change the expression to "I'm so hungry I could eat a stuffed pepper."  Sounds much nicer in view of the recent events.

There is no doubt about this: the peppers are very filling. I was totally stuffed after eating two -- one would have been enough, but they are just soooooo delicious I couldn't resist having the second one.  They are great on their own, but you could also serve them as a side dish -- with some meat, potatoes or salad.  

This dish is very healthy and low in fat or calories.  The peppers are stuffed with red lentils, buckwheat, mushrooms and herbs.  Lentils and buckwheat are an excellent source of fibre, proteins, vitamins and minerals -- they are among the healthiest foods out there.  You won't even notice when you become healthier and happier after eating the peppers (ok, ok: this is not a miracle worker -- just very good for you).

The dish requires almost no preparation and is extremely easy to make.  Vegetarians/vegans will love it.  Meat-eaters won't even notice there is no meat there (or they can have it as a side dish with a steak, if they really must have some meat).  

There is also a lot of room for experimenting: you can add any ingredients you like to the stuffing (tomatoes, minced meat, capers, topped with cheese etc.).  But this combination is a perfect balance of flavors, and goes very well with the sweet, soft, delicately cooked pepper.  

Mmm, I can't wait to make this again!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 red or yellow peppers (firm, fresh, and with thick flesh)
• 100 g of dry buckwheat roasted groats
• 100 g of dry red lentils
• 300 g of mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 large onion or 2 small ones, finely chopped 
• 400 ml of light vegetable stock (I used bio)
• 3 tsps of herbes de Provence (I used bio)
• olive oil (around 1 tbsp)
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Sauté the onions with the olive oil until golden.  Add the chopped mushrooms, herbes de Provences, and a little bit of salt and pepper.  Sauté until light brown.
• Chop off the top of the peppers.  Be careful not to make any holes in the lid while doing that.    Cut off the stems if they are too long.  Clean the peppers inside, getting rid of the pips. 
• Mix the dry buckwheat, lentils and mushrooms in a bowl.  Fill the bottom part of the peppers, leaving around 1 cm of space from the edge.
• Pour a bit of hot water in a pan, filling it with a layer of around 3 cm.  Put the peppers in a pan, very tightly next to each other.  They will become very soft and slippery, so they must be arranged really tightly or otherwise they might fall over.  
• Pour the vegetable stock filling each pepper up to the edge.  Cover with the pepper lid.  
• Cover the pan with the lid.  Let simmer over a small heat for around 40 minutes (yellow peppers are softer than the red ones, so monitor them closely to see if they don't fall apart).

Bon appetit!