gagatka & senses

Horse or chicken?

2011-04-08T13:17:00.003+02:00

Chicken is bland. It can become even blander when, for the sake of your health, you eat it very often. That's why I love to experiment with my chicken...

And since breasts are most pleasant to deal with, but also driest, my basic 30 minute idea of dinner is to make them fried and served in some sauce. Curry, tomato, paprika and pesto are most common choices, that's why I sometimes crave for trying something new.

This time it was horse radish and it was a big time hit. Shortly fired pieces of chicken breast I am dusting on the pan with spoon of flour and after they get light brown color I pour over cream (10%). Seasoning and stirring constantly I'm waiting for the sauce to thicken. When it's done I add lemon juice and a few spoonfulls of grated horse radish from jar. Warming up everything and that's pretty much all.

Served with boiled potatoes and water cress garnish.

All healthy colours

2011-04-03T19:44:00.005+02:00

That was an ultra healthy feast, yet edible even for more conventional eaters that do not despise fatty meaty steak. Sort of improvisation too :)

So first, we have one leftover from previous day - red cabbage plainly sauteed with oil, pepper, salt and lemon juice until soft.

Then there is joyfully orange-ish carrot salad made from shredded carrots and yogurt sauce with spoon of mayo, bit of ginger, honey an cinnamon. Gorgeous for fried dishes.

As much needed carbs I boiled bulgur and left if to soften in hot pot - then mixed with chopped parsley and oil of olive.

Finally, I simply fried slices of almond tofu, well salted and coated in soy sauce with some additional almonds chopped.

Outcome was very comforting :)

Little cabbage... pigeons

2011-03-12T13:13:00.004+01:00

Direct translation from Polish is really "pigeons", though I have no clue what's the idea behind. Talking here about cabbage leaves rolled and stuffed with minced meat - a dish I truly relish.

Basically you just have to boil shortly nice, big head cabbage and then carefully cut off the external leaves, that should get softened. In the meantime, you mince some nice, lean pieces of pork and mix it with chopped onion, egg, salt and pepper. You spread a few spoons of this raw mixture at harder end of the leaf and roll it up. Then you squeeze these small packs tightly in a greased baking dish, preferably over remaining leaves.

You pour vegetable stock atop, so that rolls are at least half covered and you bake it in 170 C hot oven for ca. 1 hour. Then you add tomato puree to stock, making sure it's nicely seasoned with herbs of preference and you bake for another 15 minutes.

To be served with boiled potatoes. Absolutely gorgeous and appealing even to pork sceptics such as me (anyway, you can always replace pork meat with chicken).

Spinach and potatoes - nicely baked

2011-02-20T19:33:00.003+01:00

This dish came out of need for simplicity and lightness. I reckon full success...

Basically all you need is 1) potatoes - boiled until half tender 2) spinach - defrozen and fried slightly with oil of olive and garlic 3) eggs 4) thick yoghurt, greek style.

I cut potatoes on thick slices and fry them up for literally a minute with browned onion. Then I took it off the heat, tossed in cooled fried and after a few minutes folded in a few spoons of yogurt with Dijon mustard and 4 eggs, beaten together with fork. Salt and pepper suffice as seasoning.

Such a sleazy mixture was next transferred to buttered up oven dish.

After baking for 30 minutes in well heated oven (200 C), everything was nicely set and pleasantly aromatic. Served with cold tomato dip. We relished!

So I'm blogging again!

2011-01-29T18:07:00.007+01:00

It's been a long time, but here I am again. Pregnant, nauseous and desperate to cook something really yummy. And since I live in Czech Republic now, for good, it's good to start with knedliki.

Seriously it's one of the best food stuff they invented here. Basically, you buy them ready made, and very decent, in the shop and all you do steaming for a few minutes. Then you serve it with anything that has lots of sauce or liquid (the idea is to soak pieces of fluffy, delicate yeast dough in some sauce).

I normally adore it with chicken in creamy paprika sauce but this time I was dreaming whole day about sauerkraut, so I just fried bits of chicken breast with marjoram and mustard and cooked the cabbage with caraway seeds until it was soft. God, I swear I licked the plated clean.

Very delayed Easter aftertaste

2008-04-12T13:06:00.009+02:00

Provided that everybody has already forgotten Easter savors I am bringing up some colorful scents - that didn't squeeze into work schedule of last few weeks. But better later than never.

So the queen of traditional Polish Easter table: Yeast baba with lemon frosting - 10 eggs included.

Now very sweet and crusty cherries mazurek - not my favorite, but a family must;

Another mazurek: caramel inspiration - hard to believe but even more sticky and sweet... Was Easter invented by jobless dentists ???

Poppy seed cake moist of apple purree for those who need more juices and spice... Not typical but adorable.

Last, but not least, refreshing dessert cheesecake with aromatic orange whipped cream layer.

ALL THE PICTURES BY J.PAVLINEC

sweet bit of sunday tradition

2008-03-04T17:40:00.008+01:00

I don't know if anybody had ever made it clear how traditions are brought up to life.
But somehow they do and there is something particular about Sunday rituals.

Some people go to church, others for dinner to parents-in-law. Hard to say how much fun that is. I know even some who go for hooligan football matches. As for myself I'd rather opt for something definitely pleasant. That's how sunday cake breakfast tradition was born.

It's definitely relaxing - no fancy omlettes or eggs on bacon chores. Just cut the cake, pour some yoghurt and make coffee.

Latest chocolate cake turned a bit disatrous, as storm Emma over Czech Republic cut off electricty supply just when my ultra-light (yoghurt and beaten egg whites) chocolate cake landed in the oven. Fortunately glueiness made no harm to perfect falvour of chocolate.

Previously, poppy sponge roll was on display. I stuffed it with forest fruit yoghurt cream and refrigerated. They say that poppy seeds are highly addcitive - it's hard to judge if they can overcome cocoa but definitely it's a close shave.

First dinners of independence

2008-02-12T18:56:00.002+01:00

I left family nest to settle in Czech Republic. First 1000 km towards the Equator made!!! :)

Apart from this immense distants I also managed to go through the fisrt month of totally controlled cooking. One kitchen for one woman - that's what feminists should fight for!!!

So here is a short brief of my first steaming and spicy steps:

A bit of Poland: potato puree and salty herrings - leek salad

potato dumplings filled with minced beef

fish flan - the only way to digest frozen fish cubes

garlic soup, garlic to be continued...

iceberg salad with toasted sunflower seeds and lots of garlic

shrimps in... yes, garlic, broccoli and rice - good old classics

pierogi ruskie (my heritage) with chilli beans (other half's heritage :)

immortal cheesecake - best homesickness treatment
So we are still far away from malnutrition :)

Apples:lemons - 1:0

2008-01-26T19:52:00.000+01:00

January Daring Bakers challange was all about lemon meringue pie.. I hate meringues and lemons in sweet dishes so my hope was lost since first moment of getting the recipe.

But I did dare and as easy to imagine my lack of faith was heavy in consequences. Innocent as above might seem, it turned out to be inedible. Soaken gummy crust, lemon cream melting, chewing gum-like meringue...
At least I learned a lesson about cooking against your taste ;)

To cheer the climate up a bit I made an apple pie using my mum's invincible recipe. Maybe it was my innate love for apples, maybe just family wisdom but when our little cousin, speaking only Czech, visited us for a piece of "Szarlotka" he managed to muster all his school skills and afirmed: This cake is best!
And that made up for all my lemon bitterness.

on snowy Austria roof

2008-01-03T13:31:00.000+01:00

Santa made me surprise this year. And it wasn’t about getting stuck in the chimney.

He hijacked me to Austrian Alps for some snow fun or rather lots of snow and lots of fun. And as much as the soul screams happy after sliding downhill stomach needs a bit more than frozen water to have a pleasant afternoon. Fortunately, those mountaineers either have the same picky stomachs or just simple sense for business and in a hutte perched 2000 m above sea level you can find really amazing food.

This season no 1 was undoubtedly huge yeast knedel with plum jam inside bathed in sweet vanilla sauce. On special order of a couple of true addicts poppy seeds were sprinkled lavishly atop the fluffy ball of sweet pleasure.
Now if you close your eyes and imagine chilly fresh alpine air in your mouth being suddenly replaced with a bite of warm delicate dough, sticky with intensively flavoured custard and mesmerizing with non-terrestrial poppy aroma you almost are surfing the sky.

For those who treat such temptations as a cherry atop the cake called real meal for iron muscled free-riders there are other attraction in autrich typiche cuisine. Take this sliced potato knedel enriched with bacon pieces and served with a decent steak of pork meat and heart warming sauerkraut. It is not for sure that you will be able to jump a lot afterwards but certainly you will have one more reason to enjoy chilly beer.

PS. wonderful pictures were taken by J.Photographer

Daring Bakers - December

2007-12-09T09:59:00.000+01:00

Some old pagan traditions made certain nations of our continent extremely affectionate with the beauty of wooden logs. It goes to such an extent that instead of baking luscious three tier chocolate cake with whipped cream snowflakes they are spending hours to produce something as tempting as a piece of trunk.

This month our ambitious sect of very Daring Bakers decided to spread nature friendly recipe and so we came up with all sorts of sweet flavourful rolls disguised in coffee buttercream bark.
Not surprisingly, having the option of choosing genoise flavour I went on with pure chocolate filled black currant home made jam.

As ornament for what French people call La buche de Noel there were obligatory mushrooms to be planted on the log. I made ones from meringue but in the process of fiery culinary reaction they evidently gained hallucinogenic proprieties.

Final result didnt have slightest wooden note and dissapeared quickly enough to consider baking whole tree next time.

Daring Bakers - November

2007-11-11T21:22:00.002+01:00

This is my first challenge int he noble group of crazy bold baking ladies of the world. I won't deny I hope for something at least as delicious and mouth-watering as last month's sticky toffee buns so you can imagine my face when I saw potato bread recipe...

But I did it and have to say that taste is absolutely gorgeous, not mentioning the bakery smell all around home. I put my favorite pumpkin seeds atop and now have to stand over the loaf with a knife to make sure everybody gets fair share ;)

OK, there was one failure but as a beginner I feel excused: some glueiness resulting from probable underbaking... My mum blames the oven. Let it be ;)

This small inconvenience was completely absent in parsley focaccia, that was consumed immediately, still hot, with lots of fresh tomatoes and onion.

I definitely restored my faith in humble potatoes!!!!

Birthday cake update

2007-11-11T21:22:00.001+01:00

It is already long ago after the last bit of my October birthday cake was vaccumed from the plate but it's never too late to refresh sweet memories, is it?

This time I went for cocoa sponge cake cake moistened additionaly by some chocolate syrup and layered with strawberries (Thank God for refrigerators!) and whipped cream+ greek yoghurt strawberry mousse. I have certain reasons to think now that the next year is going to be all sweet and carefree and full of wild strawberry fields!

Gifts from Polish soil

2007-10-03T20:28:00.000+02:00

Last weekend I had opportunity and fun to take part in the regional traditional food & beverage festival that made me a bit uplifted after come back from Portuguese full flavoured heaven. It seems that in spite most of Polish kids feeding on McRoyals, there is some down to earth gastronomy preserved.

The biggest queues -I guess nobody would be surprised - were for the tents with drinking honeys of certain % power. They have their own denominations (półtorak, dwójniak, trójniak) here and secretly guarded recepies but all of them remain sweet and mighty.

After gaining strength you could spend some time on admiring or buying different plants, flowers and decorational veggies and bouquets that are a must for every sel-respectful hostess on farm house or even panel house balcony.

As seen beneath those heavy alcohol liquors prove to be very fertilizing for folk creativity.

OK, and then came time for real food. This is not a place for ladies on diet and vegetarians - it's quite obvious that working people need to Eat.

apple pancakes sizzling in oil

country bread with lard and... apples

pork sausage 0% chemistry

beans a la Bretgne (nobody knows why as typical Polish dish - lots of fatty sausage inside)

bigos - lots of sour cabbage and meaty pieces cooked for daysss

golonka - pieces of piggy legs - I'd rather not comment - faverite male dish as requires lots of vodka

meat, potatoes & veggies grilled for light-hearted

not much meat in those: mostly potato mash and blood with grains

So that would be Polish la cocina pobra ;), meaning the best you can get - as everywhere!

Travelling: South Portugal

2007-09-25T20:39:00.000+02:00

Where some ancient people believed the world ended, some modern may find true begining, at least as far as love for Ocean, figs and port wine is concerned. For moderate to cold climate children walking around olive trees and robust grape bushes, watching organges and lemons ripening, experiencing heat of the sun in late afternoon in the second half of September is just awesome.

And even though Algarve restaurants abound in fried sardines, tuna steaks and seafood (all in stuffy tourist sauce) the most rememberable tastes remain in the raw simplicity of basic ingredients.

Aromatic, juicy ham; sweet dark figs and moisty goat cheese...

Reason for ketchup-mania & pure black olive jewels...

Dense, crusty bread that asks for plenty of good salty butter...

Spicy and fatty pork sausage for hard core lovers...

More figs (green doesn't mean it's not ready ;) and more cheese from noble cows...

and last, but definitely not least, king of Portugal land...

Tawny variety mage biggest impression but ruby and white are to be sampled (generously!!!) as well. Mind 20% of alcohol, especially when waves are strong ;)

One night in Budapest

2007-07-13T19:15:00.000+02:00

goulash soup

... there was a very hungry couple who wandered all along the Danube harbour to get something hungarian for the last dinner in this hot and spicy and unforgettable city. As in every European capital, it's most easy to get a pizza or Chinese food in those countless street restaurants but with a little luck and perseverance you will find the desired goulash as well!

Ours was served in a round crusty bread and to my astonishment was neither fiery spicy nor too fatty-meaty. In fact, it was just great to whet the appetites and still leave some space for more palate pleasures.

As a slowly extincting vegetarian I was happy with a veggie feast that consisted of grilled zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes, some raw stuff as a nice crunch note and adorable pieces of 3 types of cheese fried in bread crumbs. Do I have to report on awesome melting lava errupting from golden rocks and covering green pastures underneath??? Splendid.

My partner in crime had roasted turkey stuffed with sweet marmolade-like chestnuts and layered with wine gravy. Baked sliced potatoes making nice pillows for this lazy piece of dizzy poultry.

Well, I am sure that there are hundreds of more or less private reasons to come back to Budapest. But goulash can be always a nice thing to add on the top ;)

treats for full-time kids

2007-07-01T18:57:00.000+02:00

Every time when asked if I would ever grow up AT LAST, I'm 100% sure the answer is: not as long as I remember how bździnki taste like... And that's a taste I won't forget as I practice regularly to keep the memories fresh and warm. The name for the delicacy is probably just our family device cause adult people would just say: gluey chocolate and oatmeal cookies...

The recipe for staying kid all life long is very simple and one of the very few ones that I never experiment with. It would be pure profanation.

What you need to do is just melt in a thick-bottom pan 120 g of butter with 1/2 cup of sugar, add 4 tbspoons of milk and 2 tbspoons of good quality cocoa. Take off from the fire and mix in almost 2 glasses of rolled oats.

So you get a lovely, excitingly aromatic, hot dark mass of substance that you should basically form into small cookies and leave for cooling and hardening, but for some people/kids that require too much strong will. So half of the batch is eaten out from the pan straightaway and the other half saved as a sweet dreams appetizer, to be consumed with cold milk.

No need to become too serious in your life really!

Mad about red

2007-06-12T19:24:00.000+02:00

There are some studies on colour influence on our minds and apparently red is the one which makes you energetic, vibrant and... hungry. As I read, this is why all those McDo's, Pizza Huts and KFCs are so crazy about the red stuff in their logos, interiors, outfits, advertising...
They just want to sell you more junk food...

Anyway, for me red food is just the best you can have and I'm not sure if it has something to do with affecting my brain... The taste is enough really.

Today's trio: watermelon, beetroots and strawberries are all-time killers... Never give up on any of them.

watermelon, feta and salad

With watermelon you can just eat it, infuse it with vodka for some crazy summer parties or have as a refreshing entree - red and white salad which I adore truly. The combination: HIM, bold, sweet and juicy watermelon and HER, delicate, soft, salty feta is just perfect!

Beetroots at this time of year come as lovely babies. It's a great base for famous Polish soup called boćwinka (eaten with boiled eggs) but for lazier people it's enough to cut them and fry in some good oil with garlic. Wonderful for pastas, rice, pancakes, etc. You have main dish in 20 minutes.

fried baby beetroots

And the red dessert would only need some washing (or even not necessarily)...

Still for all the happy non-dieting people of the world it's worth to try some whipped cream (couldn't not mention THIS thing :), chocolate fondue or some very rich ice-cream...

stracciatela ice cream with strawberries

Cleaning the mess

2007-06-08T16:37:00.000+02:00

Trying to make order with pictures catalogues, I found some "edible" ones that have not been lucky enough to get published so far... I guess it's high time to give them chance before something horrible happens to my hard disk... not quite that unusual.

The one above is quite obvious to be always forgotten... Meaty thing you cook but then try not to mention;) This one had to do something with minced chicken with lots of herbs, fried into kind of meatballs... No idea about the taste, really but my brother looked happy.

Another meaty dish above - this time I'm really surprised how could I not have so far devoted any space to such a delicacy like gołąbki. It's enjoyable enough to make vegetarians lose their strong will and has been my favorite childhood non-pancake dinner.

Minced pork of best quality, mixed with rice and folded into cabbage leaves, then slowly simmered in tomato sauce... Polish cuisine staple with no doubt. The only sad thing is the meaning of word "gołąbki" - little pigeons... I immediately have in my mind the image of small birds tucked in their own wings and boiled in a pot :(

Oh, that's something even better!
Pink trout having been roasted with butter until it was all delicately melting under lightest pressure of finger. Of course, you don't use cutlery to deal with such delicacies...

Picasso inspired cacophony of veggie colours - cherry tomatoes, chickory, parsley, garlic... A crispy french baguette and dry white wine would do whole dinner here!

And that was an experiment on frying aubergine in salty peanut butter... surprisingly, very successful improvisation!

Last, but not least, as it's usually with desserts, good old gorgonzolla brought directly from Lombardy and adorned with some purple bombs of juicy sweetness.

All mess cleaned up.

Party time

2007-04-23T18:47:00.000+02:00

My verrrrrry best friend in the whole world has lately become a mother, what would be enough to make a celebration, but as her birthday approached too, we have decided to go for it and make an unforgettable party!

And so it was for me - 3 days in the kitchen, numerous tasting sessions, a few cuts and burns and then much too much eating and drinking... Fortunately, she doesn't plan a new baby any soon and her next birthday is still a year ahead!
Short report on what was on the menu:

sushi with cavior and smoked salmon

bread tort with 2 kinds of pastes (parsley pesto and hot paprika)

tartalettes with 3 kinds of fillings:

spinach, ricotta and garlic

cherry tomatoes, oregano and mozarella

and also chicken livers pate, which I somehow forgot to take a close view, but can present you with the back scene of preparation - not really appealling to a vegetarian soul...

Of course, the final output was good enough to make me oblivious of my peculiar food preferences ;)

chocolate roll with whipped cream (YES!!!) and cherries

more whipping view :)

There was also an orange cheesecake with espresso gelee cubes inside which was truly amazing but of course the strong red wine caused me lose my camera, forget about taking pictures and focus on the taste rather.

Easter shots

2007-04-09T19:01:00.000+02:00

Traditional Polish Easter menu could bring many out of starvation and fill up hundreds of photo albums. That's what happens when people are told they should eat modestly for 40 days. Even though today nobody really cares about the Lent apparently, feasting goes on every year...

Fortunately, at my home they have always kept it short and simple (like one should supposedly do with presentations) and so the risk of overeating are reduced to minimum. Things really worth mentioning are as follows:

white sausage that sends my vegetarianism for short vacation - eaten hot with horse radish sauce

different sorts of mazurkas which I find far too sweet and dry - the one above with apricot topping

festive yeast baba very rich in eggs and always frosted with lemon icing

kind of Pascha - that is a traditional dessert based upon fat cottage cheese but lately eagerly moderated as is mine: with raisins, fruit, almonds, grappa and, of course, whipped cream... Somebody would call it obsession ;)

And of course lots of eggs, not an interesting subject really.

To be honest, I wouldn't miss this stuff too much if I were clever enough to go snowboarding to some Alpine resort.

Dessert king

2007-03-26T19:09:00.000+02:00

The dessert most often made by me? Tiramisu, no doubt about it. There is something temptating even about the sound of the word that already makes me go and look if there is any whipping cream in the fridge to use.

Because in fact, heavy cream is the only thing I never swap in the recipe. Providing, there is "the recipe" - one and original, as I have already seen so many versions of this Italian classic.

Apart from cream, I may use mascarpone, but not necesssarily - sometimes I opt for lighter cream cheeses or even chantilly itself, enriched only by some gelatin, to make the consistence dense enough.

As a base I might use ladyfingers, amaretti or very soft Polish little sponge cakes. Or even leftovers from some kind of not too moist cake that found no fans. I would never give up on fruit but they may come as fresh strawberries (like here), peaches or raspberries as well as canned and preserved fruit. The one on the pictures is all about canned pineapple. This year I will experiment with water melon, I think...

Paste to Copy :)

2007-03-22T20:00:00.000+01:00

feta, garlic and parsley paste

No matter how much fun there is with crunching and chewing, with all the crispiness and cracking, I have always adored above all the velvety and smoothness in my foods. That's why I'm so fond of pastes which deliciously melt on hot toasts and can be eaten away straight from the jar just by dipping your finger...

What is more, pastes give you wonderful opportunity for unrestrained creativity development since all it takes is just to put everything you fancy into a blender and add enough liquid to get THE texture. I prefer to add olive oil though other oils, ketchup, mustard and butter are attractive as well.

chick peas, hot paprika and almonds

Being a vegetarian it's really nice to find out that you can actually make soya beans quite edible by blending them with all sorts of spices and herbs.

roasted trout, tomato paste, basil and carrots

As a bold girl, I do not even hestitate to use the humble trout for my pastes. In fact, fish like mackerel and tuna, with all their sumptuous fat, are very inspiring and efficient for a paste artist, even though the blender needs heavy washing before you decide on a strawberry smoothie...

when plums are scarce...

2007-03-09T18:32:00.000+01:00

...you can't make plum knedle, sorry. I don't believe in putting frozen purple stones in your potato dough. After all, if it was no difference why one would wait so much for August???

Instead, I experiment with other fillings - more winter-like. I have tried mushrooms, spinach and meat but the best one turned out to be well treated cottage cheese.

I'm sure Italians would say ricotta with basil but I'd rather stay with our humble Polish "twaróg" - which has no resemblance to Philadelphia or other soft packed cheeses from supermarket shelves. It's fatty, quite dense and tastes gorgeous with chives and radish.

For my knedle, I fork it down with some crushed garlic, lots of dill and parsley, chilli, pepper and salt. It must be rahter hot as boiling takes off much of the spice. The process of making dough is the same as with plum knedle. So is boiling. And tasting?

Well, quite different but equally interesting! Best with tomato and hot paprika yoghurt dip. And so, I can patiently wait for the plum trees to blossom...

layers of indulgence

2007-02-24T18:10:00.000+01:00

This is a short post about simplicity. It's not that I have something against Pierre Herme and fabulous pieces of culinary art requiring 12 hours of hard work, prayers and at least a stroke of luck (so that the dish does not collapse last minute before serving).

But sometimes true happiness can be obtained by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk and spreading it on sheets of wafers available in every supermarket.

It's best after a day of resting in cold pressed by some heavy object to make wafers soak up with thick caramel and become gorgeously chewy...

There's nothing more to write about. So simple ;)

carnival last treats

2007-02-16T19:28:00.000+01:00

I have been really hungry lately. Having come back from mountain trip where there was never enough food to fill up the whole team of crazy snowboarders I trying to make up for the lost callories now. So I live on toasted sandwiches all day adding more and more cheese and olive oil. It really works great!

graham toast with spinach, garlic, cheese and basil

And to please myself even more, especially that whole my soul is yearning to go back on the snowy slopes and fight, I bake... There's nothing like a hot aroma of apple crumble pie!

Well, or actually there is ..:) I am a devoted fan of cheesecakes - light , fluffy, not too sweet, without raisins, chocolate or whatsoever - just pure cheese with slight rhum aroma...

I won't even let it cool down properly - I spoon the hot moist cake on its way to kitchen sill... Absolutely gorgeous!

a reason to get off the slope

2007-01-31T20:21:00.000+01:00

Last sunday I've done my first snowboarding this year and it was awesome! No matter how big problems appear in your life, how many things you miss every day, how much miserable or worried you feel... having the board under your feet and "flying like an angel to the sun" truly makes the difference.

But when I come home, all wet, exhausted and exhilarated, I really need something to keep me alive. So you can just imagine me opening the door and smelling the most gorgeous aroma of hot yeast pie...

That's my mother's secret weapon to keep her children coming home ;) She doesn't use a recipe, she weighs every ingredient in her hand, she meticulously works out the dough and shouts if you just approach the huge bowl of raw mixture...

What finally comes out of the oven is sometimes a cheese strudel, sometimes a plain pie or crescents with cherries...

Eaten still hot, with a glass of cold milk or cup of strong black tea, it is a simple delicacy that compensates fully the disstress of leaving the slope.

Round perfection

2007-01-21T11:12:00.000+01:00

There is one dish that accompanies and comforts me all my life - for better or for worse, in sickness and in health... my dear pancakes!

I had them from my grandma when I was little- with cottage cheese, folded in triangles and butter-fried
I begged my mum for them coming back from school on Fridays - with unbelievable homemade plum jam
I even didn'r refuse to eat them filled with meat in the school cantine

with mince meat

I had gorgeous huge ones with whipped cream and fruits during my studies - especially when heartbroken
I had charming crepes suzettes in my lovely Paris
I had smelly 4 Kase Pankuchen (with 4 cheeses) when feeling homesick in Berlin
I had them on my longest holiday ever, in Canada - small and fluffy with blueberries hand-picked by a very caring friend :) and golden maple syrop
I often have them with spinach and garlicky cheese sauce at my favorite "Cafe Sanatorium" in Sopot.

But above all, I love to fry them, flip them, experiment with stuffings, flavors and textures...

with cheese and tomatoe

with strawberry icecream

Recently, I have been encharmed by and almost loyal to whole grain flour version that tastes slightly nutty and crisps more... perfect with yoghurt, mandarines and cashew nuts

These loyalty fails sometimes when I see oat rolls and decide to make a good use of them...

Thicker, richer and more filling... they're winter wonders!

oats version with broccoli

And after such a horrible week like this one, I'm going to go and seek my consolation in the kitchen...

sweets for my sweet ones

2007-01-08T19:41:00.000+01:00

If somebody gets to know you're good with the hardware stuff you have all your friends bringing you their PC's and making your room look like a garage. That's what happens with my brother. And if you offer yourself just once to make a fancy dessert for the party then you are always welcome... with something sweet. That's what happened with me.

I would be so happy to make some sort of creative aromatic pasta or fish lasagne one day but I'm stuck in whipped cream, mascarpone, jellies, chocolate and ice cream. But then when you see all your friends happy and licking the spoons... oh, there's nothing better than that!

Last weekend I had a farewell party for a friend going to Iceland for hard work. Cured shark - that's the local delicacy there. I strongly felt I needed to make him this honey-walnuts-peaches panna cotta with rum.

I never use recepies cause they kill all my enthusiasm and creativity so I guess I won't be able to reproduce it but I hope he'll still be motivated enough to come back.

And for another friend who helped me get my snowboard gear complete I made this mighty sweet brownie layered with pineapple and refreshingly acid chantilly foam. He will be my instructor - if the snow appears finally - so I'd better start making a list of new dessert inventions...

Heavy tradition

2007-01-03T16:00:00.000+01:00

I am deeply in love with culinary traditions even though I would be glad to explore some unknown ones instead of sticking unchangeably to our national pot heritage. Especially that there are some points on the menu which do not stimulate my ethusiasm to eating.

One of such immortal dishes - traditionally served on the New Year's Day - is bigos, supposedly brought to Poland by king Władysław Jagiełło (coming from great Lithuanian dynasty) in 15th century. I wonder how a nation can eat bigos for more than 500 years and still be alive...

The main ingredient is sauerkraut usually combined with fresh cabbage and simmered for ages with different kinds of greasy meats and sausages as well as dried mushrooms and plums, onion and other condiments. There are options of adding wine, tomato sauce, honey, smoked plums or even plum jam as well.

The longer the proccess lasts, the better the outcome is supposed to be. So you have it re-heated every day and then left overnight, and again, and then you eat it for several days as nobody would put so much effort into a small pot. Bigos best companions are bread and vodka.

Men that I know would go at any length to have it cooked for them even if many of them pays the price of feeling sick after these heavy marathons.

Personally, I strongly dislike the smell and do not care about the flavor, too. I'd rather have my endive baked with camembert and garlic under sighs of true disbelief about his unforgivable rebellion against tradition.

Christmas aftertaste

2006-12-27T18:42:00.000+01:00

We had a rather windy and chilly Christmas days in Sopot this year what naturally didn't put me away from the beach (nothing could). I hope to have some snow and sun in short time so I could take pictures of the town fallen in love with the winter (or the other way round).

Anyway, I had to drop in home a few times so that they wouldn't call for rescuers team to look for me in the waves. So I did take some photos and as they will not match my posts for at least one year I'm putting them in now.

This is a compote boiled from dried plums, apples, pears and apricots which is a traditional festive drink here.

It's popularity has to do with the fact that it helps a lot when you're full and sick of eating what happens quite often from what I can see.

And these are two lazy poppy seed strudels smelling beautifully of almonds and yeast dough. I am always tempted to tear them with my hand while they're still warm... It's really worth all the storm that comes afterwards!

Here you have a homemade pate, probably short of a few chicken livers which I ate while mincing all the meat. My vegetarian soul always surrenders to the aroma of chicken liver so I do not even try to fight.

This is Polish ham - brought from some rural areas and supposedly without any additives. My vegetarian soul remains strong this time.

I would rather have my carp with ćwikła - beetroot blended with horse radish - very hot and pungent but ideal with fatty food.

Our Christmas dinners always include roasted duck with red cabbage and apples and pierogi which taste so much better when re-fried on butter the following days.

I had my last one today so I can announce the holiday closed for this year.

My Christmas Eve Story

2006-12-24T20:01:00.000+01:00

In Poland 24th December is the first and the most festive day of Christmas. I would say it’s the last one worth mentioning because later on you have two days of changing tables and relatives, having you forced to eat and drink incessantly and listening to questions of inqusitive aunts ("Where is your finacee, dear?") or comments of your very funny uncles ("I can't wait to see you domesticated").

But on the Xmass Eve - "Wigilia" in Polish - we are having these wonderful suppers, so traditional, so intimate and charming. The food is usually not so oppulent as traditionally people withhold themselves from meat or excess of any kind.

First you have the soup - which at my home is beetroot soup ("barszcz" - I love English people pronounciating this :) with "uszka" - small dumplings filled with mushrooms (dried and then boiled) that literally translate to "little ears". I guess they should bear some resemblance to this cute body part however I can't quite make myself think too much of a plate of ears...

In other parts of Poland they would eat almond, mushroom or fish soup with different kinds of dumplings or noodles.

Tradition says that you should have 12 dishes on your table but at my home it's much less because my grandma has always wanted to keep it very simple - and I like it that way.

So basically, we limit ourselves to pierogi - Russian ones (with mashed potatoes and cottage cheese, that in fact have nothing to do with Russia) and the most traditional ones - with cabbage, or rather sauerkraut, and mushrooms.

The latter are my number one and I just can't resist eating them with my hands what gives so much more pleasure. But of course is unacceptable... I've always been the criss-cross one :)

Aside, we have the lovely carp in two versions: pan fried and baked with onions. I always opt for the baked one which melts in your mouth tenderly. At my friends houses carp is often prepared Jewish style or in a grey sauce but they also have herrings, salmon and cod often. Wigilia is generally focused on fish.

I won't spoil your appetite with my fingers messing about the fatty fish...

Afterwards comes the sweet part with the fruit cake...

poppy seed strudel (very delicate and moist, made of yeast dough)...

cold cheesecake which is my brother's "must-have-or-do-not- count-on-presents-from-me" (this year I came up with the lemon and gooseberry flavor - refreshing acidity:)))

and my all-time favorite: Kutia! This is a dish that was originated in the areas previously Polish but nowadays Lithuanian and since my granparents both were born in the eastern lands we take over most of their food customs.

Kutia is a wonderful mixture of boiled poppy seeds, wheat grains, honey, nuts, raisins and rum. Awesome and really exhillarating, partly due to the fact that I do not have to count my intake of callories... I would already be lost in numbers!

I won't tell you what happened backstage, before these dishes were finally delivered, as the conflict of generations gets really hot in the kitchen :)

Tomorrow the heavy eating should start - with all the meats, hams, salads, more desserts, cakes and so on but fortunately I'm going to have myself evacuated with the little help from my friends :)

So Merry Christmas to everybody - no matter what do you have on your plates :)

My honey's getting drunk!

2006-12-08T15:36:00.000+01:00

People in Sopot seem to forget about their beach for the winter time. So now I'm stealing my moments of being the only proprietor of one of the most charming sand stretches on the Polish coast. I run along the waterline infusing my eyes with bright sapphire of the sea and inhaling the chilly air. Then I let my body be swallowed by the hungry waves - what in these temperatures literally takes my breath away.

When I come home I can still smell the breeze in my hair and feel the salt on my skin - and that's like heaven. But I also get these horrible freezing cold in my backbone and believe me - hot tea is not enough here...

So I reach for Krupnik. The name can be misleading as it's usually used for describing a typical Polish soup with grains and veggies. However, for people who have once tasted the honey liquer I'm thinking of, the soup could not exist at all...

As you can read on the label, it's made of the best bee honey, spices and aromatic herbs according to some specially guarded old recipes dating back to 17th century.

Poland is a real kingdom of outstanding varities of honey made from acacia, lilac, buckwheat, pine, linden, to name the most renowned ones.

When we were children, my brother and I were having thick sandwiches of dark rye bread, home-made cottage cheese and heavy layer of golden honey for winter breakfasts. I always remember that delicacy whenever I put a honey mask on my lips.

Anyway , Krupnik is sweet, strong and really heating. I became addicted to its magical powers when I was 15 and spent one rainy and very cold summer on a canoe camp.

This year I decided to make my own one! I've searched through available recipes and made my own variation using wonderful acacia honey, spirit, orange and lemon zest, ginger, pepper, juniper, nutmeg and espresso. The mixture had its rest for 3 months and then knocked us down! Mighty strong and delicious, as my friends said.

Now that we'are planning our snowboarding Xmass expedition I was already told I wouldn't be let into the car unless I have a reasonable bottle with me. I'll think twice before I start making my own wine...

Spell of ginger

2006-12-06T16:36:00.000+01:00

On 6th December Polish children wake far earlier than they should on a dark wintery school day. It's all because of "the boots affair". I don't know how the custom originated but somebody succeeded in convincing us that St. Nicholas leaves sweet treats in the boots on his name day. Maybe it was just a trick to make kids clean their shoes as everybody is well aware that you will not find antyhing unless you spend the previous evening on polishing your footwear.

Anyway, 6th December always meant the beginning of Xmass time to me - with all the chocolate flavours, advent calendars and aromatic oranges - so exotic and special in the communist reality. Now that I'm grown up - at least in my ID - I always bake ginger breads around this date.

First there is a nice, shiny, brownish dough that spends a night in refrigerator. I try to put as much spices as possible inside (I never stick to original recipes :)

Then there is all the fun with cutting and filling baking sheets with paper thin hearts, mushrooms, stars, etc. I used to prepare a small gingerbread hut with frosting covered roof and colorful candies as windows. It was so cute nobody wanted to eat it so finally it always got inedible to my great dissapointment.

And it's only like 15 minutes when you feel all home vibrating with cinnamon, ginger, pepper and honey aromas. I'm getting totally Xmass-exhilarated and only wish some handsome Santa would come by :)

Then I make colorful frostings with egg yolk, rasberry syrop, nutella and rum and have my painting workshop going. One day, when I have my own team of little elves (I guess 4 would be enough :)) we'll be doing all the staff together so I know they feel what Xmass is all about - warmth, joy and sociability!

Travelling: Milan

2006-12-04T11:51:00.000+01:00

I have been quite fortunate to be invited to Milan at the beginning of December when everybody's already Xmass-minded. And so the streets of Duomo glow with a multitude of lamps and other twinkling ornaments while fat Italian Santas wander around fashionable shops and boutiques.

Surprising as it might be, I wasn't attracted to Prada and Armani stores but rather to all those cosy, stylish cafes and osterias where life goes on vigorously no matter of strikes (yes, it happened :) or international conferences...

Of course, I don't have to mention what they've got in those cafes...

Awesome capuccino in the morning will not make you Italian but certainly will heat your blood a bit :)

Then there are those small neighborhood markets where even in December veggies appear in opulence and full color range...

and those delicacy shops where you can hunt for gorgeous wine..

panettone Xmass cakes...

fontina, pecorino, mozarella or local gorgonzolla. For a cheese lover like me it reminded heaven.

But it seems that you really find yourself up in the clouds only when you finally sit at the table with a glass of red wine and good friend beside you.

I had splendid spaghetti with botarga of tuna and fresh tomatoes...

Others chose linguine with pesto..

Maybe I shouldn't reveal how much I eat (guess ladies do not wolf down their plates) but I can't resist to show wonderful pizza margherita I also had the other night.

What else? Well, good wine Milanese people - a bit lazy, very disorganized but incredibly charming and friendly, especially if they can help you to install the microphone :)

Orange autumn...

2006-11-23T13:16:00.000+01:00

This year autumn is rather merciful and instead of cold greyish days it brings lots of colours. What I like most are orange leaves lazily wavering in the golden sun.

That's something what makes Polish forests so incredibly enthusiastic even though the calendar cries for winter sleep. And Sopot is especially charming these days with all its beach alleys inviting you for endless walks. It's so easy to fall in love there...

But even if you are single, there is no reason to get miserable. There is always pumkin you get along with... :)

And with a bit of spices and warm feelings towards the orange giant you may end up with quite a nice evening too.

I prefer it simple - with cinnamon, ginger, butter, salt and a pinch of hot paprika.

It may mashed as well and then... well it's just the matter of throwing in some potato dumplings ...

or even mixing it with yoghurt and muesli, which I like best since I am a real muesli-addict.

Travelling: Regensburg

2006-11-18T11:32:00.000+01:00

I've just come back from a very nice trip to Regensburg in the southern Germany (Bavaria region).
It's an old historical city with lots of wonderful architecture and cosy, narrow streets with cobbled stone. You feel like you went back some hundred years ago...

Being Polish I just can't get used to seeing all this order and cleanness around every corner...

As it's November they already make themselves ready for Xmass...

Speaking of food, I was less impressed. Maybe it's just because I'm not the biggest fan of wurst (sausage), sauerkraut and beer. And these are lavish in Bavaria.
During one of the dinners in an old renovated seat of an ancient duke, now a stylish restaurant, we were served a pork steak in heavy mustard sauce, some fried potatoe cakes and brussels...

Fortunately, I was offered a vegetarian option: a huge yeast dumpling on a bed of mushroom sauce. It was really aromatic and filling :)

Of course, it didn't stop me at all from having this splendid dessert of cheesecake with vanilla icecream, whipped cream and hot raspberry coulis...

And if you, like me, dislike heavy meat menu you might always opt for a chocolate treat :)

Need some colours...

2006-11-05T20:14:00.000+01:00

broccoli and feta salad

Desperately need some colours in this dull, greyish season.
It's already stated that all those healthy nurients like beta-caroten are lavish in colourful food.
Convincing but I'd eat them even if there weren't any medical advantages. After all, life is about pleasure not healing your diseases!

Green & white is among my favoured compositions. It looks so fresh and spring-like. Think about cottage cheese and chives, for instance.

kiwi and natural yoghurt

But then you might get more impressionist-like. Take this beetroot and basil salad:

Or for colder evenings one could get cheered with chicken and pepper stew:

And life finally gets a boost, no matter of what happened to the sun :)

My happy birthday

2006-10-30T11:00:00.000+01:00

The wonderful thing about October is that my birthday finally comes...
And as with any celebration, treats, greetings and lots of wine.
This year on my friend's request I've
made a banana-raspberry cake.

To be honest fruity-fruity cakes are not my among faves but anyhow this one turned out to be quite
nice. I layered the sponge with a kind of banana panna cotta and topped with mascarpone based raspberry cream.

At least nobody complained :)

Plums at their best...

2006-09-17T10:39:00.000+02:00

Autumn has lots of charms that should comfort you if you still cry after the finished sunshine season. One of them are certainly plums.
In Poland we have our best variety - węgierka - what directly translates to: Hungarian plum, though is really original for Poland. Something quite alike Russian pierogi, which I reckon to be our national heritage dish...
With those plums you made delicious powidła (I will get to that later), pies and my favourites - knedle.

These are dumplings made from boiled potatoes, egg and flour, stuffed with pitted plums. Some people add sugar with cinnamon inside but I find the fruit sweet enough.

The best way to serve those is to melt some butter and pour over sprinkling with some sugar and cinnamon. I also adore them with cinnamon flavoured yoghurt.

Something to cheer you up

2006-09-03T11:06:00.000+02:00

Holidays arrive to a nostalgic and rainy end... Fortunately, friends come home from summer vacations and it's nice to give them a warm and sweet welcome:)

I made a chocolate sponge roll cake, layered it with raspberry jam and peach flavoured mascarpone with rhum... Whole covered with whipped cream...
Truly delicious:)

With leftovers I managed to improvise a quick trifle. It would be a pity to waste any of the stuff.

Now I'm well prepared for autumn chill.

Never tired of ice cream...

2006-08-29T16:10:00.000+02:00

As it is constantly on my diet I can't help myself shooting more and more ice cream

As a kind of innovation I've loaded two halves of a chocolate egg with nice scoops and adorned it all with some nectarine slices. Big kids love such things:)

My brother's birthday...

2006-08-18T19:43:00.000+02:00

I love to make cakes.
And most of all, I adore making birthday cakes for people I love :)
This year it's my brother's 25th.
Therefore, with all my love....

It was extremely chocolate-full cake. I melted whole lots of finest choco...

Juicy peaches seemed a perfect combination.

The cake didn't last for long. But my brother had the lion's share of this pure pleasure:)

Healthy food...

2006-08-15T18:57:00.000+02:00

I have been accused of promoting unhealthy food. Ice cream are to blame in the first place.
Well, as for me ... you can eat ice cream all day long. I will eagerly join you :)
But for the rest - all those being terrified by sugar and animal fat I am enclosing some "good" stuff...

Camembert - verrrry rich in calcium :)

Some vitamine-full sandwiches :)

Tomato soup with plenty of licopen preventing heart diseases - of course you can omit the cheese if too much pleasure seems awful to you :)

Nuts and figs in honey.... a true cornucopia of microelements :)

And red dry wine, of course :) Voila!

As tasty as August Saturday

2006-08-08T12:15:00.000+02:00

There are seasons which have they "musts". For me August is essentially linked with cherries. And if cherries, then of course pierogi.

Some argue that making them is a chore - I would say it's really worth some effort.

Polish way of eating them is simple and unbeatable: loads of sour creme and powder suger...

It's really hard not to lick the plate afterwards :)

And to finish off - a decent portion of chocolate ice cream...

Pestomania...

2006-08-05T11:45:00.000+02:00

I love basil. Sadly I do not posses a plot of land in Tuscany where I could grow my own under Italian sun. My own balcony has to do instead...

I never bother sticking to the original receipe. Green aromatic leaves are essential - the rest is up to the moment. This time I took brazilian nuts, sunflower oil and young pinkish garlic...

It's a pity I can't snap the smell on my camera :(

It's no use saying what you can do with pesto... I can eat it on its own even. But most often I have it on toasted rye sandwich. With tomato of course.

And speaking of tomatoes - the season for the cherry cute ones is high!!!!

July menu...

2006-07-29T11:57:00.000+02:00

I guess it's a wonderful month for all the lazy girls&boys...
Starting from breakfast...

You just take muesli, blueberries and yoghurt.... and a pinch of cinnamon

Stir and eat...

Then light lunch: broad beans, tomatoes, cucumber, blue brie cheese, oil of oil...

And stir...

And dessert? No need for stirring even... Just a nice scoop of favourite ice cream with some handy dressing:)

I have nothing against chickens...

2006-07-12T14:50:00.000+02:00

...but I do not eat them. Nevertheless, they are quite cute and highly attractive if you consider that tawny skin is trendy and breasts & thighs are always hot:)

Some of my latest pics:

enough...

I strongly recommend accompanying chicken with cucumber salad - bird flu anti-dotum:) You know, there is always a little bit of suspicion...

More sweetness...

2006-07-10T17:18:00.000+02:00

Friends and people you love deserve lots of sweetness. Of course, there are kisses and all the staff but sometimes culinary art is more than gestures or words.

Last weekend, inspired by Cream Puffs, I made a strawberry tiramisu for my friends.
Some awfully plain ingredients, plus grape fruit absolut instead of Grand Marnier, plus lots of heart - and that's the result:

before anyone dug into...
and that's the operation - "pure pleasure":

And I wouldn't be myself if I didn't have some ice cream after hard work... Nut flavour this time, though I still think the chocolate one are invincible!

insatiable girl:) really!

Imagination

2006-07-05T15:51:00.000+02:00

with 30 degrees out side I rather daydream than do antyhing special... especially in the kitchen.
I think of being like this strawberry - bathed in silky cool yoghurt...

Or be covered with a decent pile of vanilla ice cream... I guess that they would melt like in a mug of hot coffeee..

Or generally have a dive in ice pool. Unfortunatley, I do not have one.
So I feel like a mince meat burger fried on the pan...

not sexy at all :(

For those that are too hot...

2006-07-03T11:16:00.000+02:00

Some always are and I guess it's good for them:)
But with ice cream it's never too much, really...

Here are some of my own pics:

topped with berries

with amaretti and cherries

resting lazily on watermelon

My big Bra ate all of them and looked quite happy:)

The following are not mine unfortunately, but some of the best pics I spotted on Flicker (sorry for loosing authors):

innocent:)

temptating...

chocolate ones always win...

These were called "lick me" and I have nothing to add, really...

Apart maybe from a dessert that my friend made for me the other VERY hot day.
"Black Breast". Operation takes 3 steps:

One cup made of strawberries and mascarpone...

two make more sense...

Just like Naomi's:) I swear it wasn't my idea...

summer veggie dinners...

2006-06-27T15:24:00.000+02:00

People often turn to veggies when its hot and it's quite understandable... When you already feel like a searing steak you do not really dream of having another one on your plate...

I do not take kindly to meat at all - even in winter when I feel like Italian gelato - and being a vegetarian for 10 years makes it much more easier to create dinners out of nothing...

Why nothing? Beacause the most often question that meat-eaters pose to veggie funs is: "So what the hell do you eat?!" Just like there was nothing else to deserve an honour of a dinner hero...

Here you have some of my latest summer dinners without a hint of bone or flesh...yet still quite sating :)

oats pancake with beans and ketchup

buckwheat with beetroots and broccolis

beet farfalle with veggies

evening with oven...

2006-06-21T19:31:00.000+02:00

family pizza still in the oven

There are days when oven really attracts me... Not as a machinery of course, but with this memory always present of my mother opening squeezing door to let out the aroma of fresh baked yeast pie... She is a master, truly...

I am a bit intmidated therefore to play with yeast - apart from pizza which does not require so much skill. I use dough receipe from Frances Mayes book "Bella Toscania"... it never fails!

Of course, as in a normal family, everybody has their dislikes and must have his piece customized... For me - plain indulgence: mozarella, tomatoes and basil... (with some garlic optionally or parsley instead of basil)

infaillible crust with classic topping

Guys of course can't do without ham...

ham & mushroom piece

And what is greater than dipping your tongue into melted cheese and inhaling the aroma of fresh yeast? Who can resist hot flesh of baked tomatoe? Definitely not me:)

deeper and deeper into joy of melted cheese

And while the oven is still hot - quickly made strawberry pie comes in and out. In case someone is still hungry...

I love watching berries drowning:)

best when still hot and moist

Eatin light

2006-06-18T11:08:00.000+02:00

It's not that I'm on a diet. Never ever any more. (I once went a bit too far, or too slim:)

But when weather is hot and some virus attacks you - truly painful for me in the last couple of days you really do not dream of t-bone steaks or cheesy tarts with onions... Do you?

I prefer sweet, moist and cold these days and that more often than ends up with some cereals, natural yoghurt and seasonal fruit. And nuts - everybody needs something to crunch on.

My usual lunches look something like that:

plate of fruit

rice pudding with plum jam & yoghurt

Of course, ice cream are girl's summer best friends (no matter what you hear from those tawny boys on the beach). I'm fortunate enough to have a firend who owns an Italian gelateria in my hometown (he is Italian bambino in fact). Recently I managed to shot 2 snaps of his lemon ice cream just ready made. But I'll bring you some more...... much more gorgeous:)))

lemon gelato

Strawberries craze...

2006-06-14T15:57:00.000+02:00

The most sexy fruit? Dipped in whipped cream or hot chocolate it always makes me a bit a over-emotional...

The season is in full now. Though, in Poland we still wait for the latest variety - small, very sweet, a bit wild:) This is Cashubian species and is most often used for preserves as it does not impress with appearance. But the taste... Pure indulgence.

My two hits are strawberries with pasta and yoghurt - as beneath:

and strawberry shake infused with some raspberry syrop:

Dumplings as an entree...

2006-06-10T20:12:00.000+02:00

Well, you have to start somehow and it's much better if you manage to whett the apetite of yours guests... Caviar, truffles, sushi? Neeeee...

What has always kept my chin up and made me mouth-watering are dumplings. Gnocchi, pierogi, knedlicki...whatever you call them. The best have this potatoe body and a slight of gumminess. It takes a while before they melt on your tongue - so as you see there is something in between wise woman and potatoe dumpling.

In Poland potatoe dumplings in various versions have made a career more impressive than vodka in fact. Be sure I will present them here in opulence.

For the start - simple dumplings of boiled mashed potatoes with a hint of nutmeg. Preferably served with a yoghurt dip. The one below is with green olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and basil. Not very Polish indeed.