Our visit to Poland!

The flag of Poland made out of Legos.

A Polish Tale

We read "The Jester's Last Trick" from "Through the Grapevine".

Polish Festival

Faworki and Pączki

What were the chances that the week we randomly selected Poland there would be a Polish festival just 15 miles away? We watched Polish dancers, listened to music and tasted some food. The kielbasa sandwich with sauerkraut was a hit. We also braved a couple of bites of dairy in some desserts.

Our Polish Sunday Monday Dinner

After the picture (Tofutti) sour cream was added to the soup. Very strange color!

The butcher at the Polish Festival was selling these packets of instant red borsch. . 

The soup was not a hit. It was quite startlingly red and a strange sort of sweet. It definitely tasted of beets. We like fresh beets and roasted beets but beet soup wasn't really our thing.

Kotlet schabowy - Pork Cutlets

• 4 boneless center-cut pork chops or 1-pound pork tenderloin
• Salt and black pepper
• All-purpose flour
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
• Bread crumbs or panko crumbs
• Vegetable shortening or canola oil

Preparation:

1. If using chops, trim off fat and gristle. If using tenderloin, trim off fat, remove silver skin and cut into 4 equal pieces. Pound pork between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
   
   
2. Dredge in flour, then egg, then bread or panko crumbs. Allow cutlets to dry for 10 minutes before frying.
   
   
3. Heat shortening or oil to a depth of 1 inch in a large skillet. Fry one at a time by placing cutlets top side down into the pan. Fry 5 to 7 minutes per side until golden. Place on a heatproof plate in a warm oven (about 200 degrees) covered with foil and repeat with remaining cutlets. Alternatively, use two skillets to speed the process.

Original recipe - http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/polishmaincourses/r/porkcutlets.htm

My notes: I used panko crumbs and canola oil. The cutlets cooked much faster than the recipe suggested. They were a hit with the family but not a method I would use to make again any time soon because of the frying.



Chłopski Posiłek (Peasants' Bacon and Cabbage)
Chlopski is the Polish word for peasant, and literally translated this dish is called 'Peasants' Meal'. It's a dish which is most popular in the provinces like Lubuskie, in the far west of Poland.

1		medium green cabbage, coarsely chopped
6		slices fatty bacon, diced (is fatty bacon different than regular bacon?)
1		medium onion, chopped (used red onion)
1		large leek, chopped (omitted)
1/4		cup water
2		cloves garlic, chopped
1		lb. Polish sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2		teaspoons salt and pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add all other ingredients except sausage to dripping; cover and cook 10 minutes over medium heat, turning cabbage once. Add sausage; cover and cook 5 minutes or until sausage is heated. Transfer to serving dish with a slotted spoon; sprinkle with bacon.
Makes 4 servings. Original recipe - http://www.krykiet.com/polish_food.htm


Notes: Maybe my "medium cabbage" was small? The ratio of cabbage to sausage really favored the sausage. I drained all but a tablespoon or two of the bacon fat and the dish still seemed plenty 'slick'. The kids loved the sausage and the bacon but didn't love the cabbage. Husband said it was edible. I liked it although I gave away most of my sausage pieces to the carnivores at the table.

Up next... PORTUGAL!