Conference turris::cooks

    Try note 913  I did a directory search and found that one.
    

    I already looked at 913, it does not contain what I 
    am looking for.  Most of the recipes in it are for 
    cabbage soup.
    
    I am looking for something that is rather special
    like something served on a special occasion or
    holiday and would be good for a dinner party for 
    8 people.
    
    I do plan to go to the library if the great chefs 
    of DEC don't come up with something interesting.
    
    Judie
    
    

    How about a good, homemade goulash?
    That sounds pretty polish to me and it is hearty.
    I had that served to us once, followed by a heavenly chocolate cream
    torte that was out of this world... it was cooked by a Polish lady who
    unfortunately moved out of the area, but I still dream of her
    mastery... I wish I had those recipes!
    
    Best luck.  Ana
    

    My friend who grew up in Poland once served us rolled-up thin beef
    fillets with lots of slivered onions rolled inside and in the sauce
    they baked in.

When I was a kid, my mom used to serve us a German dish similar to that.  It was
beef fillets and they had mustard spread on them, the pickle spear, onions and
spices inside, rolled up and tied with cord or a tooth pick and then baked in an
au jus sauce.  We called them Roulade, but I know there is a more formal name
for the recipe.  

    Perhaps I can help.  Although I was raised in England, I speak Polish and
    ate/eat  cook Polish/European/English fare.  If you are interested give
    me a call - I have a Polish cookbook in English and one in Polish.
    I don't read NOTES often.
    
    BTW, Polish cuisine was influenced by the French, Austrians
    (Austro-Hungarian empire), Germans and Russians.  An indication to 
    their history.
    
    From my experience - family and friends:
    
    Poles make wonderful soups - a cold one whose base is beets, with loads
    of goodies - more like a meal in itself - chlodnik.
    They have a dill (as in pickle) soup. Of course they have beet soup
    barscz (borsch), and dried mushroom soup.
    
    They love herrings - pickled, salted . . . and fresh water fish.,
    
    They make delicious pierogi (dare I say it Poland's equivalent to
    Italian ravioli) and stuffed cabbage leaves, This is everyday fare.
    They have a dish called Bigos, (Hunters Stew) - cabbage, sauerkraut 
    and various meats, game and sausage simmered for a long time - good on 
    a cold winter's night.
    
    They cook  poultry and game. They make roast duck stuffed with apple.  
    They roast lamb and make a sour cream sauce and serve it with hot
    grated beets.   They have great sausage, (kielbasa - plural Kielbasi)
    
    They are serious about their mushrooms (edible fungi) and make many an
    expedition/family outing to gather them.  They then dry, pickle and
    cook them depending on the variety.
    
    They have delicious deserts in the cake/torte line.  They make good
    donuts (not like Dunkin Donuts), with a prune filling. They make
    small cream filled babki and yeast babki.   They make excellent fruit
    boiled dumplings, apple cakes . . . The list is endless, I 
    just can't recall them all at this moment.
    
    Alcoholic Beverages: Vodka SERVED CHILLED, and beer served chilled.
    Non-Alcoholic:  Tea with lemon and coffee. 
    
                             

    Although my background is Lithuanian and Ukrainian, many of the dishes
    are somewhat "polish".  One main dish I can remember as a child and
    many of my Polish friends enjoy is Kapusta (spelling?).
    
    Although many of these recipes were not measured per se, I have made
    the following who have remarked, "gee, this is just like my mother's".
    Here goes....
    
    1 bag of sauerkraut (Clauson's)
    1 medium head of cabbage coarsly chopped
    Approximately 1 cup of Chicken Stock
    1 Tbs. caraway seeds
    1 tbs dry mustard
    2 med onions sliced
    1 pkg of kielbasa (I like Essem) - or - approx 2 lbs pork chops
    
    Divide all of the above in half, except meat.  In a large baking
    dish, layer cabbage, sauerkraut, onion, sprinkled seeds and mustard.
    Place meat on this layer.  Place another layer of cabbage, sauerkraut
    onion, etc. on top of the meat.  Add Chicken stock.
    
    In a 250 oven, bake for approximately 2-3 hours or until meat is tender
    when fork is inserted and cabbage is also soft.  Pork meat should
    literally fall off the bone but is not dry.
    
    I will often serve this with a dark rye bread and boiled potatoes.
    For condiments, be sure to have brown mustard and malt vinegar.
    
    
    Kapusta (spelling?) seems to have several variations in Polish
    cooking, i.e. Kapusta soup.  It is basically a combination of
    Sauerkraut and fresh cabbage.
    
    Also, an authentic main course is Cabbage Rolls (Golumpke - spelling?)
    If you would like that recipe, let me know.
    

    RE: Kapusta....
    
       Be sure to cover the baking pan with aluminum foil while
       cooking.  
    

I grew up on most of the stuff mentioned in this note. My parents 
brought and I came over when I was almost a year old, back in 
'63.

I'd just like to add that if anyone would like to sample REAL 
kielbasa, there is a deli just off RT 290 in Worcester. Can't 
recall the exit, but the building is visible from both side of 
290. It's on the right if you're travelling from 495. They carry 
4-5 different varieties. One taste of the real stuff and you won't
touch the Essems of the world again. 

daryll

(Yes, Doda is polish and hasn't been shortened.)

re .7

When I was a child, my mother made this all the time, but she put in a rack
of pork ribs to cook, or sometimes one of those small Daisy hams (think they
are called picnic hams).  This all simmered to the point of falling apart,
served with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes.

    rep 2980.7
    
    	My wife and I watched the Frugal Gourmet last nite on PBS and he
    made the sour kraut and noodles disk and kilbasa recipe, etc.  I have
    ordered his latest book on our Immigrant Ancestors for her as well, so
    in about 4-6 weeks she should be suprised.

    RE:  I'd just like to add that if anyone would like to sample REAL
    kielbasa, there is a deli just off RT 290 in Worcester. Can't recall
    the exit, but the building is visible from both side of 290. It's on
    the right if you're travelling from 495.
    
    The market is Golemo's on Millbury Street.  Their kielbasa is imported
    and outstanding.  There are several different varieties.  I bought one
    that was extremely lean and was disappointed!  There was no grease, and
    it was too "unlike" the commercial kielbasa I bought occasionally.
    
    Golemo's has lots of different types of Polish foods.
    
    Now if you're not talking about Golemo's... then you must be talking
    about Tom's Delicatessen on Water Street - right across from Widoff's.
    Tom's - in my estimation - is cleaner than Golemo's.  They have pre-
    cooked homemake Polish goodies, too.  Didn't care for their golumbki,
    though - the sauce was definitely too sweet and it couldn't compare
    with my grandma's.  
    
    Tom's also has a great selection of all kinds of different foods and
    coffees, etc.  I bought my tahini and chickpeas there the last time I
    made homous.  I go there to buy their prune butter (yum), and they have
    that yummy Polish prune babka.  
    
    To get there, exit off 290 at the Kelley Square exit.  Turn right at
    the end of the exit/stop sign.  When you get into Kelley Square - cover
    your eyes, take a deep breath, and drive!  Just kidding... seriously,
    bear to the right to get onto Water Street.  Tom's will be on the left
    hand side across from Widoff's bakery [great bulkie rolls-- hot and
    fresh all the time].
    
    If you want to go to Golemo's, then you need to go into Kelley Square
    and turn left by the first gas station on the left - is that Lafayette
    Street?  Unfortunately, Millbury Street is one way coming into Kelley
    Square.  So you have to go down the street that parallels Millbury St.,
    about to Maurice's and then turn up.  If I'm wrong, would appreciate
    someone correcting me.
    
    Can't wait for the Polish picnics to start, to go and get that polish
    food!  If only I could learn to cook like grandma...
    
    Rgds,
    Marcia 
    [whose mom was a TRCZYNSKI]

Marcia,

I can't remember the name since my father goes down and picks up 
the stuff. All I can picture is a brick building with a sign 
visible from RT 290.

I could've sworn this stuff was made locally.

daryll

    If you can see it from 290, (got a smiling guy with a kielbasa wrapped
    around his neck), and the huge Polish red & white flag flying, that's
    Golemo's.  Some of their kielbasa might be domestic.  What I bought was
    imported.
    
    I now prefer Tom's on Water Street.
    
    Rgds,
    marcia

    Look what I found ...
    
    Maybe not too late.  A festive disk is usually linked to a holiday
    and depending on the day (such as christmas eve) may be meatless.
    
    Bigos is a very traditional dish that to truely enjoy takes about
    a week to make (you keep adding things and it keeps getting better).
    It a mixture of kapusta (pickled cabbage), fresh cabbage, assorted
    fresh and smoked meats, wild mushrooms .. excuse me I have to go
    eat something.
    
    Its a great way to use fresh game and a loaf of hearty rye and some
    potatoes can keep people at the table for hours.
    
    Christmas eve would be a fish, borsht and piergogi (potato and farmers
    cheese, or pototoe onion, or my favorite kapusta (cooked picked
    cabbage) with butter and bread.
    
    Easter would be a meat and egg borcht, a ham and some kielbasa (or any
    other perserved meat from the larder), bread, and desserts.
    
    In fact most any Polish dish with meat is festive.  In Poland today
    having meat is cause for celebration.
    
    A full festive meal (general)
    
    Start with a fish dish herring w/ herbs, a soup (sour dill mushroom
    cream borsht is a favorite), a roast, sausages and/or a baked ham,
    serve with stemed potatoes with onion and sour cream, rye bread (or
    babka - braided raison bread), and vegtables. And a very rich dessert
    with tea or coffee.
    
    Very very very cold vodka should be freely poured.
    
    On the subject of Kielbasa - Falls Provision in Chicopee Falls in
    western Massachusetts is makes my favorite (Milwalkee and Chicopee
    vie each year for the largest Kielbasa in the world title.  It
    alternates).  They also make Kishki (don't ask whats in it till
    you've had some).
    
    Warning this is NOT for the faint hearted.  It will wilt almost
    anything in your 'fridge and the effect will linger for days.  This is
    serious stuff and maybe the only thing more than 3 members of my
    mothers side of the family will agree on (my aunt actually stopped
    dating a Polish meat packer when his Kielbasa quality dropped)
    
    If anyone needs specifics of a Polish receipe feel free to write, I'm
    one of the first members of the family who's first langauge is english.
    Measurements will of course need to be estimated, I don't have anything
    written down.
    
    -Kevin
    
    
    

    I love KISHKA!  And never even thought to look what is in it.  My hus-
    band one day decided to read the label to me when I brought it home...
    Wish he never had.  I really like that stuff!  

    Groats are buckwheat, a grain.  I believe it is in the grass family.
    
    They are very common in Russian cooking, as well as Eastern Europe.
    
    Laura