Comments for Russian, Ukrainian and Polish recipes

Comment on Mrs T’s pierogies by admin

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:38:21 +0000

I tend to agree when you put it in perspective. I sometimes buy Italian gourmet ravioli as they are the closest thing you can get in the USA.

Comment on Mrs T’s pierogies by ad

ad — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:39:08 +0000

I’m an American and I would never rate these. 4 or 5. The saurkraut ones are horrible. Cabbage is undercooked and I can fully taste the vinegar. I grew up on old Polish ladies making them and these are not even close to tasting good.

Comment on Polish uszka borscht by admin

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:40:47 +0000

Fish dumplings is not in traditional Polish cooking that I know. It depends on the region of Europe not just the country. But it is an excellent idea. The whole idea of Christmas eve is not to have have meat, that is make a sacrifice or fast – ‘post’ which is like the Polish word for fasting before a religious celebration is not eating meals except a light fish meal on the eve.
If you combine dumplings with fish this makes it more interesting.

Comment on Polish uszka borscht by Alex Benson

Alex Benson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:04:56 +0000

My mother makes borscht with fish dumplings in it every Christmas Eve. She learnt this recipe from her mother who use to live in Austria. We are curious about the history of this meal but are having a hard time finding any history about it. We have found information about the Polish dish of beetroot soup with mushroom dumplings. We would love to hear from you if you have heard of this recipe before.

Comment on Polish blood sausage – Kiszka by Alice

Alice — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:34:59 +0000

My parents are German but grew up in Poland. The best sausage I ever tasted were from Poland. My grandparents made sausage that you would cut into rounds and fry on the stove. Oddly enough it had plums mixed right into the meat. I was very young and cannot remember the name of this type of sausage. I’ve looked every where to find a similar recipe but no one has ever heard of a fruit/meat sausage. It was a very deep purplish red color similar to blood sausage. I hope someday, somehow, I will find such a recipe. I totally agree with your comments about polish foods tasting very good.

Comment on Is Polish food healthy? by Kinga

Kinga — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:27:38 +0000

People here seem to care about what they eat, which might be the reason why they eat at home so much. You will never really know what’s in it unless you make it yourself. If they buy junk food, they often hesitate, read the ingredients, etc. Most Americans trustfully grab any ready made product that they like without any fear. You often see pregnant women and toddlers eating that stuff too, and no one thinks anything of it. I was a little bit shocked when I first witnessed one of my American friends feeding her 18 month old daughter french fries and dr pepper. Why was I surprised? Because I remember my mom talking about how she gave up chips and coffee and pretty much all her favorite things when she was pregnant. I also remember that my sister and me weren’t allowed to have coke when we were little kids. Most Poles feel like they are bad parents if they stuff their kids with “chemistry”- a common word used for junk food and also low quality cosmetics. Children are vulnerable and deserve special treatment.
Another thing is, as most European nations we are not scared of vegetables. Moreover, we love them. We enjoy simple things just as much as 3-pot dishes that take 2 days to make. And the veggies taste even better if you grow them in your own back yard, because again, you know what’s in it.
Polish cakes contain relatively small amounts of sugar, as too much sugar kill the taste. I remember reading about a woman who owns a cupcake shop in Kraków and had to change her baking habits and cut back on the sweetness to keep Krakovians coming back to her shop.
I personally think it sucks to be a vegetarian and come to Poland without being able to try its pride and joy- the meats and sausages. However, there are plenty of other things that you can replace meat with and still have yummy in your tummy. Try various kinds of meat-free pierogi or potato pancakes with sour cream, salt and pepper. I like them the healthier way, with potatoes mixed 50:50 with zucchini or squash and some parsley added.
I’m not sure if you can really say we eat less than Americans- I know I do and so does my family, but there are a lot of people who eat a three course meal for dinner. There is no way I could eat all that at once, but some people do. I think this one is the biggest sin when it comes to Polish eating habits.
Some Polish dishes contain things that are fattening or somewhat unhealthy- for example vegetable salad (the one everyone makes for Christmas and other big occasions), where everything is good for you except for the mayonnaise. Or yellow fasolka with butter, or chicken and vegetable jelly with vinegar. It’s not likely to make you fat or give you a disease though , unless you don’t overfeed yourself on a daily basis.
Of course we all have weak moments and eat junk too, but it is not a significant amount. I guess you could call it an “od święta” type of thing.

Comment on Polish blood sausage – Kiszka by Kinga

Kinga — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:44:46 +0000

Kiszka was one of my favorites when I was a kid until the day that I found out what it was made of. Now I wish they had never told me. Someone should invent a new English name for it too, “blood sausage” just doesn’t make you want to eat it.

Comment on Polish Pancakes by admin

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:29:56 +0000

I love these and have them often for breakfest. We use all kinds of jams like rose jam and wild berries that I do not find in the States to fill Nalesniki.

Comment on Polish Pancakes by suburbangrandama

suburbangrandama — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:03:25 +0000

These type of Polish pancakes, I am familiar with were called “Nalesniki”. My mom used to fill them with sweetened farmer’s cheese, or fruit preserves. Here is my recipe:

suburbangrandma.com/recipes/fruit-filled-crepes/

My Godmother in Poland used the make different pancakes, called “Racuszki”, and here is that recipe:

suburbangrandma.com/recipes/pan-fried-apple-fritters-pancakes-ratscushki-recipe/

Stop by my blog for my pictures of these recipes.

Comment on Polish pickles without vinegar by suburbangrandama

suburbangrandama — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:32:28 +0000

My mom made her own pickles, and used stalks of Dill with the seeds, plus a horseradish root, garlic and an oak leaf. She said the oak leaf helped them stay firmer.