Poland

Poland
My grandfather was Polish. His parents came to America from Poland. I don't know much about him or them, except that my Grandmother didn't speak English and she made really good Perogi. I know this, because we have her recipe. I grew up eating Polish foods -Pierożki , kołbasa, Gołąbki, Chruściki. My mom makes the best golabki in the world - it's something that I've tried to replicate but can never get just right. Pierozki are time consuming - so with that I will admit that I purchased most of the food for our Polish dinner. We bought it from the *best* authentic Polish Deli/Bakery in Southern NE - The Krakow Deli in Woonsocket, RI. Click the link to find out more about their delicious smokehouse meats, traditional Polish foods, bakery and desserts. Everything they make is amazing!

Menu - serves 4-6

Kolbasa (Mountain Kolbasa; Krakow Deli)

Pierozki (potato and farmer cheese; Krakow Deli)

Braised Cabbage

Apricot and Prune Squares (Krakow Deli - sorry no pictures!)

Braised Cabbage (cooking time 3 hours)

1 Medium head green cabbage
2 large yellow onions, cut into thin strips

¼ cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp butter, melted

Sea salt

Heat the oven to 325. Lightly oil a large cast iron pot or Dutch Oven. Peel off and discard any bruised or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. Then cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges in the baking dish. Scatter in the onion. Drizzle over the butter, stock, and vinegar. Season with salt. Cover tightly with foil, or the lid, and slide into the middle of the oven to braise, about 2 hours. Toss the cabbage wedges with tongs after an hour. Don’t worry if the wedges want to fall apart as you turn them. If the dish is drying out at all, add a few tablespoons of water. Shut the oven off and continue to let the cabbage braise for another hour. Remove from the oven, toss with the tongs, and serve warm.

Braised cabbage - yummy!

We grilled the Mountain Kolbasa and served it with spicy mustard.

We boiled the Pierozki then pan fried them in butter. Serve hot with butter and salt.