Polish Food Series "Gofry"

111. A "Gofry" is a dessert delight! You can smell them yards away and they make your mouth water. You have to have one! Gofry is a Polish Waffle. They are made fresh to order and are divine! You can order them plain with powdered sugar, with whipped cream, fruit, chocolate, carmel or nuts.

We had our first Gofry in the Old Town in Warsaw, Poland. It was crispy and had a delightful vanilla flavor. Though one custom we noticed with the Poles, they picked the Gofry up in their hands and ate it as you would a hot dog. Although, when they eat their kielbasa and bread, they cut it with a fork and knife and never put the sausage on the bread. We Americans cut our Gofry with a knife and fork and we ate our kielbasa on the bread in our hand. I made sure to watch the locals around before I began to eat anything.

"Gofry" Polish Waffle

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar 4 egg yolks
4 egg separated, beating the egg whites to peaks
1 1 / 4 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla
1 / 2 cup melted butter


Begin by sifting the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar - all the dry ingredients - together in a large mixing bowl.
Take a separate bowl and whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla and butter.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid ingredients into it.
Use a mixer to mix the wet and dry ingredients just until you get a moist mixture (stop when the dry ingredients are moistened).
In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, mix a little but not too much since you will destroy the delicate egg whites.
The waffle batter is done. Now just pour it onto hot waffle iron and cook until done. This usually takes a few minutes, a good sign that the waffes are done is when the steam stops coming out of the waffle maker.

Whether you eat your Gofry with a fork and knife or right out of your hand, you will be delighted! It is delicious!

“How do they taste? They taste like more.”
~H.L. Mencken

Polish Food Series "Local Fruits & Vegetables"

110. Our travels in the country of Poland took us from the capital city of Warsaw to the very small rural town of Zamość. We spent several days walking the local streets and alleyways in both towns. Along our travels we came across a variety of street vendors selling the local and seasonal favorites of the Poles. So much of what we saw in the markets is accessible in the USA but we were enchanted by the large variety of mushrooms, walnuts and seeds and wild fruits.

Like these wild strawberries. They were so sweet but I have never seen this variety.

The vendors were pleasant and eager to please but spoke very little English. The Poles eat multi-grain breads and their diets consist of fresh vegetables daily.

Mushrooms are also a staple in a Polish kitchen found in soups and sauces. Our dear friend, who is a native of Poland, told us his favorite thing to do is pack a lunch, take a blanket and go out into the forest for the day. Once you find your picnic spot you place the blanket down and then go and find mushrooms. You then bring them back to your picnic spot and incorporate them with your lunch. This is one activity his family is very fond of.

The golden mushroom is

regional to this part of Europe and they are referred to as "Polish Gold".

In Zamość, the vendors were very different. This area has very hungry and needy people who will do anything to make a few "zlotys".

This flea market was filled with mostly locals bringing in produce from their own garden rather than the distributors.

I wanted so badly to buy up bags and bags of fruit to take home but it was not feasible.

These blue plums reminded me of

childhood. My mother would talk about them and how her mother made fantastic

desserts with them. We also had a blue plum tree in our yard.

The market was very old and the pavement was original stones laid many, many years ago. The town of Zamość actually dates back to 1580 and was unspoiled during WWII.

This was freshly picked Gooseberries!!

How very much I wanted to purchase what I saw.

This last vendor we saw brought tears to my eyes. It was obvious she had picked these items that very day. She sat patiently waiting to sell her produce.

"To find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life."

~John Burroughs

Polish Food Series "Nalesniki'

109. While in the country of Poland we experienced a variety of traditional Pole foods.

In order for each of these wonderful delights to be highlighted and so the fantastic recipes can be shared, a "Polish Food Series" has emerged!

A "Nalesniki" is the Polish version of a Crêpe, thin pancake that is light with a slight elastic texture and filled with a savory or sweet filling.

Here are the four traditional ways of filling and folding Nalesniki:

• Long Roll: Evenly spread about 1 tablespoon of filling over one-half of pancake leaving bare about one–half inch from the edge; roll from the filled side until you have a long tube.

• Short Roll: Evenly spread about 1 tablespoon of filling, leaving the outer one inch bare, over the entire pancake. Fold over two unspread edges from opposite sides of the pancake; roll one of the remaining two unspread edges toward the center; then roll up tightly from the unfolded end until you have a small fat tube.

• Handkerchief Fold: Evenly spread about 1 tablespoon of filling over one-half of pancake, leaving bare about one-half inch from the edge; fold empty half over filled half; then fold once again bringing the two points together. Not particularly well suited for jams or runny fillings.

• Envelope or Book Fold (Ksiazeczka): Evenly spread about 1 tablespoon of filling over the center of pancake leaving bare about one–half inch from the edge; fold about one-third of pancake over filling; then fold over the opposite one-third; fold ends in, forming a small packet.

We observed a Polish cook preparing these delicious Nalesniki. Our sense of smell led us down the hall, around the corner and into the kitchen where the delicious aroma of these crepes were being made. We asked if we could stay and watch...the cook did not speak English but was tickled to hear our oohs and aahhs.

Nalesniki "Polish Crepe"

3 eggs

¾ cup milk

2 Tblsp sugar

dash of salt

6 to 8 Tblsp flour

Beat eggs. Mix sugar, salt and flour well together and stir quickly into the eggs. Add milk and beat hard.

Have ready one or more heavy six inch crepe pans, lightly buttered and well heated. Pour just enough batter into each to cover the bottom of the pan when it is tilted and swirled. Shake the crepes over the fire until they are slightly browned on the bottom and firm to the touch on top.
Do not turn. Put them aside to cool. This may be done several hours before serving.

She made two traditional fillings, Potato and Cheese and Apple and Cinnamon

Cheese Filling or Potato and Cheese Filling

(Some Polish cooks will use the same filling for their Pierogi as they do for Nalesniki)

1 lb farmers cheese, ricotta cheese or dry curd cottage cheese (your choice)

1 egg

salt and white pepper

½ cup chopped chives or onion

2 Tblsp butter

opt: 2 cups cooked, smashed potato

Filled Nalesniki may be panfried in butter or baked in a buttered casserole dish until the filling is set. Some prefer to dip their nalesniki in beaten egg and then in fine, dry bread crumbs. They are then fried in butter or a small amount of hot oil until golden on all sides.

Apple and Cinnamon Filling

2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and grated

4 Tblsp sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

1tsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Fill crepes and roll up. Place on buttered baking dish and brush well with melted butter. Mix sugar with bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over top. Bake in 350° F. oven for 20 minutes. Serves four.

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles." ~Washington Irving

Fresh Figs, part 3

108. Fresh Figs are a delight to cook with! After receiving a lovely container of fresh green and brown figs from a dear friend, I have come to enjoy the complexity and adaptability of this plump little fruit. The fig is compatible with both savory and sweet.

This recipe is a blending of both savory and sweet...leaning towards savory.

It is a Fig and Onion Bruschetta which I found on Epicurious from Bon Appetit magazine January 2009. I used fresh figs so I did not need to reconstitute the fruit and thus eliminated the 1 cup water. Replacing the wine, I used grape juice. In so doing, the taste was sweeter than expected. Note to Self: When using fruit juice, eliminate sugar and adjust the vinegar adding more than the recipe calls for. It was delicious! And yes...the moans of "Yum" at the table were very rewarding!

Fig and Onion BruschettaBon Appétit | January 2009

by Andrew Carmellini

Yield: Makes 8 Figs: 1/2 cup dried black Mission figs, stemmed, halved 1 cup boiling water 3/4 cup dry red wine (or substitute with grape juice, my addition) 2 tablespoons sugar (eliminate sugar if using fruit juice or add till taste acquired, my addition) 1 small bay leaf 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (or white balsamic, my addition) Onion: 1 1/2 teaspoons butter 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium red onion, halved through core, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon sugar Coarse kosher salt Ricotta: 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream (or milk, my addition) Coarse kosher salt 8 1-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread (about 4 1/2 x 2 inches) (or baguette loaf, my addition) 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano For figs: Place figs in small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over; let soak 45 minutes. Drain figs; place in small saucepan. Add wine and next 3 ingredients; bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until figs are tender and liquid is syrupy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add vinegar; cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat; cool. For onion: Melt butter with oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until beginning to soften and brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add vinegar and sugar, then sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Stir until vinegar has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Cool. DO AHEAD: Figs and onion mixture can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. For ricotta: Whisk ricotta, 1 tablespoon oil, and cream in medium bowl until fluffy. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Preheat broiler. Drizzle ciabatta with some olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Broil bread on both sides until toasted. Transfer to serving plate. Spread 2 tablespoons ricotta mixture on each bread slice. Spoon glazed figs with some of syrup over; top with onion mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan and oregano. Drizzle with oil and serve immediately.

Make sure that you cook the figs till they have a thick consistency. If you don't, this will be a very runny, messy appetizer. Cooling the mixture helps with the thickness as well

The ciabatta bread was delicious, crispy and complimented the topping...but the size of each slice was much to large. I will make this with small baguette slices next time.

The presentation was beautiful!!!

I am sure you could use another fruit as well to substitute if you don't have figs in season or on hand. Plums or apricots would be fantastic!

"In spite of food fads,

fitness programs, and health concerns,

we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."

~ Julia Childs

Fresh Figs, part 2

107. Fresh figs are a new find for me! They came to me as a gift from a dear sweet little Italian friend.

While searching Epicurious and the Food Network, I came across an awesome recipe for an Almond Fig Tart from Giada De Laurentiis' recipes. Later in the day, when talking with my sister, she found the same recipe! I knew this was the one to make!

Fig and Almond Tart

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 10 min

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

--

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 3 1/2 ounces almond paste, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 6 large or 12 small fresh figs, sliced, stems removed or 20 dried figs, reconstitute dried figs, simmer in water for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely. Strain before using.
• 1/4 cup apricot jam

Directions

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and honey. Blend until smooth.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread the almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border.

Arrange the figs on top of the almond filling. Spoon the jam over the figs. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.

Bake the tart until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes.

Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the tart from the parchment. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve.

This recipe was so very delicious...a must to try and so very easy. The only note I would make to self is to roll the dough out to a 12" round and to condense the mound of filling and fruit to the very center. It did seep slightly, as any fruit pie would do, but the finished product was delicious and beautiful! (Can you see my beautiful Polish table cloth in the background?)

"Seize the moment.

Remember all those women on the Titanic

who waved off the dessert cart."

~Erma Bombeck

Fresh Figs, part 1

106. A sweet little Italian friend brought a small container to me the other day. It was closed and wrapped up tight with paper towels wrapped tightly around it. She told me that this is something for our family from her tree in the back yard. Curiously, I asked her what it was...she responded, "Figs!" "Do you like figs?" To be honest...I have never had a fresh fig...where have I been?

I was so happy to receive this gift and promised her we would enjoy them and use them. Many times I have had dried figs, figs with almonds rolled in coconut and Fig Newtons! But never the fresh figs. There were large green figs and smaller brown figs both with glistening red centers. The small brown figs had a sweeter taste to them.

I began to search for recipes on line and in my cookbooks. One recipe was for Fresh Fig Muffins from Mele Cotte's wonderful Blog. These sounded delicious and easy, so I copied the recipe but made a few changes adding fresh grated nutmeg to the batter, eliminating the raisins, grinding the almonds to sprinkle on top and adding a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to the top of each muffin. They were delightful!

The figs were ripe but were easy to dice.

And the recipe only called for 1 cup.

I served them with honey, jam and butter. They tasted like a dessert more than a muffin...and you could feel the little fig seeds crunching between your teeth. This recipe could adapt to any fruit: apple, plum, banana, peach...etc.

I only used 1 cup of figs...let's see tomorrow what I can make with the rest.

"Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig.

If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time.

Let it first blossom, then bear fruit then ripen."

~Epictetus

Polish Breakfast

105. I'm writing this blog from the country of Poland. My daughter and I, along with my mother and 19 other friends from Pennsylvania are here helping the Polish people. What a beautiful place...so similar to the United States, yet so very different!

The food has been very interesting...we've had "American" food mixed in with authentic Polish dishes. We ate at a "Pizza Hut"...and yes it tastes just like the Pizza Hut in the USA. But what I have really enjoyed is the traditionally authentic Polish breakfast. We had heard that Poles don't eat eggs or drink coffee...that is so not true...we've had some of the best coffee. But they love Nescafe'...instant! Although, when I need a caffine fix I'll take anything!

The Polish breakfast always will include fresh

cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, pickles, cream cheese, a variety of luncheon meats, fantastic breads, keilbasa sausage and hot dogs, and honey or jam. Most Poles make mini sandwiches with the bread, cheese and meats. They always hold their fork in the left hand and knife in the right hand...to push food onto the fork. They dine with poise and are very mannerly. During our special "Piknik Outreach" we served keilbasa and rye bread. They do not eat it like Americans but will use a knife and fork to cut the meat and eat the bread seperately.

The Polish garnish with dill, chives and radishes, all of which I love!

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, 'said Piglet at last, 'what's the first thing you

say to yourself?'

'What's for breakfast?' said Pooh.

'What do you say, Piglet?'

'I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?' said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

'It's the same thing,' he said."

~ A.A. Milne, 'The House at Pooh Corner'