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Polska: New Polish Cooking

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About this deal

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. Many years ago, my now-wife and I spent three weeks driving through Poland exploring her personal family history and explore cities and towns across the land. The highlight of the trip was the wide variety of pierogis that we enjoyed. As Americans, we had only been exposed to boiled pirogies with any combo of cheese, sauerkraut, and onions via her grandma or the Mrs T’s brand from the grocery store freezer. It was a delicious surprise to enjoy the flavors and variations that came from boiled, baked, fried, and steamed offerings all over Poland. I still dream of the venison and cherry baked pierogis we got at a gas station cafe in the middle of nowhere. Pour the rapeseed oil into a large frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 2-3 mins until soft and translucent, then add the beetroot stalks and fry for another minute or so, stirring regularly. Add the beetroot, beetroot leaves (or spinach) and dill. Continue cooking and stirring until the beetroot is heated through and the leaves have wilted.

Polish parties are family-orientated and inclusive. There’s always a spare seat at our Christmas table for an unexpected guest. And this is the true spirit of zakąski, whether the party is crowded and riotous or quiet and intimate. You can prolong any occasion for a very long time while trying new dishes, drinking vodka or champagne, and talking. Being of Polish descent myself, a lot of Ms. Zak’s stories and experiences rang true to what I had gone through with my parents and grandparents; I still have older relatives in Poland who provide me “nalewki” or make me do an “inhelacja” whenever I am feeling under the weather over there. This book is a great resource that collects a lot of the wisdom that is slowly being lost (and now rediscovered) to modern ways.

There are lots of different shapes to experiment with – half-moon, round, envelope or rectangles are common, or uska (little ears), and the way they are sealed can differ, from crimping with a fork to folding over the edges, pleating or pinching.

The book is filled with things to create in your kitchen, such as natural remedies, foods for wellness, and even beauty products. However, it also includes seasonal crafts, rituals, and folktales and mythology. While the author’s focus is on folk-healing rather than magic, she does include rituals that might be seen as a type of magic. She’s also very clear that folk medicines are meant to complement and not replace modern medicine. Recipes for the foods, herbal treatments, and beauty products are all clearly written and appear easy to follow. I can’t wait to try making the dark rye sourdough bread! The author has written several cookbooks and knows how to make recipes accessible to her readers. Though I haven’t tried to make any of the recipes in this book, I have made things from the author’s Amber and Rye cookbook and found the recipes worked as they should. Cook the rest of the vegetables for 1 hour along with a bay leaf, peppercorns and the allspice berries in about a litre and a half of water. In addition to the recipes, there are also directions for creating various herbal soaks, skin tonics, cleaners, clothes dyes, decorations, and many more useful and crafty items, focused on wellbeing and natural products.Take the bay leaf out of the sauerkraut and mushroom pan and blend the filling to a rough paste, then add it to the onion and fry for just 5minutes altogether whilst stirring. Now add the (drained) sauerkraut, bay leaf and allspice and simmer for a further hour. Add a splash of beer or wine if the mixture gets too dry at any time, but don’t over do it – there should not be any surplus liquid near the end. Each season comes alive with a cornucopia of recipes for natural remedies, nourishing foods, beauty products, and much more. The author’s meticulous attention to detail ensures that every aspect of these recipes is carefully explained, making them accessible to both beginners and seasoned practitioners.

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