More Delicious Polish Dishes
By: Stephania Munson-Bishop
Here's a complete Polish dinner you can whip up for your family in a jiffy.
Here's a complete meal you can make with ingredients you generally have around the house -- the main dish, the salad, and dessert. Not only is it delicious, it's economical and nutritious, too.
GOLABKI (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls) (1) 1 head cabbage -- cut out core and scald in kettle of boiling water, removing leaves as they loosen (stick a long-tined cooking fork in the depression left by core removal, to keep from burning your hands)
(2) Brown 1 lb. lean ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork or veal with 1 chopped onion.
(3) Combine with the browned meat: 2 cups cooked rice, 2 eggs, seasonings such as pepper, crushed basil leaves, OR crushed mint leaves (mint was my family's favorite for this recipe)
Place about 2 tbsps filling in center of cabbage leaf and roll, tucking ends under. Place in greased casserole dish. Cover rolls with 8-oz can tomato sauce and 16-oz can stewed tomatoes. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour. (We usually served Golabki with Mexicali corn on the side. For some reason, it pairs well.)
OGORKI with Smietanie (Sour Cream Cucumbers) Peel and slice 2 cucumbers, add finely chopped onion and salt. Mix with 1 cup sour cream and (optional) 1 tbsp dill weed.
KUGEL (Sweet Noodle Pudding) 8 oz. medium egg noodles, boiled and drained; put in large bowl. Melt 1/4 cup margarine, then beat in 4 eggs and 1/2 cup of either ricotta cheese or small-curd cottage cheese; beat in 1 cup sugar. Mix in 1/4 cup golden raisins. Combine all ingredients in bowl, add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 to 2 tsps cinnamon. Pour into greased 9" x 13" casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees 45 to 60 minutes. Let sit for about half an hour to cool slightly before slicing. Delicious warm OR cold!
When you see your family gobble this up, it might even inspire you to do a bit more cooking from scratch. My children used to call the stuffed cabbage 'Polish pillows.' You may want to make a double batch so you'll have plenty of leftovers. Well, that's a switch, now, isn't it?
About the Author
Stephania is a human service professional with nearly 40 years in the field. She publishes a content-rich ezine, "Tidbits from the Pantry," about self-help, growth, and relationships to over 11,000 subscribers, and offers a life coaching service. To subscribe to her ezine, mailto:info@humansrv.net?subject=SUB Visit her site at http://www.humansrv.net
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