Gołąbki - Stuffed cabbage rolls

This is how we like it.
With lots of tomato sauce!

"Gołąbki" (plural form) means literally "little pigeons", but don't get discouraged, it's only vocabulary :-)
"Gołąbki" is a traditional Polish dish - delicious stuffed cabbage rolls, that my husband and I, love to eat.
They are perfect, especially when I'm missing homey, comforting, Polish food.
They are known under different names in other European countries, while many people in America refer to this dish as "pigs in a blanket".

Recipe:

1-2 heads of white cabbage,
2 lbs ground beef (*if you can buy ground pork, then half and half),
1.5 cup cooked rice,
1 large onion, chopped,
2 Tbsp butter,
1 clove of garlic, chopped,
1 tsp nutmeg,
salt and pepper,
tomato sauce,
fresh or dried dill

1. Remove core from cabbage and place whole cabbage in a large pot with boiling water.
2. Cover and boil for a few minutes until the leaves get soft and are easy to peel off.
3. Carefully peel off individual leaves, remove hard parts (center stem) using a knife.
4. Chop the remaining cabbage and place it on the bottom of a casserole dish.
5. Fry chopped onions with butter until soft. Let cool.
6. Mix ground beef (and pork, if using any), fried onions, garlic, cooked rice and spices until well combined.
7. Form large ovals from meat and place each one on an individual cabbage leaf. Roll leaves over the meat and place cabbage rolls in a casserole dish.
8. Pour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and garnish with dill.
9. Bake in 350º F for 1 hour.

Serve with sauce only or with mashed potatoes on the side.
If you wish, garnish with shredded cheese (optional).

Smacznego!

Łazienki Królewskie - Łazienki Park, Warsaw

Palace on the Water
Source: Family pictures
Author: Maciej P.

Łazienki Królewskie  (or Park Łazienkowski) is the largest park in Warsaw, Poland (76 hectares).

The Park is full of interesting buildings, sculptures, monuments and beautiful gardens.

It's a must-see place in Warsaw!!!

It was created in XVIII century for Polish King Stanislaw August Poniatowski.

The park-and-palace complex is located in the city center, and is considered to be the one of the most beautiful parks in Europe.

Loved by tourists and loved by locals, the Łazienki Park used to be a summer residence of the King Stanislaw August.

The name Łazienki Królewskie means literally "Royal Baths", from a bathhouse that was rebuilt and transformed into the King's Palace, known today as Palace on the Water -  Pałac na Wodzie or Palace on the Island - Pałac na Wyspie.

Closer shot
Source: Family pictures
Author: Maciej P.

Roller skating, skateboarding and biking are banned in the park.

Chasing peacocks or squirrels across beautiful green grass isn't recommended either. (I know, everyone wants a snap shot of that beautiful peacock !... :-)

Squirrels - spoiled by the visitors, come close enough to get food. They might even share a bench with you, and eat nuts from your hand! Be careful though... What if you meet some crazy squirrel (crazy enough to bite you??? ;o)

Peacock - one of many in the Łazienki Park
Source: Family pictures
Author: Maciej P.

Many cultural events take place in the Łazienki Królewskie Park and the most popular are Fryderyk Chopin's Concerts, that I mentioned before in one of the older posts.

For a full history of the park, exhibits of the Royal Collections, pictures, etc. you might want to check this website: Lazienki Krolewskie.

For more pictures click here.

Amphitheater
Source: Family pictures
Author: Maciej P.

The pictures posted here are courtesy of my cousin Maciej P. who is the author.

EURO 2012 starts!



EURO 2012 logo
Source: Google

Today, June 8, 2012

Poland will play with Greece

at the National Stadium in Warsaw.

Time: 18.00.

Good Luck Bialo-Czerwoni!

POLSKA GOLA!!! 



Mowa jest srebrem, milczenie zlotem

Buraczki / beets - healthy side dish

Buraczki - beets, are very popular in Polish cuisine.
I love them now, but it hasn't always been this way...

As a child, I didn't like their look, so I was stubborn and I didn't want to try them.

Until one day... Day at my aunt Zofia's house. It took only one look of "encouragement" and I was eating beets until they were gone from my plate! :) After I was done eating, all I had to say was how great those beets tasted!
The meal was consisting of a pork chop with bread crust, mashed potatoes and beets.
It's a very popular meal combo, so if you happen to visit Poland, big chance is that you are going to try it. 
When talking about beets, I can't forget to mention delicious beet soup - borscht /"barszcz". It's served with mini dumplings called "uszka", and it's definitely one of my favorites!

***Beets are rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B1, folic acid and more.

Pork chops with caramelized onions,
 mashed potatoes with skins and beets

Buraczki zasmazane / Fried beets:

4-8 medium size beets,
1-2 Tbsp butter,
sugar, salt, pepper to taste,
*lemon juice to taste (optional)
or:
* 1 Tbsp (or more) horseradish
and/or:
* 1 Tbsp flour,
* 2 Tbsp sour cream.

• Boil beets in skins until soft (30-45 min). Peel off the skins and grate beets finely.
• In a frying pan melt butter. Add beets and fry for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper. Add lemon juice if desired.

*** If making Horseradish beets - "Buraczki z chrzanem":
Add horseradish instead of lemon juice. You can also add flour and sour cream.

These two are my favorite versions of fried beets. Hope you will like them too!
Smacznego!

Interesting fact about beets? ;o)
- Long time ago, women used beets juice to color their cheeks in order to look healthy
(red cheeks = healthy woman).

Nie od razu Krakow zbudowano

It's a very popular proverb.

However, in Poland, we're talking about Polish city

Krakow instead of Rome ;-)

P.S. Krakow is a must-see place in Poland!

Tarta truskawkowa / Strawberry tart

TARTA TRUSKAWKOWA / STRAWBERRY TART

Tart:
150 g flour,
100 g cold butter (cubed),
50 g powdered sugar,
1 egg yolk,
pinch of salt,
*1 Tbsp cream (optional)

• Combine all ingredients and form a ball. Leave in the fridge for 30 min.
• Roll out the dough and place it in a baking pan. Pierce with a fork before baking.
• Bake for 15-20 min at 400º F.

Filling:
3 Tbsp strawberry jam,
1 lb strawberries,
strawberry jelly, glaze or jam for coating the fruit

• Cool tart in a pan and spread jam on the bottom.
• Arrange strawberries and coat them with strawberry jelly (liquid form), strawberry jam or fruit glaze.
• Let cool in a fridge.

Smacznego!

NOTES:
- Jam can be replaced with cream cheese (1 box of cream cheese combined with 1/4 cup powdered sugar).
- Sliced strawberries are easier to work with when cutting and serving a tart.
- You can also use blueberries/raspberries and choose corresponding jam flavor.
- This time, I didn't have any jam at home, so I made my own:
In a small saucepan, combine 1 lb strawberries with 3 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp water. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 15-20 min. Let cool completely.

VOCABULARY:
"truskawka" - strawberry
"truskawki" - strawberries
"truskawkowa" ("tarta"- tart), "truskawkowy" ("smak"-flavor), "truskawkowe" ("lody" - ice cream) - adjective describing things that are "strawberry" - examples above ;-)

Have a strawberry summer / "truskawkowe lato" everyone! :o)