Polish cooking and pottery (or The crazy ladies road trip to Poland).

We did this trip ages ago. Sorry ladies, that it's taken me so long to post.

What a crazy, fun trip! We drove to Poland to cook, shop, explore, eat and to be pampered. In Boleslawiec, the best place to stay is the Blue Beetroot.  It's run by John and Barbara, who are just delightful. And they do fantastic guided tours, and cooking classes. They'll even organize pampering sessions (manicures, pedicures and massages) at the inn for you.

Some of the ladies did a guided tour with Jarek and some of us stayed behind and did the cooking class.

Pierogies

Filling:

70 grams dry curd cheese (full fat)

1 kilo 20 grams potatoes, peeled and cut (older potatoes are best)

1 big onion or 3 small onions, finely chopped

Salt, Pepper

Vegeta (Polish vegetable stock seasoning)

Butter

Oil

Place cheese in large bowl

Boil potatoes in salted water

Drain and mash potatoes

Saute onions with butter and a little oil

Add cooled potatoes and onions to cheese

Add salt, pepper and vegeta to taste

Mix all ingredients until well blended

Dough:

1 kg flour

4 tablespoons oil

Salt

Water

Pour flour into large bowl

Add oil and salt to flour

Add water until right consistency

Knead in bowl initially, then move to floured surface

Knead for about 10 minutes, using palms not fists, and folding over in circular motion to add air

Sprinkle a little flour on surface of dough and wrap in cling wrap or cover with towel

To make pierogies:

Roll dough flat (less than ¼ inch)

Cut out circles of dough using cookie cutter or a glass

Spoon filling into center, rolling into a ball

Fold in half (like a taco); patting filling down

Pinch sides closed tightly

Place on floured dish

Cooking:

Place pierogies into boiling, salted water. Remove when they float to surface. Drain, wash with water and add a little oil.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with onion and bacon sauteed in butter or sour cream

ENJOY!

Bigos Staroplski

Cabbage 1,5 kg

Sauerkraut   0,8 kg

Bacon 0,2 kg

Sausage 0,4 kg

3 Onions

Tomato paste approx. 4 tablespoons

English spice

Bay leafs

Pepper, salt

Pottery
There are so many amazing pottery places in Boleslawiec. We visited so many that I lost count after number 12. Ceramika is probably my absolute favorite. Next in line would have to be Andy's. Here is a excellent link that lists other pottery stores in Boleslawiec (includes web sites, addresses and opening times).

Cooking with Thermomix in Switzerland

I've fallen in love with the Bimby (also called the Thermomix) and I want one, even though since PhD'ing again, my husband has taken over most of the cooking. Here in Switzerland, one way to get the Bimby at slightly cheaper price, is to host a demo. You need to invite 3 friends who also love gadets.  Do it before August 31st, 2010, you'll save 150.- SFr. (retail price in CH is 1650.- SFr).

We sat in the garden last night and watched Antonella cook up a storm in minutes with her Bimby.

Vegie-fruit drink for starters, bread, veal with rice and vegies and peach granita were on her menu.

Here's Antonella's delicious bread recipe:

100g "Dinkel" seeds (you can use any seeds)
1 block of fresh yeast (42g)(you can find it in the fresh dough section in Migros or Co-op)
400g flour
pinch of sugar
11/2 ts salt
270g water
50g bacon, cubed (or olives, herbs or whatever you fancy)

Baking tray, lined with baking paper

 Add the seeds to the Theromix and grind them for 20-40 sec on the Turbo setting. You end up with something that looks like flour. Add the remaining ingredients and let the Thermomix do the kneading ('Knettaste' for 3 min). Here the machine is absolutely amazing!

Place the bread into a cold oven (it rises as the oven heats). Bake at 200C for about 30 minutes.

The texture of this bread is a bit denser than bread that has been allowed to prove before baking. If you have time to let the dough prove for 30-60 minutes before baking, you can decrease the amount of yeast to about half.

Summer is finally back in Switzerland (at least for the next few days)!