About The Hungry Polak
I left Poland at the age of 12. Different times, different stories.
But my taste buds never left. Since 1993 I have lived in Los Angeles, California. Not a lot of Polish stores or restaurants around here.
Actually only 2 restaurants and we had one good store with a smoke house in the back. That closed down a few years back. I cried.
I found another tiny little Polish deli outside of the city. But that is it.
So what does a hungry Polak do???
He gets busy.
Over the years I collected recipes from my family. Wrote them down, kept them safe. But never had the courage to attempt most of it. My Mom and Dad live in Sweden and they visited often. I would stand with my Dad and my Mom, side by side, and watch when they did their master pieces. Dad was the king of Flaki, Bigos and Gołombki. Mom was the queen of Pierogi, Sznycle, Kluski, Kotlety Schabowe and off course she would bake stuff like magic. Sernik, cheesecake, was her masterpiece.
All I did was watch. I was in my 20ties, figured I have time to do it myself later in life.
And now I do.
Dad passed away, Mom can't visit often now, so I had to figure things out myself.
My wife is English, so she has her own way of doing things in the kitchen. Makes a killer shepherd's pie. But even she has picked up some nice Polish cooking skills. She now makes Kotlety Schabowe, pork chops in bread crumbs, that taste better than my moms. But off course I would never say that to my Mom...
And over the years I tried but failed to make things that would be just like when my parents cooked. I could not figure it out. Until now.
You have to cook with your soul, with passion and with love. And then you will get it right.
And it helps to know the right measuring units off course....
Mom and Dad would simply do...a pinch of salt, and enough sugar like this....their recipes were like cryptic messages from the past.
So I set off on a journey of success by failing a lot, but never giving up.
There is something to be said about traditional cooking. If it has been done same way for hundreds of years then something must be right. Right?
On our last trip to Europe in 2019 we finally took the whole family to Poland to meet the full spectrum of my large family. And oh boy did we. There were invites and meetings and dinners and drinks and beer and dinners and snacks and drinks and dinners and you know the rest.....
We started in Krakow but also went to Vienna, Austria with a stop in Slovakia on the way and then off to England. Oh...the smoked goat and sheep cheese in Slovakia...to die for.
Most of the time was in Krakow. And most of the eating took place here. Lets say it was mostly a culinary experience. Not planned but for sure turned out to be one.
It was the first time for my wife in Poland. And after a week of sightseeing and walking the streets and eating very well she asked me the magic question: how come people in Poland stay so skinny? They eat such good meals and such rich dishes. But yet they look very healthy.
Yes, people in Poland are more active than we are here. They take walks, they hike, they walk the city streets, they stay busy in other ways than we do. We live on the freeways while they live with the forests when they can. They love nature and they have plenty of it.
So this is when the magical, and old question comes back. Is eating low calorie foods better or is eating healthy and proper sizes just as good without any sacrifices?
I am not a health expert by any means, but I think that home made, savory foods that are made with good, natural ingredients are just as good as big city diets or even better.
Yes, there is an issue here in the U.S. The food has hormones and other stuff that is NOT good for you. But if it makes the cow fatter or the chicken jumbo then it will sell more. Right? So they get away with it. But there are options. Yes, more expensive. I think we should push for more USDA changes and adjustments to regulate this hormone issue. Then we can find cheaper options for better meat.
What I write about here are good, old and traditional dishes that are full of flavor. But I do not say they are low in calories.
But with proper habits I think you can eat well and stay healthy at the same time.
I think we all deserve to eat meals like the ones below, some of the photos from our trip last year. All in 4 weeks of travel.
It was amazing. The presentation was insane. The plates looked good from a fancy restaurant and from the corner hole in the wall spot. Presentation is important.
So after 27 years of experimenting with cooking Polish dishes I am finally having success by using collected knowledge and adjusting to living in the US and what is available here for us.
From basic pancakes to smoking sausages. I am conquering them all one by one.
I wish you try the same. There will be fear but fear can be overcome. Traditions need to live on. And they live on within us and what we teach our children. We live here, but we have Polish blood in us. And that alone makes us Master Chefs!
So I hope you enjoy my entries and share your suggestions, corrections and advice. All is welcome.
Powodzenia!
But my taste buds never left. Since 1993 I have lived in Los Angeles, California. Not a lot of Polish stores or restaurants around here.
Actually only 2 restaurants and we had one good store with a smoke house in the back. That closed down a few years back. I cried.
I found another tiny little Polish deli outside of the city. But that is it.
So what does a hungry Polak do???
He gets busy.
Over the years I collected recipes from my family. Wrote them down, kept them safe. But never had the courage to attempt most of it. My Mom and Dad live in Sweden and they visited often. I would stand with my Dad and my Mom, side by side, and watch when they did their master pieces. Dad was the king of Flaki, Bigos and Gołombki. Mom was the queen of Pierogi, Sznycle, Kluski, Kotlety Schabowe and off course she would bake stuff like magic. Sernik, cheesecake, was her masterpiece.
All I did was watch. I was in my 20ties, figured I have time to do it myself later in life.
And now I do.
Dad passed away, Mom can't visit often now, so I had to figure things out myself.
My wife is English, so she has her own way of doing things in the kitchen. Makes a killer shepherd's pie. But even she has picked up some nice Polish cooking skills. She now makes Kotlety Schabowe, pork chops in bread crumbs, that taste better than my moms. But off course I would never say that to my Mom...
And over the years I tried but failed to make things that would be just like when my parents cooked. I could not figure it out. Until now.
You have to cook with your soul, with passion and with love. And then you will get it right.
And it helps to know the right measuring units off course....
Mom and Dad would simply do...a pinch of salt, and enough sugar like this....their recipes were like cryptic messages from the past.
So I set off on a journey of success by failing a lot, but never giving up.
There is something to be said about traditional cooking. If it has been done same way for hundreds of years then something must be right. Right?
On our last trip to Europe in 2019 we finally took the whole family to Poland to meet the full spectrum of my large family. And oh boy did we. There were invites and meetings and dinners and drinks and beer and dinners and snacks and drinks and dinners and you know the rest.....
We started in Krakow but also went to Vienna, Austria with a stop in Slovakia on the way and then off to England. Oh...the smoked goat and sheep cheese in Slovakia...to die for.
Most of the time was in Krakow. And most of the eating took place here. Lets say it was mostly a culinary experience. Not planned but for sure turned out to be one.
It was the first time for my wife in Poland. And after a week of sightseeing and walking the streets and eating very well she asked me the magic question: how come people in Poland stay so skinny? They eat such good meals and such rich dishes. But yet they look very healthy.
Yes, people in Poland are more active than we are here. They take walks, they hike, they walk the city streets, they stay busy in other ways than we do. We live on the freeways while they live with the forests when they can. They love nature and they have plenty of it.
So this is when the magical, and old question comes back. Is eating low calorie foods better or is eating healthy and proper sizes just as good without any sacrifices?
I am not a health expert by any means, but I think that home made, savory foods that are made with good, natural ingredients are just as good as big city diets or even better.
Yes, there is an issue here in the U.S. The food has hormones and other stuff that is NOT good for you. But if it makes the cow fatter or the chicken jumbo then it will sell more. Right? So they get away with it. But there are options. Yes, more expensive. I think we should push for more USDA changes and adjustments to regulate this hormone issue. Then we can find cheaper options for better meat.
What I write about here are good, old and traditional dishes that are full of flavor. But I do not say they are low in calories.
But with proper habits I think you can eat well and stay healthy at the same time.
I think we all deserve to eat meals like the ones below, some of the photos from our trip last year. All in 4 weeks of travel.
It was amazing. The presentation was insane. The plates looked good from a fancy restaurant and from the corner hole in the wall spot. Presentation is important.
So after 27 years of experimenting with cooking Polish dishes I am finally having success by using collected knowledge and adjusting to living in the US and what is available here for us.
From basic pancakes to smoking sausages. I am conquering them all one by one.
I wish you try the same. There will be fear but fear can be overcome. Traditions need to live on. And they live on within us and what we teach our children. We live here, but we have Polish blood in us. And that alone makes us Master Chefs!
So I hope you enjoy my entries and share your suggestions, corrections and advice. All is welcome.
Powodzenia!
