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.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. 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. Every household has their own version of Little Pigeons. Some very meat heavy, others entirely vegetarian. This is a recipe I have cooked many a time for vegetarian friends and is always well received. Wild mushrooms are always preferable in my eyes, yet they can easily be replaced with a combination of chestnut and shitake mushrooms in this recipe. This recipe makes a whole casserole dish full of gołąmbki, enough for 4 or 5 people. Rhubarb and rose: Always an amazing combo – add rosewater to the semolina while it’s cooking, and put honey sweetened stewed rhubarb on top once it has set. Add the tomato puree, the paprika and some more water – about 50ml. Continue to fry for 3-4 minutes, then turn the heat off.At the start of 2020, I want to share one of my favourite breakfasts – semolina porridge – and talk about my one and only resolution for this year: structure. Place the aubergines over the flame on your hob and cook in this way, turning with tongs, until they are charred and soft inside. Repeat with garlic, using your tongs to hold the cloves. Blitz in a food processor with lemon juice until smooth. Then transfer to a bowl and whisk in the oil. Season. Add the parely and chill in the fridge. Quince and orange blossom: Stew the quince with honey, a large pinch of cinnamon and a bit of water.Add good honey and orange blossom water to the kasza manna whilst it’s cooking for a Middle Eastern flavour.

This is my second book by Zuza Zak and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. She has a way of bringing together interesting ideas and recipes, history, and traditions that make me very happy as a reader and this one was no different. It has just what it promises on the cover: nourishing herbal remedies, magical recipes, and folk wisdom. It also has gorgeous pictures and illustrations, which I feel like should be promoted a bit more. Slavic Kitchen Alchemy is thoughtfully organized into four chapters, corresponding to the seasons. This structure provides an easy-to-follow guide through the year, allowing you to align your body and mind with the natural rhythms of the Earth. Within each chapter, you’ll discover a plethora of information that is both informative and engaging.

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Because it is broken down by seasons, it is easy to locate activities and foods appropriate to the time of year. Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. The oldest pierogi dough recipe is very simple – just plain flour, oil, salt and hot water. A lot of babushkas still use this recipe today. Perogi are traditionally half-moon shaped, either boiled with butter and soured cream on top or boiled, then fried, with some crispy fried onions (and sometimes bacon bits). Sweet dumplings can have honey, toasted almonds and soured cream. Nowadays, we are becoming more creative with pierogi and experimenting with various fillings and toppings, often including eggs which enrich the dough and is probably a culinary influence that has come from Italy." I call myself a Storyteller-Cook, my aim is to inspire the world to cook and eat more food from Eastern Europe. I am interested in the culture and history of food, therefore I use storytelling as a medium for delving into another cuisine and through it, into another culture. Pour the still-warm boiled filtered or bottled water into a jug, then mix in the salt to make a brine. Leave to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Wash and dry your garlic scapes thoroughly, then lay them horizontally in the jar so they curl around the sides (this means they should stay in place and you won’t need a weight to keep them submerged). Place the garlic clove in the jar, nestling it among the scapes so they hold it down. Pour in enough brine to fill the jar, then loosely cover with the lid and leave at room temperature for 3 days.

Foragers and those who enjoy working with herbs will adore this book! It opens up a world of possibilities. Polish is not the first cuisine that comes to mind when you utter the word “vegetarian”, and yet there are many recipes that are either vegetarian or lend themselves particularly well to being meat-free. Poland, being a Catholic country, has many “fasting” days. In days past, the fasting was observed more strictly, now by not eating meat on certain days we give the old ways a nod. Our most important Christmas meal, on Christmas Eve, is in actual fact a fast, and the 12-13 meticulously prepared dishes contain only vegetables and fish. We are therefore used to using ingredients creatively to prepare flavoursome vegetarian meals. I plan to expand this list over time to add all my favourite vegetarian recipes, but for now, here are my top 3 Polish (or indeed East European) vegetarian recipes. Add a little oil to a frying pan and fry the onion until soft, remove from the pan and fry the mushrooms until golden. Combine the two and add the thyme and garlic too. Season. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

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I have written three cookbooks on Eastern European cuisine – Polska, Amber & Rye and Pierogi. I am currently working on a food focused PhD and my fourth book, which will be something a little different…

Put the squash and courgette on a baking tray. Drizzle them with the oil, season, then roast for about 40 minutes. Cool. Poland shares much culinary heritage with Ukraine and pierogi are a big part of this overlap (in Ukraine, they are called vareniki). Pierogi ruskie are the most loved pierogi filling, both in Poland and beyond I think this is because the filling is so adaptable – traditionally it would be curd cheese, potato and caramelised onion. The curd cheese we use in Poland is called twaróg, similar to ricotta but more sour – you’ll find it in every supermarket. This filling is said to have originated in Ukraine and therefore they are called 'ruskie', which means Ruthenian rather than Russian. However, to make things complicated, some say they used to be called 'pierogi polskie' when Poland and Ukraine were a part of the same country. This is something we will never get to the bottom of, yet the filling of caramelised onion, 'twaróg' curd cheese and potato remains the one people cook and put their own spin on the world over, where they adapt the ingredients to what is locally available. In practise, this means varying the cheese, the dough and the pinching technique. I like to make these circular in shape to fit in more of this delicious filling." What are the different shapes? This is the ideal way to finish a zakąski meal. We always eat this at the end of our meal on Christmas Eve. There would be two other soups at various points in the evening before this one, which is served with the desserts. To make the summer berry salad, combine the berries with the mint leaves. If you’re using marigold flowers, pull off some of the petals and mix them into the salad, saving a few whole flowers for decoration. Set aside. But it's the Festive selection of pierogi that yielded — however unseasonally — the recipe I’ve chosen to share with you today, for I just adore every element of this dish. Allow me to present to you these dreamy Deep-Fried Dessert Dumplings with Rum and Poppy Seeds!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. Wash the cabbage, then blanch it in hot water to soften for a minute or two. Separate the leaves. Use only the bigger, softer leaves. Drain the cabbage leaves on kitchen paper. Herrings are very popular in Poland but are rarely eaten with something sweet. The prune sauce is a twist on a regional sauce with raisins I came across in the northern province of Kaszuby, and it’s become one of my favourites, if a curious one. The millet groats salad is an adaptation of the mayonnaise-laden salads of my childhood. It has some mayonnaise in it - for flavour - but isn’t drowned in it. While we love kasza (grains) in Poland, they are not traditionally used in cold salads, which in my eyes is a waste – they are perfect for this salad, which works with any seasonal vegetable. The creamy dressing with dill makes everything taste undeniably eastern European. Are you ready to embark on a journey into the enchanting world of Slavic wisdom and folk healing? Look no further than Zuza Zak’s magnificent creation, Slavic Kitchen Alchemy. This beautifully illustrated book is a true gem, offering a delightful blend of ancient remedies, natural beauty and cleaning products, healing recipes, and wellbeing rituals that will captivate both modern witches and natural healing enthusiasts. To make the syrniki mixture, add the twaróg, eggs and salt to a large bowl and mash together with a fork. Add half of the flour and all the sugar and vanilla extract and continue mashing until the ingredients are well combined (if you’re using twaróg, the mixture will retain some texture). Cover and leave to chill in the fridge.