meatballs with kluski and kapusta

It's now a year since I left the UK to come and work in Bangkok. Sometimes in life you reach a point where you just know a big change or kick up the rear end is needed. You're stuck in a routine or lifestyle that you know isn't what you want for your life and it's time to do something about it. For me that involved marrying my long-term partner then moving half-way across the world to build a new life together with our cat. I have no regrets about the move at all and I've met many wonderful people along the way and had some invigorating, life-affirming experiences - everything that I was looking for. However, I will always miss my friends and family 'back home' and when I'm feeling particularly homesick I find Polish food makes me feel right again.

This recipe is not some sort of 'family secret' passed down from my Babcia. Instead I've put together some of my favourite Polish flavours using the ingredients I can find here in Bangkok to create an 'inspired by' dish. You don't have to use homemade kluski, gnocchi would work well here or any other kind of pasta for the matter but when it's comfort food I'm after it has to be kluski.

Ingredients Serves 2-3 as a main course

1 quantity of kluski dough, pre-cooked in any shape you choose. 

1 can (411g) sauerkraut (rinse in water if you want a less sour taste)
180g brown mushrooms, finely sliced (small tray)
handful fresh dill, chopped
2 medium onions (about 1 1/2 cups), peeled and finely diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika (sweet or hot - your choice)
200ml water
MEATBALLS:
180g minced pork, beef or a mixture
2 tbsp browned onions (see below)
1/2 tsp ground allspice
salt
pepper

NOTES: This dish is great with boiled kluski but if you want a different texture you can fry the kluski after they've been boiled. 

1. Start by sauteing the onion in the oil and butter over a medium low heat until it is all golden brown with a natural sweetness. This will take about 10-20 minutes or so.
2. Once the onions are browned, put about 2 tbsps in a bowl ready to mixed with the meatball mixture.
3. Return the pan to a medium heat (still using the same oil, butter mixture and you cooked the meat and onions in) and saute the mushrooms with the onions until they have softened a little.
4. Stir through the sauerkraut and add the water, smoked paprika and some ground black pepper then cook over a low to medium heat for 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on the moisture level and add extra water as you desire.
5. While the kapusta is bubbling away it's time to make the meatballs. Combine all the meatball ingredients together until evenly mixed. Next, heat up a frying pan with a little oil and form small meatballs using around a teaspoon of mixture each time then fry until browned on all sides and cooked through. 
6. Once the kapusta is at your desired consistency add in the pre-cooked kluski and meatballs. Taste and adjust seasoning as you wish. Then cook everything together for a further 5 minutes or so.
7. Just before serving stir through the chopped fresh dill and serve with a dollop of soured cream if you wish. 

'cornish' pasty

You really can't beat a proper Cornish pasty. Sometimes it's the only thing that'll do. In the last few years pasties have become an important feature of my culinary life. You see, I married a Cornish man. He is born and bred in Cornwall from a long line of proper Cornish folk. Pasties are so important to his family that the very first thing his Dad asked when we told him we were getting married was "how many pasties do you want me to bring for the wedding reception?" No Cornish party is complete without a pasty it seems.

But lets get this out of the way  before we go any further - I know what I've made here can't  truly be called a Cornish Pasty. It was made in Bangkok not in Cornwall and it didn't use Cornish ingredients but my argument is that as it was given a ceremonial blessing from my husband we can call it Cornish. He also supervised the pasty making to ensure I adhered to the official standards (side crimping, NO CARROTS, egg glaze, correct meat and appropriate ingredient ratios).

My recipe is based on the one from the Cornish Pasty Association but with the substitution of butter for the margarine (I refuse to use that stuff) and lard for the white shortening. I couldn't find lard here in Bangkok so had to render my own from so pork fat I bought at the butchers. You can check out the original Cornish Pasty Association recipe here

Ingredients (enough for 4 proper sized pasties)

Pastry
500g strong bread flour (you need to use a stronger flour so that you get the more pliable consistency you need)
120g lard
25g unsalted butter
5g salt
175g cold water

Filling

450g good quality beef eg. skirt
700g potato (ideally a waxy kind) or 450g potato and 250g swede (I don't like swede very much so we didn't use it)
200g onion
Salt & pepper to taste( 2/1 ratio)
Clotted cream or butter (optional) 

1. Place the flour in a large bowl, then chop the butter and lard into the flour and mix with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 
2. Add the water and mix/knead until the dough comes away from the edges of the bowl and becomes elastic. This will take a little longer than it does with regular pastry as your trying to build up the strength that is needed to hold everything in. 
3. Wrap the dough ball in cling film then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. 
4. When you're ready to assemble the pasties, preheat your oven (Gas 6, Fan 165C, Electric 210C)
5. Next finely chop and slice the potato, onion and beef, season very generously with salt and pepper and mix everything together in a large bowl.
6. Quarter your pasty dough and roll out into circles about 2-3mm thickness. You're aiming for about the size of a dinner plate.                                                                                                                                              
7. Place a quarter of the meat and potato mixture slightly off-centre in the circle. Add an extra little dollop of butter or clotted cream if you wish then fold over the pastry so that everything is sealed in and you have a semi-circular shape.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Next is the crimping to make sure everything stays sealed while cooking. This is probably the most tricky part of making the pasty. I've tried to include step-by-step photos below but you'll mostly need to feel your way with it. Sorry. There are some useful videos on the internet if you want some more guidance. Paul Hollywood's demonstration is straight forward and easy to follow and starts around 3:25.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Not bad for a Polish girl!

   
9. Place each crimped pasty on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Make a couple of small holes in the top of each pasty, glaze with beaten egg or milk then bake for around 40mins to an hour until it is golden brown all over. 
10. Try to resist eating them straight from the oven. Pasties are really at their best when they're just warm. A pasty is a meal in itself so don't feel the need to serve it with any accompaniments. Just enjoy!

blue cheese meatloaf

This is a great comfort food recipe, easy to put together and perfect for a family weekend dinner. The resulting meatloaf has a subtle blue cheese flavour and is perfectly moist. The polenta helps to firm up the texture of the loaf so that excess moisture is soaked up and makes for easier slicing. If you don't have any you can always experiment with oatmeal or breadbrumbs. If you have any left overs you could always make yourself a meatloaf sandwich using the kaiser rolls.



Ingredients
700g lean mince (I used 50/50 pork and beef)
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 sticks of celery, finely diced
100g blue cheese
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly ground if you like
1 tsp dried rosemary
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
70g cornmeal/polenta

1. Preheat oven to 150C (fan oven). 
2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined but take care not to over mix otherwise you'll end up with a tough meatloaf. Place the mixture in a 1lb loaf tin, cover loosely with foil then bake in the oven for around 1 hour 30 minutes. About 30 minutes before the end of the time, remove the foil lid, carefully drain off the excess fat and return to the oven to colour up.
3. Once the meat loaf is cooked remove from the oven, turn out on to a serving plate and slice up ready to serve. I served mine without any additional sauce or gravy but with butter bean and potato mash and slow cooker red cabbage as sides. Feel free to add a sauce if you like though. 

goulash & kluski (homemade egg noodles)

If you're looking for something warming and tasty for your dinner this week you really should try out this recipe for goulash. I don't own a slow cooker but I'm sure you could easily make the soup/stew in it and add the noodles just before eating. It is well worth making your own egg noodles to go with this dish. They're really easy and have a lovely light texture that is perfect with the goulash. You could also add these egg noodles to any other soup or stew, they'd be particularly good in a chicken noodle soup (I'll post a recipe soon).





Ingredients

400 g stewing beef cut into bite sized pieces
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp oil

3 tbsp Hungarian Paprika (I didn’t have any so put together my own mix of 2 tbsp regular paprika, 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika plus 1 tsp hot smoked paprika because I like a bit of a kick in my food)
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
2 cloves of garlic, minced, crushed or finely chopped
500ml beef stock
500ml water
1 green pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 medium potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste
Extra 1 tbsp. paprika

1 portion homemade egg noodles

1. Heat a heavy based saucepan over a medium high heat and add 2 tbsp oil. Saute the onions until they are translucent. Add the beef and colour on all sides.
2. Chuck in the paprika, caraway and garlic. Stir thoroughly so all the meat is well covered. The base of your sauce pan might get a bit gunked up at this stage. Don’t panic, just make sure it isn’t burning.
3. Next add the carrots and pepers, give them a good stir then add the tinned, chopped tomatoes. Give everything another good stir and break up the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan with your spoon.
4. Add the beef stock and water and continue to heat until just boiling. Now turn the heat down as low as you can, cover the pan and leave to cook for around an hour until the beef is completely cooked and almost falling apart.
5. Next add the potatoes and continue to simmer until they are soft and cooked through.
6. Season to taste and stir through the extra tbsp. of paprika.
7. You can serve the goulash as it is now with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche and some crusty bread or you can add some homemade egg noodles.

shredded beef brisket with crispy onions

This weekend I was in the mood for some slow cooking. When you've got the time it's great to do this, the flavour is amazing and it's a fantastic way to make the most of an inexpensive cut of meat. This method would probably work equally well with a pork shoulder or leg joint or even some lamb. I haven't tried it yet myself though.

Ingredients
800g beef brisket
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp smoked paprika
3 whole cloves garlic
2 whole star anise
2-3 bay leaves
5 Juniper berries
salt and pepper
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small bottle of beer (I used Gulden Draak)

1. Heat the oven to 160C.
2. Put the onions in the bottom of a casserole dish or roasting pan. Generously season the brisket on both sides with the salt and pepper then place on top of the onions. 
3. Sprinkle over the fennel seeds, juniper berries, smoked paprika and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan. The liquid should come about half way up the meat.
4. Cover with a lid or foil then cook slowly in the oven for around 3-4 hours. You will know the meat is done when it falls apart easily. During the cooking process I usually turn the meat over in the cooking juices a few times.
5. Once the meat has cooked, remove it from the oven and place the meat on a board, cover and leave to rest. Remove the whole spices from the cooking juices.
6. Either finely slice the brisket or shred with a fork, add to the cooking juices and thoroughly combine.
7. You can eat this with many accompaniments but we went for a ciabatta bread roll with some crispy fried onions and sides of potato salad and honey mustard coleslaw.

Crispy Fried Onions
1 medium onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 tbps cornflour or plain flour
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

1. In a saucepan or deep frying pan add enough oil to deep fry the onion, around 1/4 cup should do it, but this depends on the size of your pan. Heat over a medium heat.
2. Place the flour in a shallow dish and generously season with salt and pepper. Add in the sliced onion and ensure it is thoroughly coated in the seasoned flour.
3. Check that the oil has reached the required temperature by dropping in a piece of the onion, if it gently sizzles the oil is ready.
4. Add in the rest of the onion, being careful not to over crowd the pan - you may need to do this in batches. Cook the onion until it has turned golden brown and crispy. 
5. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. 
6. Repeat this process until all the onion has been cooked.

gołąbki - polish stuffed cabbage rolls

I love gołąbki (pronounced ga-womp-kee) and I'm yet to meet anyone who doesn't enjoy them in either this meaty version or the equally delicious vegetarian version where the meat is substituted for mushrooms and vegetable stock is used instead of beef. Every Polish person will have been fed these at some time and no doubt have their own way of making, seasoning and serving. This recipe is how I like to make them.

There is nothing about this recipe that is particularly difficult, however it can be a little time consuming. The effort is definitely worthwhile, especially if you freeze the left overs as individual portions for a tasty homemade ready-meal on a busy weekday. This recipe is for a large quantity of gołąbki, I got about 25 or so little parcels in the end. If I end up having lots of left over cabbage I usually put it in the fridge and use it the following morning to make bubble and squeak topped with a poached egg.

Ingredients
Whole cabbage
800g minced meat (I used a mixture of beef and pork) or the equivalent of cooked, chopped mushrooms
400g cooked long grain rice
salt and pepper
pinch of ground allspice
500ml beef stock
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 onions finely diced
butter

1. Cook the rice and set to one side.
2. Core the cabbage then place in a large saucepan. Cover with hot water from the kettle and boil until the leaves are soft and can be separated. Put the separated leaves in a colander and rinse with cold water so that they can be handled.
3. Using a paring knife remove the thick part of the stem on each leaf. This is the most tedious part of making gołąbki but has to be done otherwise they're difficult to roll.
4. Chop up the smaller leaves from the cabbage that are too small to be stuffed, and place in the bottom of your ovenproof dish ready for the gołąbki to sit on top.
5. Next heat up a frying pan, add the butter and cook the diced onion until it is golden brown.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C fan, 200C.
7. Put the mince meat into a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled rice, the browned onion, salt, pepper and allspice and mix together until everything is thoroughly combined. Be generous with the salt and pepper.
8. Place one of the cabbage leaves on a board with the stem facing away from you, put in a dessert spoon of the meat and rice mixture then wrap the leaf firmly around the meat. Place in the bottom of the ovenproof dish on top of the chopped cabbage.
9. Continue this process until all the meat mixture and cabbage leaves have been used. Pack the gołąbki tightly in the dish to help prevent them unwrapping during the cooking process.
10. Once you have made all your gołąbki mix together the stock and chopped tomatoes and pour on top, ensuring even coverage.
11. Cover the gołąbki with foil and/or the lid to the dish then cook in the oven for around an hour until the meat is cooked.
12. Serve with mashed potatoes and some of the cooking juices. If you're feeling fancy add a dollop of soured cream.

garbanzos con carne molina / chickpeas and mince - my style

This recipe is not a classy dish but it is a hearty dinner with an excellent balance of spicy and savoury and a comforting texture. I have a feeling that this dish will be a feature of my autumn and winter dining for some time to come. It is part inspired by the garbanzos con carne molida from this intriguing Colombian recipe blog and also the Spanish dish of arroz con garbanzos.

I used Laverstoke Park, lean buffalo mince in this dish as I enjoy the flavour and the fact that it is only 3% fat but you could use any minced beef, veal or pork. Feel free to experiment.

The amounts below are enough for 2-4 people depending on how greedy you are.

Ingredients
300g lean buffalo mince
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic grated/minced/crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes, add more if you like it spicy
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato puree
400g can chickpeas, drained
generous handful of chopped, fresh coriander
salt and pepper
wedge of lime to squeeze over at the end
100g basmati or other long grain rice cooked with 1 good quality beef stock cube (e.g. Kallo) - see below for my method.

1. Heat a wide frying or saute pan over a medium heat then add the oil and cook the onion until translucent, you don't want it to colour too much.
2. Add the chili flakes and cumin and stir together, cook for a further minute or two.
3. Now add the mince and stir until it has all browned evenly. 
4. Next add the crushed garlic and stir, followed by the tomato puree. TIP: Before you stir the tomato puree through the whole mixture cook it for about a minute to one side of the pan until you start to see the colour change. This will help to intensify the flavour. 
5. At this stage I had a left over grilled aubergine so chopped it up and added it in for an additional texture and flavour but this recipe will work equally well without or you could experiment by adding other roasted veg such as red peppers or courgettes.
6. Next add the smoked paprika followed by the drained chickpeas. Lower the heat then cook the mixture for a further 5-10 minutes.
7. Taste for seasoning then adjust to your preferences.
8. Mix the rice into the meat and chickpea mixture and continue to cook over a low heat until it is all heated through.
9. Sprinkle over the fresh coriander then serve with lime wedges on the side.

How to cook perfect rice...

1. Put the rice in a saucepan, cover with boiling water/stock so that the water is about 1.5cm above the rice.
2. Cover, then boil on a medium heat for 5mins then turn the heat off and leave for approx 10 mins until all the water is absorbed. Do not lift the lid at this stage. Trust that this will all work out. 
3. While the rice is cooking you can get on with the rest of the meal.
4. When the rice is ready to use you should have perfectly separate, fluffy grains of rice.