http://www.krolewskiejadlo.com
694 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Now I can't wait till lunch comes along so I can eat!

Please vote for my bento by clicking here and voting for "Krisaki - Food. Fashion. Bento"

I'm not going to lie, the reason why I checked out Hope and Anchor is because I figured there had to be something close to Lenell's that serves reasonably good food and is open for lunch (sorry, Good Fork) and I was right.

I recently went to Hope and Anchor after picking up some bourbon, ouzo and peach liqueur at Lenell's and preparing to enter the mouth of madness (Ikea). The first thing I noticed was the cozy feel that the neighborhood diner had and second was the huge menu that covered everything from pasta and meatloaf to Asian food and burgers (seriously, they have banh mi burger!)

I was feeling a little sluggish that morning and didn't want to OD so had a very simple salmon burger ($10) that was excellent. It was lightly dressed with mayo, capers and lemon juice and cooked absolutely perfectly. The fries that accompanied the burger were thin and crisp, exactly who I prefer them. My girlfriend who wasn't particularly hungry at the time had an appetizer portion of vegetable samosas ($8) and an appetizer portion of pierogi ($7). The samosas pretty much sucked and were definitely frozen while the pierogi were quite good served alongside some cooked onions, sour cream and applesauce.

The verdict is that as long as Lenell's stays in the vicinity (this is seriously up in the air) I will be a customer of Hope and Anchor as there are a few other things on the menu that I would very much like to try. If they move, I hope to return at least one more time before the transition and stop off at Hope and Anchor. How could I really pass up a banh mi burger?

Hope and Anchor Diner - 347 Van Brunt Street (at Wolcott Street) Brooklyn, NY, 11231, 718-237-0276

The best place to eat Pierogi are called Pierogarnia. Those are restaurants that specializes in this dish.

Pierogi with mushrooms is traditional Polish dish for Christmas time.

All below pics were found in internet, Thanks goes to authors.

Pierogi sa uwielbiane przez wiekszosc ludzi, poniewaz wystepuja w wielu rodzajach i z roznymi farszami. Poprzez miesne, serowe, ziemniaczane... A jesli ktos woli wersje na slodko, to mozna je wypelnic rowniez owocami.

Najlepszym miejscem gdzie mozemy spozyc pierogi sa Pierogarnie.

Pierogi z grzybami sa tradycyjnym polskim przysmakiem swiatecznym.

Wszystkie poznizsze zdjecia znalazlam w internecie, dziekuje autorom.

I saved the pierogi for tonight and wanted to accompany them with the cabbage.  My friend and chef extraordinaire, Melissa Kelly, gave me a real simple idea for the Napa Cabbage.  Cut the cabbage into wedges, put in pan with a lil liquid (I used water since I didn't have any stock around), drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper and add any herbs (I used the rosemary Rick picked up a couple weeks ago from our share).  Cover and Braise! It was delicious!  and so simple!  They went really well with the butter seared pierogi.  Now all that is left from this week's share is the kale and I have an idea how I will use it this weekend.   Happy Friday!

Pepperoni rolls, chipped ham and provolone on a hard roll with plain Snyders potato chips, pierogis fried in butter and onions, or sauce ladled into a hollowed out heel of Italian bread with mozzarella from Marios. Yeah, any of those would make me happy right about now.

Mmmm good idea:
Delicious pierogis pan fried in onions and butter...

(Thanks, Floyd the Food Guy)

Yuck.. bad idea
Odd pierogi sandwich...

(Thanks. Slashfood)

We decided to quadruple the recipe, but to make it in two batches. The dough came together easily, and while it was a bit sticky at first it firmed right up and behaved. Jen had selected a recipe with sour cream in it (which is apparently Pittsburg style) which I supported because sour cream tends to cause deliciousness. Apparently, Pittsburg residents eat 11 times more pierogi than the rest of the country - this is our attempt to get Central Virginia on the charts! We let the dough rest in the refrigerator (wrapped in plastic wrap) for about a half hour while we prepared the fillings. We boiled some peeled potatoes, sauteed diced onions in butter, and mixed in some sharp cheddar cheese and plenty of salt and pepper. On the lighter side, we sauteed local chard (along with the crunchy stems) and sprinkled in some queso fresco (like farmer's cheese or feta). We also prepared a ricotta filling, sweetened with vanilla and sugar. Finally, from some dried plums found in the kitchen we made a pureed paste and planned on pairing that with unsweetened ricotta. Dried plums? Aren't those prunes? Yes, and we agreed that the Prune People are making a concerted effort to shift to the term 'dried plum' on packaging and in recipes. Hmm.

So the dough is rested, the fillings are ready, and it's time to make the pierogi. We used a 2.5 inch glass to cut circles out of the rolled-out dough. Given my recent experience with pasta making, I suggested we seal the pierogi with an egg wash to avoid blowouts in boiling water. I cut, Jen filled, and we stored the cute little half-moons on a cookie sheet, separated by type and wax paper. We switched jobs and rotated through all the fillings, astonished as the pierogi piled up - how many people are coming to book club? At the end of the project, we tidied up the kitchen and put the pierogi in the refrigerator to rest overnight. Night night.

I arrived at book club a little early to begin the pierogi task; I knew that Jen would have Francesca at her feet, and the boiling and frying seemed a better task for me. I brought my apron in case it got messy. There were several pots of salted water on to boil, and I diced an onion and began to cook it in butter as our finishing sauce. I'll admit that I felt nervous about the process; there's nothing more disturbing than unmanageable dumplings for a group. However, the pierogi were nice and firm and lined up like little soldiers to go plop! into the water. I kept them separated by type, and boiled each batch for 8 to 10 minutes. Despite the fact that we made all the pierogi in the same manner and from the same dough, each pot behaved a bit differently, with one pot growing in size and the dough on another batch growing mottled and bumpy; I assume that the filing affects the growth, and that salt content in the water caused bumpy dumpy. However, they all stayed together and bubbled away merrily as the book people arrived, opened beers and wine, and enjoyed the project.

Jen recounted to me a mutual friend who has some experience with pierogi; she cautioned that the pierogi must be dry when they go in the pan to be fried, or else they won't brown and crisp (and also, if you put a wet item in oil, it causes the oil to spit like a pan of bacon - ouch). Taking great pains to drain, rinse, drain, and pat dry, we began pan frying in a teflon skillet, which seemed to be the failsafe in this case. We served the savory pierogi sauteed in onion and butter with sour cream on the side, and the sweet pierogi sauteed just in butter and with honey on the side. By all accounts they were all delicious, with the dried plum and ricotta being a surprise hit with Jen. My favorite was the swiss chard - somehow the starch in starch of the potato filling seemed like too much, although if I were trying to live through winter in Poland it might be just right.

Sour cream in the dough is a favorite secret of many Pittsburgh pierogi makers.

Also watched some brothers play a strategy card game called Magic, The Gathering.  Interesting.

CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT

Yesterday, we made the potato and cheese fillings, but spent most of the time working on the gołąbki (stuffed cabbage rolls).  Gołąbki is a hearty traditional Polish dish consisting of boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with ground beef, chopped onions, and rice or barley, baked in a spicy tomato sauce; similar to a Cabbage roll.  By the time we stopped on Monday, we only had 1.3 pans full of them (we needed 3).

Today, in the morning, we started the desert with Ramon, our Dominican cook.  The desert was makowiec, a poppy seed roll, with a glaze or powdered sugar.  By lunch time, we had 3 pans of golabki ready to bake (at least 2 hours needed).  After lunch, we got more help from Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Panama, Austria & more to stuff and pinch hundreds of pierogi (stuffed dumplings) with potato and cheese (seperate).

Final phase was the delicate rolling of the poppy seed roll desert, makowiec.  We made 5 rolls with some experience from Randy & Ramon (I looked very administrative = more watch, less work).  With an extra special Vodka topping, it came out AWESOME (in every aspect of its "being", including ontologically).  We also served some hot kielbasa (sausage).

Thank you to all who helped, especially my brothers in Christ (and Mom)!

Everything is a little more involved. First you need to get a handle on safety issues, like say, do cars yield to pedestrians? Are the police friends or extortionists? Are adolescent boys with assault rifles members of a street gang or national security? When a man with a gun comments on your ass is he a threat or a flirt? Don't worry, you'll master these distinctions in no time. Practice makes perfect.

In my experience, it's the fast-manoeuvring motorbikes at intersections you have to watch out for, especially those driven by adolescent policeboys with assault rifles whom you've distracted with your ass.

Then, you learn to get around. Will the bus driver get impatient with you if you try to pay fare when you board? Or, if you wait until you're seated. Either way, you've probably overlooked something, and you'll likely piss him off. Don't take it personally, you can't help that you're ignorant.

Next, your relationship with stuff changes. You have only a few select artifacts from your life back at home, whatever you could carry---all the necessities and a few weighty luxuries you mistook for necessities, like that hair product you can't live without, and speakers for your iPod.

Your favourite underwear will wear out, you'll lose the rest of your clothes among sheets in hostels and on beaches at night. You'll replace them with local fashions, and realize you're losing perspective. You'll be pretty sure sequins are alright in moderation; spandex as day-wear? You'll consider it.

Maybe you thought to bring photos of home to show people you meet, or to remind yourself of your other context. They'll become bent, cracked and water damaged within days of your arrival, and later, develop thick edges like playing cards, all faded and torn. Soon, looking at them will make you feel as though you're a hundred lives from when you started out.

Eventually, you'll develop comforting little routines, parallel to those you escaped from at home, whether by compulsion or aspiration to some sort of normalcy. Food is the first comfort. You may never eat fast-food back home, but you will on the road. You'll find some chain that looks familiar, buy the most basic, signature item on the menu, and then marvel at how not even that tastes as it should. The pizza sauce is sweeter, the cheese doesn't melt, the burger is greyer, and the fat in the fried chicken is bright yellow. Then, you'll realize that if food is truly to offer you comfort, you're going to have to make it yourself.

Yielding to traffic, watching for motorbikes, and wondering why your ass is so compelling, you'll make your way to the market to buy ingredients for your comfort dish, your pièce de résistance. The simple one that never fails, the one you make to impress dates. At the market, you'll find nothing you need.

I made pierogi in Buenos Aires, or a close approximation. There is no bacon in Argentina, just steak and prosciutto and slabs of what could be cut into bacon. The potatoes and onions are watery, completely different from the Canadian sort (which are likely already a compromise for my Polish relatives). The cream is sweet, not sour. I asked the deli guy to describe various types of cheese to me, and he asked for my cell number. I settled on one that looked like old cheddar. Black pepper, I had to hunt for it. Flour. I found flour. Pastries smothered in dulce de leche would have been a breeze, pierogi, no.

In my friend's apartment in Caballito, a working-class district of Buenos Aires, I chopped, sliced, grated, caramelized, mashed, rolled, stuffed, boiled and fried my comfort. I added a little vinegar to the cream, because my comfort comes sour.

My Argentine friend was fascinated by this strange production, tolerant of the mess I'd made in his kitchen, and worried that I'd put too much black pepper in the mix, because it might be "spicy". That perspective, I thought, is exactly why I am cooking for myself.

Fried in far too much butter, these greasy pockets of perfection were exquisitely familiar. Even the improvised sour cream seemed right. I was no longer in an apartment in the southern hemisphere, in a city or sea of 17 million, fumbling with Argentine Castellano. I wasn't "Cucurucho", my southern stand-in, an adaptation of myself. I was no one but my mother's daughter, in her kitchen, stealing mouth-searingly hot pierogi from the platter on the way to the family dinner table. I was transposed. I stayed there until I had my fill, and was ready for my handsome, and now overfed and bloated friend to summon me back to Buenos Aires with his comparison of perogi to empanadas.

The difference, thought Sebastián, was that the Polish version incapacitates you, making you feel as though you might die of a butter and starch overdose, but he was confident yerba mate would save us. It always did. And, now that I am back in Canada, when I am missing Buenos Aires, it still does.

De los primeros mates, originally uploaded by juanpol.

 

Za mną niezliczone erasmusowe imprezy, w końcu zaczęłam rozwijać się towarzysko.

Między innymi były wypady na różnorakie tapas z okazji pierwszego konkursu tychże w Alicante (już zakończonego), a które to razem z cañą, czyli kufelkiem piwa można było nabyć na 2€; na przykład croquetas, czyli krokieciki z beszamelu i szynki, panierowane bułką tartą. W ogóle mi to nie brzmi, a tymczasem jest zupełnie fajną przegryzką, zwłaszcza z sosem majonezowym. Inne np. z ciasta francuskiego z rybkami w stylu anchois w środku, jakieś pulpeciki mięsne w sosie pomidorowym, nadziewana endywia... Troszkę się napróbowaliśmy :)

Odbyła się również jedna (a w zasadzie dwie, w porywach do trzech) impreza rusko-pierogowa. Teraz już naprawdę żaden erasmusowy student z Alicante nie będzie miał wątpliwości co do tego, jaka jest polska potrawa narodowa. Mało tego, będzie wiedział, z czego jest przyrządzona, a nawet sam ich nalepi, wykazując się dużym kunsztem i wprawą.

Kontynuując wątek kulinarny nadmienię jeszcze tylko, że u Grzesia były razu pewnego pieczone przepiórki, faszerowane suszonymi owocami. Ma chłopak rozmach!

Prócz powyższych aktywności, wybraliśmy się raz do Murcii, ale o tym w następnym odcinku, żeby nie namieszać.

W szpitalu zaś mamy znów chirurgię, więc jest ciekawie, ale o tym też innym razem.

Pogoda jest różna. W weekend było pięknie, słonecznie i dwadzieścia stopni (nawet się trochę plażowało), ale w czwartek w nocy mają być 2 stopnie! Ciekawe, czy odwołają zajęcia z powodu zagrażającego zdrowiu i życiu ochłodzenia?

Marzec to czerwiec

Początek marca w Tajwanii. W Polsce taka pogoda nadejdzie w czerwcu, w ostatnie dni szkoły przed wakacjami. Tutaj nie kończy, ale właśnie zaczyna się nowy semestr. Przyjemne słońce. Lekki wietrzyk. Błękitne niebo. Czerwone plamy po binlangu na ulicach. Ludzie jak mrówki krzątają się wokół swoich sklepików. Krążą skuterami po tętnicach pulsującego jak organizm miasta. Jak krew rozchodzą się po najdalszych jego zakątkach. Wszystko jest w ciągłym jednostajnym ruchu. Jak w zegarku. Ani szybciej, ani wolniej. Tajwańczycy biegają, nie spiesząc się.

Początek marca na Tajwanie. W Polsce taka pogoda nadejdzie w czerwcu, w ostatnie dni szkoły przed wakacjami. Miła melodyjka obwieszczająca w Polsce zbliżanie się samochodu z lodami, tutaj sygnalizuje zbliżanie się śmieciarki. Ciastko przypominające polskie ciastko, okazuje się czymś zupełnie odmiennym od polskiego ciastka. Tutejsza kiełbasa z rożna jest w istocie czymś innym niż polska kiełbasa z rożna. Swastyka na budynku do nie oddział bojówek faszystowskich, ale świątynia buddyjska. Wszystko jest wersją czegoś innego.

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Historia Chin - interes grupy ponad interesem jednostki

Czytam „Historie Chin” Johna Kinga Fairbanka. Pierwsze wnioski:- konfucjanizm dla Chin był tym czym chrześcijaństwo dla Europy. Kluczem do zrozumienia Chin może być więc zrozumienie konfucjanizmu. W wielkim skrócie na Zachodzie religia i sztuka mają charakter antropomorficzny – w centrum znajduje się człowiek. W Chinach człowiek jest częścią świata przyrody oraz zbiorowości, w której żyje - interes tej zbiorowości jest ważniejszy niż interes jednostki. Człowiek jest częścią systemu określającego jego status – człowiek automatycznie zna swoje miejsce w rodzinie i społeczeństwie.

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Pierogi przybyły do Polski z Chin

Jedną z pierwszych rzeczy, na które zwróciłem uwagę po przyjeździe na Tajwan były pierogi i bułki na parze. Czyżby sława naszych polskich pierogów i bułek na parze dotarła aż tak daleko? Niestety, okazuje się, że pierogi wymyślili Chińczycy.

„Powszechnie panuje przekonanie - zarówno wśród Polaków, jak i cudzoziemców - że pierogi to typowe danie kuchni staropolskiej, nie jest to do końca prawdą. Ojczyzną pierogów są bowiem Chiny. Do Europy, konkretnie do Włoch, zostały przywiezione przez Marco Polo. Do Polski chiński pomysł (głównie gotowania, rzadziej pieczenia lub smażenia kawałków ciasta makaronowego, napełnionego najrozmaitszymi farszami) dotarł w XIII wieku dzięki biskupowi Jackowi Odrowążowi, który zachwycił się ich smakiem podczas pobytu w Kijowie. Słowo "pierogi" zadomowiło się w polszczyźnie dopiero w XVII wieku. Według słownika Aleksandra Brücknera to jedyna u nas pozostałość z prasłowiańskiego słowa pir, oznaczającego biesiadę oraz bardziej specyficznie - nazwę ciasta obrzędowego. Bo też niegdyś pierogi pieczone były tylko z okazji świąt. Każde święto miało swój różniący się nie tylko kształtem, ale i farszem pieróg. Były kurniki - duże pierogi weselne o wielu nadzieniach, ale zawsze z dodatkiem kurzego mięsa, były knysze - pierogi żałobne, podawane na stypie, były kolatki - pieczone w styczniu, na początku Nowego Roku, na pamiątkę pogańskiego święta "Kolady". Były wreszcie regionalne odmiany pierogów, charakterystyczne dla różnych części Polski: hreczuszki - przyrządzane z mąki gryczanejoraz sanieszki i socznie - słodkie pierożki pieczone najczęściej z okazji imienin” (http://www.gdziezjesc.info/artykuly,pierogarnia_i_pierogi,.htm.)

Tyle a propos pierogów. Co z bułkami na parze? Bardziej prawdopodobne jest, ze również przybyły do Polski z Chin, a nie odwrotnie.

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Wynalazki Chińczyków

Jak pisze Fairbank („Historia Chin”), Chiny to kiedyś jedna z najbardziej rozwiniętych cywilizacji świata, dorównująca nie tylko starożytnemu Rzymowi, lecz także daleko wyprzedzająca średniowieczną Europę. Tutaj wynaleziono papier (II w.p.n.e, Europa XII w.n.e.), druk (868 n.e., Europa 1440), kompas (850 n.e., Europa 1190) czy proch strzelniczy (868 n.e, Europa XIII wiek). W zgodnej ocenie wielu badaczy, wynalazki te zmieniły świat Zachodu. Fairbank stawia jednak pytanie: dlaczego Chiny, mimo przewagi technologicznej nad Zachodem aż do czasów renesansu, zostały w tyle w czasach nowożytnych? Fakt faktem - XIX i XX wiek to okres, w którym Chiny utraciły swoją dawną pozycję. Niemniej właśnie z tego kompleksu XIX- wiecznego upadku wynika współczesny chiński pęd do prześcignięcia Zachodu i odzyskania dawnej wielkości. I wszystko wskazuje na to, że nastąpi to już całkiem niedługo. W 1978 roku „modernizację uznano w Chinach za cel narodowy, natomiast reformy gospodarcze rozpoczęte w latach 90-tych XX wieku, według wielu analityków, mają doprowadzić do tego, że około 2050 roku Chiny staną się dominującą na świecie gospodarką. Na razie Chiny jako trzecie państwo na świecie, po USA i ZSRR, wysłały człowieka w kosmos we własnej - made in China - rakiecie (październik 2005).

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Mój pierwszy kontakt z Chinami: 1. Koziołek Matołek w Pekinie, gdzie obcięto mu głowę, 2. Podróże Pana Kleksa - Akademia Doktora Pai Hi Wo. - Kung fu Song!

Polują na mnie heretycy i spazmatycy, ramole, pierdolę, eleganci, absztyfikanci, faceci - dzieci, durnie i gburnie, stada studentów i dekadentów, do tego dziadki, dziatki, sąsiadki i inkasenci, sklepów klienci, zepsute kasy i przydupasy. Polują na mnie stada gołębi, z okrzykiem wielkim: ta, co nas gnębi! Śledzą ghallery, byli, cholery, jacyś harcerze, chociaż nie wierzę, wreszcie i dupy, wszyscy do kupy.
A ja tu wzdycham, a ja tu fikam. Nike barykad!

***

Wczoraj urządził sobie dybanie jeden z tych panów, co są na stanie. Ja w sumie grzeczna, całkiem stateczna, miła, co chwila, choć niebezpieczna - przyjęłam awans z miną figlarną, wielce rumianą i temporalną. Pan zaś na zimno najpierw mnie mając, chłodem obejścia nie zniechęcając, w palcach się lepił niby pierniki, wąsa podkręcał, ach fiki miki.

Gdy go do wody wsadzałam słonej ( tu bez skojarzeń moi panowie! ), rósł i nadymał się - we mnie i w sobie, mrugając sztucznie, w znoju, w chorobie i rozpływowo, pęczniał i męczniał, dobrze, oj dobrze, że choć nie jęczał - razem z innymi jemu zacnymi, ach pierogami z dziada ruskimi.

Ja zaś słabością mączną pałając, soli dodając, wrzątek wzburzając marzyłam skrycie o wspólnych chwilach, farszu motylach, drylach, kadrylach, i o tym związku w ramach zalążku - jako konsumpcji, tuż po polucji! A naczekawszy się trochę i sporo, zjeść go pragnęłam: amore solo!

***

Pan jednak okaz był wielce srogi - wyskoczył z wody, oblał pierogi i gdy go zjadać zaraz pragnęłam, fiknął i pryknął we mnie - cholera! mszcząc tak klientów, byłych, natrętów, kochanków Lindy, wołów, pacjentów, w imię aniołów i stad gołębi - tą, co gnębiła sparzył do głębi. W miejscu gdzie usta przechodzą w zamysł, i tam gdzie wargi splata aksamit.

Z przygody onej nauka taka: pieróg nieczuły - zmień na chłopaka. :)

It seemed simple enough--I decided to plan this week's lunch. Ukrainian food sounded like it wouldn't be too exotic for everyone's delicate palates, and I had just the place in mind:

Cafe Veselka

Located on 2nd Avenue between St. Mark's and 9th street, this busy little corner cafe is open 24 hours. The first time I was there, the place was practically empty (mind you, it was around 3 A.M. or so), and I thought it would be a good location for a large group of adventurous eaters to try out. As the "coordinator" for the week, I got to the cafe early to give the staff a head's up about our incoming group (they apparently do not take reservations). The cafe at that time was bustling, but not overly so, and the three separate servers I spoke to all reassured me that seating 10+ people would not be a problem.

Liars. By the time the rest of the club arrived, the place was packed, and none of the wait staff gave us the time of day. Despite being given the cold shoulder, our cheerful group was unperturbed--we'd find pierogis somewhere! Funnily enough, the restaurant next door (literally) was offering Ukranian fare as well:

Ukrainian East Village Restaurant

Unlike the typical diner/cafe atmosphere of Velseka, the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant was a solemn, old-world inspired affair. Upon walking in, the entire group felt like they walked onto a set for a family-drama type film. We stood around for a what seemed like ten minutes, taking in the decor and debating whether or not anybody worked there. Finally, our waitress arrived and, obviously annoyed at the sight of 10+ of us trespassing on her territory uninvited, immediately spat, "You should have made reservations, you know." We were bewildered. There were only 6 other people in the restaurant.

Despite this discouraging greeting, the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant turned out to be enjoyable after all. After having a drink slamming fit, our server became more pleasant--we had started to grow on our waitress (by making sure to be super polite to her to appease her anger). The food turned out to be a good deal--a plate of 5 large, boiled pierogis (your choice of meat, potato, cheese, or vegetable) and a cup of borscht (cold or hot) ended up being a total of $8 on the lunch menu.

Other than pierogis and borscht, other popular dishes that we ordered included potato latkes (served with sour cream and apple sauce), cabbage soup, and french fries. Complimentary bread baskets were provided. In the end, we were stuffed and satisfied. Next time I go, though, I'll make a reservation.

So, to recap:

Fourteen hungry people looking for Hungarian food at...

Bottom Line: Cheap place for lunch with lots of room for large groups = A Greater Finer Thing.

I still had a ton of dumpstered potatoes and some wonton wrappers in the fridge. And so the pieropling was born.

Ingredients:

• 4 small potatoes, baked
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut
• 2 Tbsp margarine
• 2Tbsp onion, minced
• s&p
• wonton wrappers

Slice potatoes in half and scoop insides into a bowl. Stir in rest of ingredients (except wrappers, of course). Place about a tablespoon of the mixture in a wrapper, wet edges with water, and fold however you desire. You can either boil or steam them. I steamed them for about 10 minutes. You can fry them after this, but I was too lazy. Serve with vegan sour cream or minced onions sauteed in margarine. I ate mine with mustard. I thought ketchup would be a good idea since I eat ketchup on pretty much everything, but I was wrong. It's pretty gross. Don't try it, I warned you.

Before being cooked:

After:

here's some new lenses I just made today, still working on them:

http://www.squidoo.com/GivingGiftBaskets

http://www.squidoo.com/RomanticBeds

http://www.squidoo.com/Pierogi

http://www.squidoo.com/eggnog

I just started 15 more today, but they are still blank, it'll take me a while to get all the stuff on them, cause I started so many all at once.

What's your take on this? I'd love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

If you liked this post, than you might like what I say on my other blog too!

Need To Publish Your First Novel?

Save the Goldeneagle

All donations to Star Log go either to The Rabbit Hole Fund and/or The Pidgie Fund. The Rabbit Hole Fund is raising money to start a small retail clothen shop, while The Pidgie Fund buys food for pets in Southern Maine.

This Post copyright Wendy C. Allen 2007. EelKat

http://www.squidoo.com/What-can-you-do-with-squidoo

http://www.squidoo.com/TheDaleks

http://www.squidoo.com/WhatsOnYourToilet

Plus I'm making some new ones, they aren't finished yet, but here they are...

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovered

http://www.squidoo.com/ILoveorange

http://www.squidoo.com/ILoveyellow

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovegreen

http://www.squidoo.com/ILoveblue

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovePurple

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovePink

and these aren't mine, but I found them and added them to my favorites if you want to check them out:

http://www.squidoo.com/stuffed-cabbage

http://www.squidoo.com/polish-pierogi

plus this is the best group to join, (it's not one of mine); most of my Squidoo traffic comes from this one group. If you have enough lenses to make it into the top 10 lens-master list, you'll get huge ammounts of traffic to your lenses... I've been on their top 10 since they started; it was originally just for members who had won the Giant Squid award, but now they let anybody join. every time you make a new lens you have to post a comment to tell how many lenses you have and they update you name on the list

http://www.squidoo.com/groups/mostlenses

What's your take on this? I'd love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

-------------

Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Do You and I Read the Same Books?
*I Love Phookas!*

http://www.squidoo.com/What-can-you-do-with-squidoo

http://www.squidoo.com/TheDaleks

http://www.squidoo.com/WhatsOnYourToilet

Plus I'm making some new ones, they aren't finished yet, but here they are...

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovered

http://www.squidoo.com/ILoveorange

http://www.squidoo.com/ILoveyellow

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovegreen

http://www.squidoo.com/ILoveblue

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovePurple

http://www.squidoo.com/ILovePink

and these aren't mine, but I found them and added them to my favorites if you want to check them out:

http://www.squidoo.com/stuffed-cabbage

http://www.squidoo.com/polish-pierogi

plus this is the best group to join, (it's not one of mine); most of my Squidoo traffic comes from this one group. If you have enough lenses to make it into the top 10 lens-master list, you'll get huge ammounts of traffic to your lenses... I've been on their top 10 since they started; it was originally just for members who had won the Giant Squid award, but now they let anybody join. every time you make a new lens you have to post a comment to tell how many lenses you have and they update you name on the list

http://www.squidoo.com/groups/mostlenses

What's your take on this? I'd love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

-------------

Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Do You and I Read the Same Books?
*I Love Phookas!*

Pierogi 

Let's go back to the time when Tiffanie was in middle school (I'm not asking you to picture me -thanks puberty). Weird-looking Tiffanie is at the Costco food court deciding whether to order a huge slice of pizza or a polish hot dog. The hot dog choice wins out. Over to the condiment section where dispensers of mustard, ketchup, onions, relish, and sauerkraut
await...

Wait, sauerkraut? Forward to present time. WHERE THE HECK IS THE SAUERKRAUT?

I don't know exactly when Costco decided to pull sauerkraut from the condiment section but apparently they still have it. You'll have to ask for it when you order and it'll come in a tiny plastic container. It's fairly dry (unlike in the past where it had more "juice") but I'm a fairly happy camper. It looks like I'm back to ordering hot dogs at Costco. Sorry pizza!

*Thank you, thank you to my cousin for that information.

Now to the recipe on-hand. I went on a sauerkraut frenzy and this recipe caught my eye:

International? Check.
Has Accent? Oh wait, I'm straying...
Has Sauerkraut? Check.

Pierogi are polish dumplings - the filling varies but traditionally they are supposed to be filled with a mashed potato-like mixture or sauerkraut. I wasn't impressed with the dough (I have nothing to compare it against) and found it tough most likely due to my inability to knead dough.

The filling however was fantastic. I ended up just mixing it all together and made cornish pasty/pierogi pastries with the leftovers. If you don't like layers of flaky goodness (uh...), the filling by itself is a down-right comfort food...and it's awesome.

Cross-breeding pierogi and cornish pasties. Kids, don't try this at home.

Ingredients

Sauerkraut Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sauerkraut, drained and minced
salt and pepper to taste

Potato Filling:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

Meat Filling:
1 lb ground meat
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt to taste

Dough for traditional pierogies:
3 egg
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder

Dough for cross-breeding experiment:
1 sheet of puff pasty!

Directions

Make the potato mixture first since you need to boil and mash the potatoes first!

For the mashed potato filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir into the mashed potatoes, and season with salt and white pepper.

Cook meat and onions. Drain fat and remove to bowl to cool.

To prepare the sauerkraut filling, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove to same bowl to cool.

Combine meat, potatoes, and sauerkraut.  Chow down...or if you want something fancier....

For traditional pierogies:

To make the dough, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Divide the dough in half, then roll out one half to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter.
Place a small spoonful of the mashed potato filling into the center of each round. Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and the sauerkraut filling.  Pierogies can be frozen at this step.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add perogies and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon.

For cross-breeding experiment:

Divide puff pastry sheet into 4 squares (4 inch x 4 inch approx). Spoon filling mixture into center, and fold dough over end-to-end. Seal the ends with the end of a fork and cook in a preheated over at 350F for 20-25 minutes (until the puff pastry has risen and is slightly browned).

Skadniki:

Ciasto:
- 30 dag mąki,
- 1 jajko,
- szczypta soli.

Nadzienie:
- 2 szklanki grzybów,
- 10 dag boczku,
- 1 średnia cebula,
- 1 jajko,
- 3 łyżki tartej bułki,
- 1 łyżka oleju,
- sól, pieprz .

Przepis

Z mąki, jajka wody i szczypty soli zagnieść tradycyjne ciasto na pierogi.

Grzyby namoczyć dzień wcześniej, ugotować i drobno posiekać.

Grzyby ostudzić i zmielić w maszynce, boczek drobno pokroić i udusić razem z posiekaną cebulą w łyżce tłuszczu, dodać do grzybów. Dodać tartą bułkę i dokładnie wymieszać, doprawić do smaku. Farsz powinien być dość pikantny.

Ciasto cienko rozwałkować, wykrawać okrągłe placuszki i kleić niewielkie pierogi.

Gotować we wrzątku i podawać z sosem grzybowym.