Two weeks in POLAND . . . and POLISH MARINATED DUCK

It’s 12:45 a.m., but I am still jet-lagged from arriving home at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18. 

Lufthansa took us first from Krakow, Poland, to Munich (1 hour and 15 minutes in the air) and then, after a 4-hour layover, to Vancouver (a 10-hour flight).

Our wonderful trip to Poland had begun on Wednesday, September 5, when we flew to Wroclaw.  Here is our itinerary:

DAY        WEEKDAY & DATE            CITY                                       HOTEL                  

1.            Wed.     Sept 5   FLY FROM VANCOUVER

2.            Thurs.   Sept 6                    Wroclaw                              BNB                      

3.            Fri.         Sept. 7                  Wroclaw                              BNB                   

4.            Sat.        Sept. 8                  Kudowa Zdroj                    Willa Sanssouci                                                                                                                                  

5.            Sun.       Sept. 9                  Wroclaw                              Dwor Polski 

    

                                                                                                                                 

6.            Mon.     Sept 10                 Katovice                               Hotel Diament  

                                                                                                                                 

7.            Tues.     Sept 11                 Krakow                                 Hotel Amadeus  

                                                                                                                                 

8.            Wed.     Sept 12                 Krakow                                 Hotel Amadeus   

9.            Thurs.    Sept 13                Zakopane                            Grand Hotel Stamary

                                                                                      

10.          Fri.          Sept 14                Zakopane                            Grand Hotel  Stamary    

11.          Sat.         Sept 15                Krakow                                 BNB                                      

12.          Sun.        Sept 16                Krakow                                 BNB                                      

13.          Mon.     Sept 17                Krakow                                 BNB                                      

14.          Tues.     Sept 18:  FLY HOME       

We did do a lot of planning and preparation first.

Learning Polish

I really liked the pace and repetition of the Pimsleur tapes.

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Duck appeared several ways on restaurant menus; we could have duck salad, duck pierogi, or even half a roasted duck.

POLISH MARINATED DUCK  (Kaczka Marynowana)

from WOMAN’S DAY ENCYCLOPEDIA of COOKERY

1 duck (about 5 lbs)

1 cup sour cream

MARINADE FOR DUCK:

5 cups water

1 large onion, sliced

15 allspice berries (or juniper)

15 peppercorns

10 tbsp cider vinegar

8 bay leaves

• Put onions, water, allspice berries, and peppercorns in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover.  Cook  for 5 minutes to soften onion.
• Add vinegar and bay leaves.
• Put duck in a glass bowl or pot.  Pour hot marinade over the duck.
• Let cool, then put in fridge for one or two days.

Remove duck from marinade.  Reserve one cup of liquid.  Discard the rest.

Rub duck with salt and let stand in fridge for one or two hours.

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Put duck, breast up, on a rack in an uncovered roasting pan.
• Cook one hour.
• Sprinkle duck with ground allspice, ground ginger, and nutmeg.
• Roast another hour or until skin is crisp and bird is tender.  (I cooked it for two hours -- the breast was still juicy and not overcooked.  In fact, if you like duck well done, you may need to keep it in the oven another 15 to 30 minutes.)
• 
  
  
• Remove duck and let rest while preparing gravy.
• Add about ½ cup water to the pan to scrape it up.  
• Remove as much of the fat as possible.
• Stir one tbsp flour into the sour cream.  Stir in some hot liquid.
• Whisk all of sour cream mixture into gravy.
• Taste for seasoning.  Add more ginger and nutmeg if desired.

In addition to the sour cream gravy and a bowl of kacza, I served the duck with sweet-and-sour red cabbage, as recommended by Jean Karsavina.

*****

I'd also recommend: 

IDA, set in Poland, 1962. 

I was surprised at how many Polish words I had actually learned from the tapes I listened to . . . after the subtitles cued me!

"About your potatoes" . . . and Fall Harvest Pizza

Sept 6/78

About your potatoes, if they are well hilled they can stay till 30 of September or even longer if there is no heavy frost but I like to get them up by Sept 27^th.

I have to go to Winnipeg to send away presents for the cousins in Ukraine.  Besides I want to see Diana’s house. 

 Diana been doing a lot of papering. 

I got close to forty quarts raspberries.  

Our strawberries just started this year so we only had some with cream and yesterday I open kettled two pints.

*****

FALL HARVEST PIZZA  (my recipe)

TOPPING #1:  This can be prepared a day ahead or first thing in the morning.

2 pounds tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp olive oil (or canola)
Salt & pepper

·        Cut tomatoes in half, lengthwise.

·        Place cut side up in 13x9 baking dish.

·        Start oven preheating to 200.

·        Combine oil and garlic.  Spoon a bit onto each tomato.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

·        Roast for 4 or 5 hours.

·        Blend in food processor.  Set aside.

TOPPING #2

1 cup carrot, diced

1 cup parsnip, diced

½ head garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp coarse salt

¼ tsp pepper

·        Heat oven to 425.

·        Put carrots and parsnips in a small baking dish and stir with oil, salt, and pepper.

·        Roast for 30 minutes.  Set aside

TOPPING #3:    (this is a great way to cook Swiss chard!)

8 ounces Swiss chard, chopped, some water from rinsing still on leaves

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp butter

¾  tsp coarse salt  (taste afterwards, may need another ¼ tsp)

½ tsp pepper

·        Heat butter in large skillet on medium high.  Cook onion about 5 min.

·        Add chard, salt, and pepper.  Cook until wilted (about a minute).  Set aside.

TOPPING #4

4 to 8 mushrooms, depending on size:  sliced

TOPPING #5

2 or 3 hot Italian sausages

·        Slice about ¼ inch thick and put in small baking dish.  Put this in the oven when preheating it to 500 to bake the pizza crust.  Remove when oven is ready.  Let cool and then cut the slices in quarters.  Set aside.

TOPPING # 6

6 to 8 ounces shredded mozzarella

                                                 Eleanor, Diana 1977                       

GARLIC . . . and Maple Syrup Salad Dressing

Blog Aug 31, 1987

The buses are not running every day like thy used to.  I don’t even know how to get to your place.  I will find out if from Birtle I could as there used to be more buses there than here.

My corn perhaps will be alright to use this week.  I picked some last week so Nicholas and me had a feed but it was not ready yet.

The onions you gave me were planted too late so there is a lot of top, not much bottom, need another month.  So is the garlic even it was planted end of April but didn’t come up till after the rains so it was too late.

I have finished knitting for this year unless I want to finish the yarn.  But I have two cushions to make, will cut them out and give to Aline to zigzag them.  And I got to crochet around the leather zippers.  Then I don’t know what I will do to keep myself busy.  If I am alright Tuesday will wash the kitchen walls and big window. 

It rained all day yesterday so no combining will be done for a while. 

George was supposed to call in on the way to Strathclair.  They all went to a horse sale – Matt and Douglas, too.  Douglas wants more horses.  So George may call in on the way back. 

Tomorrow morning I will dye my hair as it’s white at the roots.

It’s very cold today.  Helen phoned today asking if I heard whether it will freeze.  Mine froze last week. 

*******

*****

MAPLE SYRUP SALAD DRESSING with GARLIC

½ cup olive oil

2 green onions

½ cup parsley, cilantro, or basil

2 garlic cloves

1 lime: zest and juice

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Blend all in a food processor.   It looks thick but works great on a leafy salad with cucumbers.

*******

CAMILLA, DUCHESS OF CORNWALL speaking on MasterChef Australia:  “I hate to say this, but garlic.  Garlic is a no-no.”  

It’s not allowed in the Royal Family diet! 

LOL!

******

My cousin Vernon grows and sells organic garlic.

Organic Garlic is available from Zeevalley in Manitoba.

"hit by hail" . . . and Swiss Chard Pizza

                                                       my daughter, Nicole, with Mom

August 20, 1983:  Mom wrote:

It’s very cold this morning and cloudy so don’t know whether it will rain or freeze.  We don’t need either.  We had a good rain Monday.  It did not rain when we needed so don’t need to rain now to rot what little we did get. 

The men are swathing and tried yesterday to combine but still wet as we did get a big rain but we were only hit by hail a little.  Some got from 80 to 100 percent hailed out.  Mike Y got 80 percent but he got hail insurance.  Lornie has hail insurance so they asked the insurance adjuster to come out. 

********

  SWISS CHARD PIZZA : my recipe

Parsley Sauce (first topping on the pizza) : for recipe  SEE BLOG POST:  http://eleanorstadnyk.blogspot.com/2018/08/crotcheting-between-jobs-and-parsley.html

10 to 12 ounces Swiss Chard (weighed after stems are cut off)

1 cup sliced green onions

1 garlic clove chopped

1 tbsp olive oil (from Sun-dried tomatoes jar)

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

½ cup mildly hot peppers cut in half inch dice (Peruvian black peppers work)

1 cup sliced cooked new potatoes  (dressed with a vinaigrette: e.g. Spanish Potato Salad:

                                                                          p.   146: Lindsey Bareham’s In Praise of the Potato)

½ cup diced Sun-dried tomatoes

¼ to 1/3 cup sliced olives (stuffed with garlic works well)

6 ounces grated Havarti cheese with jalapenos

2 ounces grated Cheddar cheese

METHOD:

·        Prepare Parsley Sauce (see Blog Post) if you have not already made it to use on a salad. 

·        Rinse Swiss Chard and slice in 1 inch ribbons.  Place leaves with water still clinging to them in a large pot on high heat.  Cover and cook for 4 minutes, until wilted.  Transfer to a pot of cold water and then drain.  Squeeze out

excess moisture.   Set aside.

·        Sauté green onions and garlic in olive oil for 1 minute over medium heat.  Transfer to a small plate and set aside.

·        Toast pine nuts over high heat in a dry pan.  Stir constantly and transfer to a small plate.  Set aside. 

·        Remove seeds from fresh peppers and cut in half inch dice.  Set aside.

·        Boil new potatoes and slice.   OR  Use potatoes from a potato salad you made yesterday!  Set aside.

·        Dice sun-dried tomatoes and slice olives.  Set aside.

·        Grate cheeses and set aside.

Dress pizza in following order: 

            Parsley Sauce

            Sprinkle of Crushed Red Chili peppers  (about ¼ tsp to ½ tsp)

            Pine Nuts

            Potatoes

            Sun-dried Tomatoes

            Olives

            Onions & Garlic

            Swiss Chard

            Cheeses

******

This vegetarian pizza is wonderful with a Chili.  I had leftover "Lamb Neck and Bean Casserole", p. 105 in THE GOOD COOK DRIED BEANS & GRAINS.

"Crotcheting between jobs" and . . . PARSLEY DRESSING for Salads or Pizza

August 17, 1989:  38 cent stamp

I been making holoptsy today.  Yesterday I made pyrogies but they are almost all gone as I fed the men yesterday.   And today for supper I would have fed the holoptsy but it rained where they were swathing so they went home. 

Clayton got a job for 2 weeks on the rig so George will be himself.  It will be hard on him with moving implements and walking back for the truck.  He’s done a lot of that.  Unless Lee will help now as he’s going to college in Sept.  Now he works some days at the garage. 

George is quite worried about the crop.  It’s poor this year.  It was nice but those hot days took almost half of the crop.  Lorne’s is insured and so is in Solsgirth but not at home. 

Douglas will be finished working this weekend and then a bit of holiday and back to school.   

I picked some cucumbers today, will dill them tomorrow.  I been crocheting between jobs but I rested some as I didn’t feel the very best today. 

My glasses are not too bad since I got used to them.  I will get another pair in Jan.  That’s when I am supposed to get a new pair.  Med care sure don’t pay much.  They sent me $34.00 out of $238.00 so it’s not worth to say they pay.  The way that guy was talking I was to believe it be much more.  In fact last time I got $48 and the glasses were $152.00.

Donald is combining.  He has a lot done.  Karen helps hauling grain.

Matt & Shirley went to gardens.  There is about 30 or more mile.  They bought cucumbers, few cabbage, and 2 cabbage for me, and 25 for George. 

I haven’t been going to town for a while.  May go next Thursday as it’s Senior Citizen’s day.  I need a few things in there. 

It’s thundering and lightning but no rain.  Maybe just as well as now we need dry weather.

I have finished the quilts.  There is one bag missing that I had some place.  Plaid cloth and green print piece.  I don’t seem to find it.  Likely when I am not looking it will turn up.  But now I can’t think where it can be.

*****

I know that feeling!

*******

PARSLEY DRESSING

             

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice with pulp

1 clove garlic minced

1 cup firmly packed parsley (remove stems)

1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce

Blend in food processor.

Serve 2 or 3 tablespoons on salad with a tablespoon of a regular vinaigrette dressing.  I used it with the Cranberry Juice Salad Dressing I already blogged.  

Or spread it on pizza dough as the first topping.  

Dragon's Egg Cucumbers . . . and Cranberry Juice Salad Dressing

Mom used to plant Russian Cucumbers:

Dragon's Egg Cucumbers:  First time ever! 

    These were chosen for our garden because of their cool name and they are lovely and taste great, seeds and all!

*****

CRANBERRY JUICE SALAD DRESSING

                        From:  www.thriftyfoods.com

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp cranberry juice

1 tbsp liquid honey

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Shake in a jar.  

Ravishing RUTABAGA . . . and a wonderful but very sad movie

GLAZED RUTABAGA

            (from FOOD & WINE magazine, 1995)

1 large rutabaga (about 2 pounds)

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

3 cups water

·        Peel rutabaga and cut into cubes (about 1 inch).  Put into a large saucepan.

·        Add butter, thyme, salt, pepper, and water.  Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat and cook until tender, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

·        Using a slotted spoon, remove rutabagas to a bowl. 

·        Boil the cooking liquid over high heat (about 3 to 5 minutes) until reduced.

·        Return rutabagas.  Reheat before serving.  YUM!

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                                                      How to ruin a child's life