Recipes with whom? Miss, what? From where? Damn right, now being out of Lockdown I made some serious meal plans with the real world in mind! My previous 'Recipes With...' had been with 'Miss COVID-19' but not for much longer! Choosing West Bromwich, I retraced those Polish food shopping steps because it was time to do some cooking with a clear category! Cook!
During the first Lockdown, me and my late Step-Dad had both watched 'Sir Tony Robinson' travel on the 'Trans Siberian Express' from Vladivostok to Moscow, Russia. During that 'Channel 5' railway documentary, Tony went to the dining car to see what kinds of food they had on offer for him for try. He chose the 'beetroot soup' with a shot of vodka to accompany it, now that looked like a meal I wanted to try for myself! Retracing those West Bromwich steps during the first week of February 2022 had me buying the key ingredients for that Slavic railway inspired meal. Throwing shapes in the kitchen, I boiled up my soup on the hob then to add a handful of 'Pierogi Ruskie' into the pan. I had enjoyed some Pierogi a few months back, adding them into the soup was the next level for me because I can be quite experimental with my cooking! Sure, I love taking risks in the kitchen! It wasn't going to be the same meal as seen on the Trans Siberian, it was my own 'Winiary' sachet! Not everything would be freshly made! Do not judge!
The bread, now do you think I would settle for a supermarket bought loaf of 'Kingsmill?' Baby, you do you but I wanted to take things one step higher, I'm fancy like that! Choosing to return to West Bromwich's own 'Olawa Bakery' was the only option for me. Buying a freshly baked artisanal granary loaf of bread had to be, having it freshly sliced was the mood for me! To drink or not to drink? That wasn't even supposed to be a question! 'Polo International Supermarket' in Carters Green served me with the right bottle of vodka, Polish in every sense I had to buy it! That 'Krupnik' blend acted as the perfect accompaniment, sipping that liquor from a shot glass had to be done! I had more cooking to do! Sure, that light lunch had all the right flavours, embodying a memory made during Lockdown that will be forever cherished, I'm sentimental like that! Sure, I loved every single second of that Polish soup moment with a cheeky drink! Polish or what, Dad? An afternoon vodka? Of course, Kanga would be proud of me! Sure, that soup was delicious, B!
No, the first course was just the beginning of my cooking weekend! My Saturday tea would consist of kapusta, kiełbasą and an cebula! Allow me to translate the Polish to English! Firstly, 'kapusta' means 'cabbage' in English. 'Kiełbasą' stands for 'Polish cured sausage' and 'cebula' means 'onion' also from Polish to English. I found the cured Polish sausage from the same supermarket where I found the Pierogi, feeling adventurous I knew what I needed to buy! Preparing all of my ingredients fairly quickly, I lightly seasoned the sausages, cabbage and onion along with adding some garlic for taste. As the meal cooked before me in the wok, the colours reminded me of a dish my Paternal Grandfather would always cook for me and my Brother. Now, thinking back to when I was a boy, that cabbage based meal definitely had the same look as my Polish recreation! Having a Polish Grandfather had to mean something more than just a coincidence! Cooking away nicely, so I poured another measure of my Polish vodka! Another!?
I didn't fancy my cabbage being soggy, for that reason I didn't add any water to my panfried dish. For once I didn't add the usual healthy glug of cooking oil, making the least amount of grease work, I wasn't about to eat an overly greasy food for no good reason. Serving up my Polish tea on a plate instead of in a bowl, I took my time to enjoy every single bite. In a way, the whole taste reminded me of a panfried Chinese meal with the cooked cured sausage and vegetables in tow. That Polish meal had me feeling satisfied, no snacks needed to be consumed because the hearty mix had me feeling content. With such simple ingredients needed, mildly paying attention to the recipe had me sorted with an uncomplicated meal to enjoy for myself! Made from four main components, I know that once I am back in China I will apply the same base to many a Chinese meal! West Bromwich had impressed me much, Miss Poland reigned supreme! With this category thing secure, I know that I can expand to other nations food! Let's cook it, P!
Fast forward to the next morning I needed some breakfast quick-time, what would I cook? With some wisdom gained the previous day, I prepared some of the remaining unused Polish Kiełbasą cured sausage with some scrambled eggs. Adding an onion, pepper and some small slices of bread into the pan, I allowed this breakfast meal to fry off for a few minutes. Brewing some ground coffee had to be done, timing things just right I couldn't argue with the process. The third meal within this unified 'Recipes With...' finally had a sense of belonging with the 'Miss Poland' element, helping to anchor one unified culture. Sitting down to eat my breakfast bowl meal with my piping hot coffee was an actual Sunday treat! Things have now changed, that weekend had me appreciating the time more because I had work the next day. Miss Poland, she should know that my sausage and egg breakfast set the tone perfectly, I need to cook more often! Maybe it wasn't a completely authentic Polish breakfast choice, I enjoyed it. Czas na śniadanie?
Miss Poland had me wondering which country's food I should adopt next time fore the following installment of 'Recipes With...'? Having cheated with the soup sachet the previous day, the element of shop bought and then cooking something myself, now that's the balance for me! Making time for breakfast really hasn't been my top priority but with that short lived period of organisation, I embraced the need to eat before starting the day. It wasn't just for breakfast that I used the sausage after my cabbage Saturday night tea, during the following week I stewed something up! Using one of the remaining beetroot soup sachets with the sausage and cabbage, to mix things up I used up the final slices of my artisanal bread to line the deep soup bowl. On the side I had the stewed sausage and cabbage, coloured with a deep purple tone from the soup I had randomly created two separate meals without realising it. I fancied something sweet to eat and drink, something that would conclude that rainy Sunday. Sure, I want that breakfast again!
During Spring 2021, the West Midlands Metro had decided to be broken once again! Taking the 79 National Express West Midlands bus from Darlaston to West Bromwich, as the 79 pulled into Carters Green I saw 'Olawa Bakery' from the corner of my eye. Making tracks back to West Bromwich for the second time later in 2021 had me buying several cakes from that Polish bakery in-question. Also from the corner of my eye, I saw a selection of delectable doughnuts but with a budget to consider I made a promise to return. Roll on February 2022, the West Midlands Metro made that comeback journey to West Bromwich a lot easier, Olawa definitely had a place in my itinerary for sure! Making those sweet purchases a real thing, Sunday afternoon had me enjoying one of those doughnuts without any limitations! Tasting like heaven, I absolutely loved my Polish bakery bought treat from Olawa Bakery, West Bromwich. Feeling thirsty, I had a special hot chocolate drink in mind, the perfection combination to accompany that doughnut. Delicious!
Polo had my back, that Eastern European supermarket in Carters Green, West Bromwich had already served me my vodka but the other alcoholic addition would help me during that Sunday afternoon moment. Mixing my Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate with hot milk, a dash of 'Irish Cream Liqueur' but one extra dash of something Polish had to be served! My hot chocolate had to be laced with a healthy glug of Soplica Orzech Wloski (Polish Walnut Vodka). No word of a lie, that doughnut and boozy hot chocolate hit the spot! Having those extra mixers in my hot chocolate added an extra warmth to that already wintry feeling February 2022 afternoon. All in all, I declare that my weekend of Polish cooking and eating such lovely meals and treats had me feeling very accomplished. I'm feeling that 'Recipes With...' could well be featuring either 'Miss Greece', Miss Jamaica' or even 'Miss Puerto Rico!' Having this new energy for this blog series, sure I will remember 'Miss Poland' with much affection! From Kiełbasą to pączek, I loved it so!
Pyszne Polskie Jedzenie!
Joseph Harrison