As I was sorting through our books a few weeks ago, I decided to sort through my cookbooks as well. In the process I came across an old cookbook called “Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans.“ It had been a Christmas gift to my mother-in-law from her sister in 1952. It’s probably been in our possession for a long time, but I’ve never looked at it. I picked it up and started to read the foreward: “This is no ordinary cookbook.“ What a great start!
It was published first in 1948 in Minnesota, right after World War II when there were many Polish families that had come to America. They did not want to lose their heritage, particularly as it relates to cooking. Let me just share with you a few random phrases from the introduction.“Baking in Poland, delicious in its results, was a test of endurance and muscle. Old recipes say ‘Beat butter or eggs and sugar for one hour and in one direction only.’” Yikes! My arm hurts just reading that sentence.
Here’s another one: “The generous use of butter in the recipes may startle you. You may ask, do they use so much butter in Poland? The answer is yes, and let us tell you why.” It turns out that in rural areas every household owned a cow and faithful cows give milk all year long. I have no objection to a lot of butter in recipes – sounds like a good plan to me.
“Warm hospitality is a characteristic of the nation. Stranger or friend is always welcome and never bid farewell without a serving of food – it little matters how modest – the little cottage shares what it has.”
Well, I just had to try a couple recipes after reading all of that. I started to read through the cookbook to see if there was anything that I, in my modern kitchen, with our modern grocery stores, could make. It was startling to run across a recipe for Cassubian headcheese that called for one pig head. And then jellied pigs feet, which of course calls for four pigs feet cut in halves. I had to move on to something a little more doable and after much perusing decided on making Bitki Wolowe w Smietanie (Beef Bitki in Cream) and Buraki (Beets).
The Beef Bitki recipe wasn’t as precise as I might have wanted, and I had to make a few judicious guesses and substitutions. The beets recipe was very straightforward. The author of the cookbook claims that Polish cuisine has hauntingly good flavors. I have to admit our beef and beets were very good, although I’m not sure what constitutes hauntingly good. It was a lovely excursion into Polish cooking. I’d make the beets again anytime – fabuloso!
Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits
AI dictation programs 😊
The coming of spring
Good food
Being inside on a very windy day
Good teaching and preaching (good food for the soul)
This post was not made with a pig’s head, though I can be pig-headed at times. Deleting in the morning!
Lynniebeemuseoday 
How brave of you to try some of those old recipes! Most of the cookbooks from that era I have passed on. The head cheese reminds me of the Norwegian head cheese that my grandmother and aunts made. I probably haven’t had any since I was a little girl. I know it’s available at Ingebretsen’s on Lake Street.
I am thankful:
My mother-in-law is back (independent, in her own home) from fall/surgery/rehab and is doing well on the cusp of her 90th birthday!
A good year of boiling sap (I love the scent of maple smoke)!
The sound of birds at this time of year- one of your “signs of Spring”!
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I have a friend who lived in Poland for about ten years – we might pass the book on to her now that I’ve given it a try. I’ve never had headcheese and I wonder if it’s good.
Very good news about your mother-in-law!
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did it have anything that would work for Bible breakfast? The beets sound interesting. I like beets, but not pickled.
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I should look and see! Maybe there’s something that would be interesting for us to try. The beets were not pickled.
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