ZASMAŻ KA (ROUX) This is a base we commonly use for many vegetables and sauces in Polish cooking. We use approximately equal amounts of butter and flour. We melt the butter and then add flour, stirring all the time.
STOCKS It’s always useful to have some good stock available: ideally both a meat and a vegetable one. Make some in advance then keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it. Otherwise, buy the best quality stock you can find.
{Vegetable stock} Cook 1 carrot, 1 parsnip, 1 onion, ½ peeled celeriac (celery root), 2 celery stalks (with leaves) and 1 bay leaf in the largest pot you can find, covered in water for about 3 hours. Add large pinch of sea salt and 2 peppercorns half way through cooking time.
{Chicken stock} Cook all the ingredients that you used for vegetable stock but also add a few piece of chicken with the bones still in.
SAUERKRAUT Chop the cabbage very finely, place it in a bowl and cover it with a tablespoon of salt. Massage the seasoning into the cabbage with your hands then use your equipment of choice to pound the cabbage gently for a long period of time – perhaps 15–20 minutes, or until its juices are released. Then add half a grated carrot or a teaspoon of caraway seeds. The cabbage is then transferred to a (previously sterilised) jar. Use something heavy (like a rock or can) to press the cabbage down, making sure that it’s fully submerged in its own juices. After 3 days, taste the cabbage: if you like this lightly fermented sauerkraut then close your jar and place it in the fridge. However, if you would like a stronger flavour (as I do) then allow the cabbage to ferment for 5 days.
LILAC AND ROSE JAMS These are two traditional jams that I use in this book. Rose petal jam can be bought quite easily in Poland (and in some, better stocked Polish shops in other countries), but lilac jam is rare.
We use a pestle and mortar to grind the flower petals with sugar, until the grains disintegrate. We then place it in a sterilised jar, close it and cook it in the same water you sterilised the jar in for about 2 hours. Keep topping the boiling water up as it evaporates. When you take the jars out allow them to cool upside down.
GINGERBREAD
Making proper gingerbread – the sort you could build a small house with – takes some time: 3–4 days for the dough to mature before baking. The other secret to a beautiful gingerbread is the spice mix. It’s like your own special garam masala blend, except this one is for baking. You can, of course, alter the proportions of spices to suit your own preferences – as mine is quite spicy.
FOR THE DOUGH
300g (10½ oz/2½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
200ml (7 fl oz/2/3 cups) runny honey
50g soft unsalted butter
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 egg
FOR THE SPICE MIX
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4–5 cardamom pods
2–3 cloves
1 star anise
Make the spice mix first – I always use pestle and mortar but you can use a coffee grinder or blender. Throw the cardamom shells away once the seeds have popped out.
Combine the ingredients for the dough with the spice mix and knead together for 5–6 minutes, until a soft ball is formed. Cover your dough ball with a clean, damp tea towel (dish towel) and place in the fridge for 3 days.
After 3 days, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4). Line a baking tray with baking paper (parchment paper). Remove the ball from the fridge and knead it again, on a floured surface, until it softens once again for about 10–12 minutes.
Roll the dough out to a ½ cm (¼ in) thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the shapes of your choosing and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper (parchment paper). Bake for 12–15 minutes on 180°C (350°F/gas 4). Allow to cool before eating. Best eaten on the following day and do save some for breadcrumbs.