Cooking with The Cross and the Cleaver for Almost Two Years!
We are so lucky to have the Rev. Piotr contribute bi-weekly to our magazine. Over these past (almost) two years we have laughed alongside him while cooking up some of his amazing dishes. From sharing his love of heavy metal with us to reminiscing about his childhood he has opened his heart, cookbook, and shared his memories with us, and we couldn’t be more pleased to publish his work.
For this magazine issue, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at his very first column. From all of us at Kindersley Social, we raise a stein of Tyskie to you–thank you for all you do!
If you have any suggestions of what you would like to see the Rev.Piotr write about (Polish, around the World, religious…all of the above?) please send an email to hello@kindersleysocial.ca
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Welcome to the “Adventures with Polish cooking.” This is an invitation to meet a cuisine that is rich, varied and affected by geography, ethnicity, and history. Along with a Canadian author and a friend of mine, Karen Bass, we coined a sentence: “Food of our childhood becomes the comfort food of our adulthood.” The dishes I will share with you are my favorite for a variety of reasons. They bring on memories of family dinners, outings, and delicious leftovers.
Many dishes I cook are the product of Polish ingenuity in times of scarcity. Something many can relate to, and/or understand. We begin with a dish that is simple, allows for movement of taste and presentation. It is quick, simple and satisfying. There we go.
It is called “ŁAZANKI” and is traditionally made with flat, square, noodles (imagine cutting lasagna sheet into inch-by-inch pieces). I use bowtie pasta. You can use shells, macaroni, or fusilli (aka rotini or spirals). Whatever you like and/or have on your shelf. The same with sauerkraut – jar, can, Polish, German, just experiment. You can adjust the volume of the recipe according to your appetite. This is for two (well… four if you are stingy or on a diet ;).
3 cups of dry pasta – boil al dente in one pot, according to the instructions on the box.
4 cups/1 litre of sauerkraut – boil in the pot with a bit of water for approx. 15-20 min. If you find sauerkraut taste too strong, rinse it or substitute 1 or 2 cups with shredded cabbage.
While above is boiling, fry some chopped bacon (not maple flavoured!) in a pan, and halfway through throw in a cup of sliced mushrooms (or a can – don’t sweat it).
Once pasta is cooked (and drained), sauerkraut/cabbage hot, and bacon/mushrooms sizzling, mix all together in a pot or bowl. Season GENEROUSLY with pepper and serve!
The Rev. Piotr is a minister at St. Paul’s United Church. When not engaged in pastoral ministry he likes to cook, walk and listen to Heavy Metal.
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