By Laura Stec
E-mail Laura Stec
About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en...
(More)About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and environment pioneer, macrobiotic, Master Cleanser, ayurvedic, and officially-designated health-nut or party-girl (depending on the year). Professionally, I've worn many industry hats including: line cook, corporate chef, Food Coach, caterer, product developer, restaurant reviewer, culinary school teacher, corporate wellness educator, food co-op clerk, author, and even Cirque-du-Soleil lead popcorn concessioner! For years I managed an outdoor kitchen, deep in the bear-infested woods of Tahoe, and also for hospitals (the most unhealthy kitchen I ever worked in?), Singapore high-rises, mule-pack trips, Canadian catholic rectories, and more events than I could ever recall. Yet I still keep discovering. Actually, I adapt everyday by new lessons learned from teachers, customers and students. However there is one food truth I now hold sacrosanct: Eaters are motivated by pleasure. So no matter what we discuss here - recipes or restaurants, food politics or pairings, local events, food as art, or even as God, I will always come from a high-vibe, party perspective. Oh I do still long to change the world with great tasting food, but know in my heart, "If it ain't fun, it don't get done!" So - wanna come to the Food Party? By the way - it's a potluck.
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We've been Food Partying! Jewish-style lately with our posts on latke-making. This week the Poles get a chance to show off how our holiday cooking is done. I recently landed back in Michigan, just in time to catch kluski class.
Kluski is a traditional Polish dish which uses the same dough as pierogis, but served as cubes, rather than Poland's version of stuffed "dumplings." My family serves both at Wigilia, the annual Christmas Eve, vegetarian meal. We've Food Partied! about the tradition a few years ago in
7 Spoons, 1 Bowl, A Polish Christmas Eve.
D wanted to learn how to make the doughy dolls and it was Mom to the rescue!
First mix yeast, salt & flour, and roll out like a pie crust.
Slice into strips, then cubes.
Transfer the dough into a pot of salted, boiling water and simmer at a low boil until they rise to the top, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a colander to drain excess liquid, then to a pan with melted butter and sauté till slightly browned.
Kluski are traditionally served warm, topped with cottage cheese.
Kluski
Mix 1/4 package dry yeast mixed with 3/4’s cup warm water. Add one beaten egg. Mix in 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour and a pinch of salt. Kneed dough till it’s elastic and light, a few minutes. Rest dough 1/2 hour. Roll out like a pie crust and follow directions above.
On another note, I'm headed overseas for the next few weeks for a family wedding and some Spanish Food Partying! We'll head out on the
Small Town-Hippy Surf Town tour after a week in Seville. If I can get access, plan is to report live on all the hot tapas spots around Andalusia / southern Spain. So stayed tuned, come on back and hasta pronto!
