Cook's Corner

Welcome to the Cook's Corner.

Announcing the details of the Chili cooking contest. Send your entries for the chili cooking contest to cookscorner@townweb.com. Entries are open until February 8. The winners will be announced at the end of February. I and the other members of the townweb team will be doing the judging. The winners will have the option of a free cooking class with me, a free web page or free advertising on the townweb. Your recipe will also be featured in an upcoming Cook's Corner, we can include your picture too.

In keeping with the this cold snowy weather, I am providing lots of warming recipes. These recipes are all Polish in origin. My grandmother and great-aunt have kindly shared with me some of the traditional recipes. They are delicous, filling and often low-fat too.

Look forward to more warming recipes - soups, stews, casseroles. More low-calorie recipes and we will explore vegetarian cooking too. We will also be featuring the food pyramid in an upcoming article.

Cook's Corner can also be accessed through the columns section of the Herndon/Reston web.

Please continue sending me your comments, inquiries and suggestions.

On to the recipes:

Eggplant Dip

Pierce the eggplant with a fork a few times. Place on a cookie tray and bake 45 minutes in a 375F oven or until a fork can easily be inserted. Allow the eggplant to cool. Peel and chop the eggplant. Chop the tomatoes. Combine the eggplant, tomatoes, onion and seasoning. You might like to add a dash of parsley and oregano. Serve the eggplant with brown bread or crackers.

This recipe is excellent served with cocktail breads as an appetizer. Deviled eggs, with ham and scallions in the filling and a dash of paprika, are another traditional Polish hors d'oeuvres.

Index of Recipes

Paprika Chicken

Remove the skin from the chicken. Coat each piece of chicken with flour. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes on each side in a large skillet. Remove the chicken. Saute the onions and spices with the juices from the chicken until the onions are soft. Add the chicken and broth. Cover and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken and add the sour cream and flour which have been mixed together. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 5 minutes. Do not boil or the sour cream may curdle. Return the chicken to the pan and heat for a couple minutes. This dish is excellent served on a bed of rice.

Index of Recipes

Bigos - Hunters' Stew

Cook the 4 slices of bacon in a skillet. Set the bacon aside to cool and drain. Saute the sauerkraut, mushrooms, onion and spices in the bacon fat. Add the kielbasa and the cubed beef which has been coated with flour. Brown the beef and sausage. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow the stew to simmer until the meat and cabbage become tender, at least 45 minutes. Bigos is better on the second day, once the flavors have had the chance to meld.

This soup is excellent served with a hearty sourdough or potato bread. A recipe for a potato bread follows.

Index of Recipes

Potato Bread

Scald the milk. Add the potatoes, sugar and butter to the scalded milk. Set it aside to cool. Once it has cooled add half the flour and the egg. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and combine it with the potato mixture. Cover with a damp cloth and set this mixture aside for 1 1/2 hours to rise. Add the rest of the flour. It should make a stiff dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set it in a warm place to rise until doubled. Punch down and shape into a round loaf. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise until doubled. Slice an X in the top of the loaf and sprinkle with flour. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

Index of Recipes

Red Cabbage Salad

Drop the shredded cabbage into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes in simmering water. Drain and allow the cabbage to cool. Combine the cabbage with the rest of the ingredients except the eggs. Garnish with egg wedges or apples. I like to sprinkle currants on the salad when I use apples as garnish.

This recipe is a delicious side dish. It can be served warm if desired.

Index of Recipes

Pierniczki - Honey Almond Cookies

Combine the honey and eggs until smooth. Add the sugar and flavoring to the honey and eggs. Mix the baking soda with the water. Add the flour, spices and baking soda and water to the egg mixture. Blend into a stiff dough. Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut with a round cutter. Press an almond into each cookie. Bake in a 350F oven for 12-15 minutes.

These delicious cookies are made without any added fat. Be sure to use a non-stick cookie sheet or grease the pan to make sure the cookies come off easily. These cookies will not become darker as they bake. Bake them until they are just set. If you bake them longer they can become too hard. They store well in a closed container. The honey helps to keep them fresh.

Thank you for stopping by the Cook's Corner. There will be new recipes and suggestions next week. Please send your favorite recipes, suggestions, comments and questions to cookscorner@townweb.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lisa Carlson has been a cooking instructor for over three years with the Fairfax County Adult Education program. She also teaches cooking and art classes for children and adults at the Herndon Community Center. She studied cooking during her junior year of college in Scotland, while she traveled throughout Europe, and during her year long tenure in Japan. She has appeared in 9 television programs on cooking, puppetry, and gift basket design on the Fairfax County public access channel.

Index of Recipes
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