Aunt Hattie's Beet Soup in the Polish Style (Barszcz)

Aunt Hattie’s Beet Soup (Barszcz)

My sister, Felicia, an outstanding cook, was here for a few days so I suggested we make beet soup together using beets from my garden. The soup was delicious. You can make this soup with or without the beef stock. I like it with the meaty flavor. You can use either beef bones or some spare ribs. I used 3 beef short ribs. I also like to make the broth the day before, so that you can remove the fat the next day.

Beet soup in progress

INGREDIENTS

Beef Stock for Soup

3 short ribs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ onion cup up

1 carrot cut up

1 stalk of celery including the leaves, cut up

6 cups of water

INGREDIENTS FOR SOUP

4 medium beets, roasted, then quartered and sliced fairly thinly

3 medium potatoes, diced

2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS FOR BEEF STOCK

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Add short ribs and brown on all sides. Add onion, carrot, celery and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 90 minutes. Strain vegetables, reserving stock. Refrigerate overnight and skim off fat when ready to use.

DIRECTIONS FOR SOUP

Place beets in a pan lined with tinfoil and a half cup of water. Seal with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Test for doneness with a fork. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Remove peel. Quarter and thinly slice beets and set aside.

Boil potatoes until done. Sprinkle with dill and chive. Set aside.

Add lemon juice to soup. Reserve about 1 cup of soup.

Bring remaining soup to boil. Whisk together sour cream and flour with the reserved cup of cold soup. Add sour cream, flour, and soup mixture to soup pot. Whisk occasionally. Heat just till boiling. Add sliced beets. Add salt to taste and additional sugar to taste.

Serve with boiled potatoes.

Note: you can also reserve 4 tablespoons of sour cream and 4 sprigs of dill to put on top of the soup before serving.

Serves 4-6.

(Pictures, except for the picture of the finished soup, were taken by my sister Felicia, and are used with permission)

I love comments!! Please let me know what you think!--Adam

Zrazy Zawijane (Polish Beef Roll-Ups with Mushroom Filling)

Zrazy Zawijane (Polish Beef Roll-Ups with Mushroom Filling)

My Mom and Dad's wedding in 1949. Aunt Pauline, my Dad's sister and
my future Godmother is in the upper center of the door
at my grandmother's house on Florida St. in Detroit.

My Godmother, my Aunt Pauline, lived in a small white clapboard house on Stout Stout Street in Detroit, not far from the Awrey Bakery where she worked for several years. I would remember our visits to her house because she always had a stash of Superior Potato Chips that were made in Detroit and were absolutely delicious.

Aunt Pauline was a fabulous cook, and no matter that our visits were unannounced, she would always put a spread on the crowded table in her kitchen. I especially loved the Polish beef roll-ups that she made. I tried to duplicate her recipe, and I searched many websites on Polish cooking, but none were what I was imagining, and every one was different. The  recipe below comes close. Enjoy!

ZRAZY ZAWIJANE (POLISH BEEF ROLL-UPS WITH MUSHROOM FILLING)

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 and 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped

1 and 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup panko

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound top round steak, trimmed of fat & thinly sliced, about ¼” thick (About 10-12 slices) (I found pre-sliced New York loin steak in the meat department)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons flour

5-6 slices of bacon, halved

2 cups lower sodium beef stock

2⁄3 cup sour cream

Optional: 2 cups sliced mushrooms, sauteed in 1 tablespoon butter until softened.

 DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a heavy skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms,  onions, and celery until soft. Remove from heat. Stir in bread crumbs, dill pickle relish, and parsley and half of the salt and pepper.

Cut the steak into 8 rectangular pieces 3-4" wide by 6-8" long, sprinkle both sides evenly with remaining salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread a thin layer of the mustard on each slice of beef, place a piece of bacon lengthwise on the meat followed by 1 heaping tablespoon of the stuffing on the shorter end of each piece of steak. Roll the steaks, enclosing the stuffing, and tuck in the sides; secure each end with kitchen string or toothpicks.

Dredge the zrazy lightly in flour shaking off any excess.

In a heavy skillet, melt remaining butter with oil over high heat, and brown the rolls, turning them often so they evenly turn golden brown. As they brown transfer them to a casserole dish large enough to hold them all in a single layer.

Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the skillet and replace it with the beef stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom and sides of the pan). Pour the broth over the rolls and cover tightly. Braise in the oven until the meat is tender about 45 minutes.



Remove the zrazy from the casserole dish, remove string or toothpicks and cover to keep the rolls warm while you make the sauce. Skim off and discard as much of the fat as possible from the liquid remaining in the casserole dish. Return to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and mix in the sour cream. Stir in additional sliced mushrooms sauteed in butter. Season to taste and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Hawaiian Pineapple Coconut Cheesecake Bars

I was in the mood for making something new for our church coffee service on Sunday and these bars were a big hit. Sometime I want to try making these bars with fresh mango, substituting 8 ounces of mango for 8 ounces of pineapple. I just wasn't sure about doing it this time as some folks may be allergic to mango so I didn't want to risk it.

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture. I didn't realize they would be such a big hit. The next time I bake these bars I will add a pic. They were very festive!

Hawaiian Pineapple Coconut Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter at room temperature

Pineapple Cheesecake Filling

16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

16ounces crushed pineapple well drained

Coconut Topping

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Line a 9x13 with tinfoil allowing excess tinfoil to drape over pan lengthwise. Spray lightly with baking spray. This will allow you to remove the bars after baking for easier cutting.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt  and butter until well combined and crumbly. Press the mixture into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until starting to turn golden. Remove and let cool slightly while prepping the other layers.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add in the granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the drained pineapple. Spread over the baked crust.

Combine the coconut and the melted butter. Sprinkle over the pineapple layer filling and lightly tamp down.

Cover the pan with tinfoil.

Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and bake another 15-20 minutes until the coconut is well browned. Cool to room temperature

Refrigerate overnight. Remove from pan. Cut into bars and serve.

Doubletree Hotel Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I haven’t been to a DoubleTree Hotel in years, but I do remember that we used to go to lunch at one in Tucson, Arizona when I lived there in the 1980s. I also remember that they always had a platter of delicious chocolate chip cookies in the lobby and I would always swing by to get “one for the road” on the way out after lunch. I just happened to stumble on the recipe for those chocolate chip cookies, which is supposedly being released for the first time. My first thought was just to  pass it on by. Who needs another chocolate chip cookie recipe, I thought. But I tried it anyway and they are delicious! The secret, believe it or not, is a quarter teaspoon of lemon juice. The lemon juice supposedly keeps the cookies moist, while the edges crisp up. I don’t know the science behind it, but it sure  makes for a great cookie!

There is nothing better than the smell of chocolate chip cookies
fresh out of the oven!

DoubleTree Signature Cookie Recipe

Makes 26 cookies

½ pound unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ¼ cups flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch cinnamon

2 2/3 cups Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts 

Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. 

Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl. 

With mixer on low speed, add flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Don’t overmix. 

Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Portion dough with a scoop (about 3 tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. 

Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft. 

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about 1 hour.

Easter 2021 - Banoffee Pie

Polish and Ukrainian Easter eggs on display. The newest pysanki surround the hen. The hen, made of straw and feathers, is a treasured gift from my late cousin, Marie Wacht. Here is a link to the company that sells these beautiful eggs and more... https://www.bestpysanky.com/

I decided to make a different dessert for Easter and this English-inspired pie recipe jumped out at me. I found it on the New York Times recipe section and revised it to suit my taste. The Banoffee Pie has layers of dulce de leche, bananas, coffee-flavored whipped cream topped with mini milk chocolate chips in a graham-cracker crust. Dulce De Leche (sweetened carmelized canned milk) is common in Poland and is used for a Mazurek Pie often made for Easter. The Banoffee Pie was quite yummy and fits right in with Polish traditions!

A Banoffee Pie makes a statement at your dessert table!

Banoffee Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 9 whole graham crackers)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups (1 can) store-bought dulce de leche (about 20 ounces)

3 large bananas, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

2-3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)

Chocolate shavings

PREPARATION

YIELD One 9-inch pie

Step 1 - Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and salt. Stir until fully incorporated and sandy. (When you pinch a bit of it between your fingers, it should hold together.) Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Using your fingers or a flat-bottomed cup, press the mixture into the pie plate and up the sides. Make sure it is well packed. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool at room temperature.

Step 2 - Spoon the dulce de leche into the pie crust and spread into an even layer. Pile in banana slices into a relatively even layer (they should overlap). Transfer the pie to the refrigerator while you make the whipped cream.

Step 3 - Make the whipped cream: Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract and instant coffee, if using, on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the whipped cream on top of the bananas, making sure to spread the whipped cream to the edge, totally covering the bananas (this will help prevent them from browning). Chill the pie, uncovered, for 2 hours and up to overnight.

Step 4 - To serve, sprinkle the pie with chocolate shavings

I thought the pie would be too sweet because of the dulce de leche,
but the recipe works as written!

Note: I made this pie on Easter Sunday and served it that day. If I make this pie again, I would make it the day before serving so that the bananas would meld into the dulce de leche. It's the Tuesday morning after Easter, and as I write this I am eating a leftover piece of pie--so delicious.