A Brainy Gourmet Take on Pierogi...

 

 

The best Polish food is simple and filling...which means it can be no other than pieorgi... some with potato and cheese, or just cheese, or meat and even fruit. Yum!

Polish pierogi are a kind of filled dumpling. They are usually boiled in salted water. Some are fried, sauteed, baked or even deep fried. There exists tons of recipes both for the filling and for the dumpling dough. 

During decades of communist regime, Poles usually could only enjoy the more simple rural versions with basic toppings. Perhaps this is why nowadays a lot of eateries and homes are tempted to experiment with extravagant fillings and fancy toppings to turn this simple dish into a gourmet delicacy. 

Make no mistake! Ruskie pierogi arrived from a prewar region of Poland which is now part of the Ukraine. Indeed, before 1945 Ukrainians used to call this particular variety of pierogi ‘Polish pierogi’. It is likely that “pierogi ruskie” were created by Poles living in Ukraine at the time.

We like them boiled or boiled then fried in butter or in lard with bacon bits to crisp up the edges... a pinch of paprika adds extra zest. Always served with sour cream, what a brainy fast and frugal meal!

 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Quinoa, Chicken and Spinach for an incredibly Brainy dinner...

 

One skillet meals are simple and simply delicious. They cook up in one pan but taste like they were cooked up by chefs with nothing better to do than to make you smile...

Have you ever had quinoa in a skillet dish? Well, first of all... what is that? Quinoa comes to us from the Andes Mountains of South America, we would like to welcome quinoa to our healthy diets! Quinoa (keen-wah) is one of those pseudo-cereals that we let pretend to be a cereal grain because its nutritional makeup is so similar. 

Quinoa actually belongs to the same family as the sugar beet and spinach! This is referred to as the goosefoot family. Botanically, they’re very similar. So quinoa isn’t really a grain at all. It’s actually a seed.

For this dish you will need: chicken breasts (boneless/skinless) per guest. Quinoa, white onion, red pepper, minced garlic, chardonnay wine, chicken stock, kalamata olives, fresh young spinach, fresh thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper, paprika and either olive oil or coconut oil. 

Start by sauteing one whole chopped onion, one red pepper and minced garlic in olive oil or coconut oil. Once browned, add the chicken cut into strips and continue sauteing. Next add as many olives as you like, and seasonings (using as much as you like or following dietary needs) Then add 1/2 cup of wine, along with 1 and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Dump in 1 cup of quinoa and stir. Let this simmer until the quinoa has nearly absorbed all liquid. Before serving, chop as much young spinach as you like and mix in.

Serve with steamed sweat peas and or artichoke hearts on the side. Someone in our house likes this dish with hot sauce... why not? 

~ Tutti a Tavoli