Polish recipes???

[gigglybug]

Please help!!!! My OH has just told me that a Polish friend of ours is coming for dinner tomorrow

Does anyone know any tried and tested Polish recipes? I know she's not to keen on English food.

Any help will be great!

Thanks

Amanda

[Annpan]

I would have thought that you would be safe with a stew and some fresh bread... especially in this weather

By the way... what is 'English food', I mean... I would expect toad-in-the-hole andbeef wellington are, but do you eat them all that often anyway?
I don't eat 'Scottish food' that much

[old tree man]

I always thought beef wellington was a posh name for a cornish pastie lol
Russ

[gigglybug]

English was her word not mine, no offence intended

Amanda

[hamster]

She probably meant she didn't want turkey twizzlers, a big mac or a greasy, additive-filled take-away then.

[Annpan]

I didn't mean to sound sharp.

I was just wondering what is considered 'English food' when someone says they don't like 'English food' what does that mean?

(I am not being sarcastic, flipant or condesending - I would be interested to know)

I'd still stick to stew, there is a version of it all over the world so I don't think you could call it 'English food' and if you used appropriate veg, meat,seasoning, you could pass it off as any nationality of cooking.

[Milims]

Just consulted my "Encyclopedia of World Cookery" book how about borshch?
1lb uncooked beetroot
crust of rye bread
2 pints water
Put beetroot in a casserole. Boil water then allow to cool. Pour over beetroot. Leave covered with cloth for 3-4 days (oops maybe not so good if they are coming tomorrow!) until the beetroot ferments slightly (Amount of fermentation can vary according to taste) Mix with stock. Serve hot or cold with sour cream. Actualy it's very nice - I've had it!

Baked Potateos
4 Med potatoes
4oz bread crumbs
4 oz butter
salt
Roll peeled potatoes in breadcrumbs mixed withsalt. Dot with butter and cook in the oven for 1 hour - turning occasionally

Cabbage
1 savoy cabbage
1 desert spoon sugar
salt
2 oz butter
4 oz bread crumbs
Shred cabbage. Cook quickly in boiling water with sugar for 10 mins. Strain and put into ovenproof dish. Cover with bread crumbs, dot with butter & cook in moderate oven fo 20 mins. (Cauliflower can be done the same way)

Roast Chicken
1 Chicken (no really!)
8 oz bread cumbs (again!)
4 oz butter
1 egg
parsley
salt
Make stuffing with bread crumbs, egg yolk, parsley and the stiffly beatten egg white, season with salt. Stuff chicken and sew up holes. Roast in a hot oven basting frequently for about an hour.

And for pudding.....
Vanilla Cream
1 pint cream
6 oz sugar
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
vanilla
cherries to decorate
(No bread crumbs!)
Beat eggs, egg yolks and sugar until soft and creamy. Add cream and vanilla and beat until frothy. Pour into a greasd dish and cook slowly until it sets.

[contadina]

Oooh, now I would take that as a bit of a challenge to cook some British food that they might enjoy. Our Italian neighbours are as equally dismissive of any non-Italian food, but I've several demanding shepherds pie and trifle when they come round for dinner now.

I also used to know a lovely old Polish fella who had spent most of his days in Scotland and he really loved stovies, platski (not sure of the spelling but its a Polish grated and fried potato pancake thing often covered in soured cream and mushrooms) and anything that included herrings, roll-mop or otherwise. I used to live in a part of London with a large Polish population and many of the local shops sold platski, herring, potato salad dishes that contained gherkins and pickled veg especially for the Polish community. Most of the food for sale in the Polish section was either covered in soured cream or included pickled veg.

[hamster]

I didn't mean to sound sharp.

I was just wondering what is considered 'English food' when someone says they don't like 'English food' what does that mean?

(I am not being sarcastic, flipant or condesending - I would be interested to know)

I'd still stick to stew, there is a version of it all over the world so I don't think you could call it 'English food' and if you used appropriate veg, meat,seasoning, you could pass it off as any nationality of cooking.

The short answer would be 'pub food'. I can give you a much longer answer if you'd like! (I can be a bit of a bore on this...)

[gigglybug]

Thank you all so much for your advice!!

I have ended up doing a bit of a feast , I've done a beef stew, lasagne, a big green salad, crusty bread and will soon have some on Milim's baked potatoes in the oven!!! I think that should have it covered!

Followed by apple crumble if anyone is still hungry

And my freezer will be well stocked with the left overs!

Cheers

Amanda

[ina]

Sounds you've got plenty to choose from! I think it's always a mistake to try and cook something from the visitor's country - it most likely turns out quite different from how they make it in their country, and they might not even recognise it as what it's supposed to be.

Anyway - I used to shock my friends in Germany by cooking food that they really liked, and then telling them it was British food.... Can't be - that was nice!

As long as you don't serve chips with your lasagne, you should be OK. I think that shocks every non-British European when they first see it...

[Millymollymandy]

So how did it go, Gigglybug?

[gigglybug]

It didn't!!!

She phoned 40minutes before she was due arrive and canceled, due to an unexpected visiter. I was a little miffed

Never mind, we still had a great evening, with much to much wine

Amanda

[wulf]

I love a cooking challenge but tend to be cautious about cooking food that other people might be used to from the country they grew up in unless I have that style well in hand. For example, I have now reached the point where I would shamelessly serve a Spaniard tapas but I would hesitate to out-Pole a Pole!

Wulf

[Millymollymandy]

That's a shame Gigglybug!