Ravioli with cheese and potatoes

Pierogi Ruskie – Ravioli with cheese and potatoes

Ingredients:

Dough:

-          0,5  kg  of plain white flour

-          1 egg yolk

-          1  flat tea spoon  of butter

-          230 ml  of lukewarm water

-          Salt, around 1 flat tsp.

Stuffing:

-          1 kg of white potatoes

-          0,5 kg of polish cottage cheese

-          2 medium onions

-          Salt, black pepper and red paprika for seasoning.

First let’s discuss the ingredients, one in particular, polish cottage cheese.

This cheese you can only buy in good continental shops, it is not generally available in UK supermarkets and the polish name for it is “Twarog”.  If you’re from Manchester there is a good supply of that cheese at the Arndale Centres food market.  You can buy it already blended or in a solid piece. The blended comes in 1kg tube and the solid piece version comes in around 250g packets.

If you manage to get it blended than you on a winner but otherwise you need to blend it in a food processor first.

Next you need to boil potatoes in salty water and mash them thoroughly, then add blended cheese (preferably whilst potato mash is still warm, it helps to mix the ingredients and create a smooth texture).Next, dice both onions and brown them with a little of olive oil. Mix all the ingredients together seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika, the mixture should not be bland.

Dough:

Mix flour, yolk, salt and butter and then gradually add water mixing all the ingredients into a fine, stretchy dough.  Next sprinkle a little flour onto a flat surface and roll the dough into a fine thin sheet. Next using a cookie cutter or simply a glass cut round shapes in the sheet of dough and fill each one with the stuffing folding in half and sticking the sides with your fingers. For extra seal press on the sides joined together with a fork. That also creates a nice decorative pattern. Next, boil salty water and place few ravioli in the pan. Boil until each of the ravioli comes up to the surface (usually around 1-2 mins). You can freeze the raw ravioli and cook from frozen later, cooking time will increase till about 3-5 minutes.  

And that’s it. As an addition, whilst serving you can sprinkle the ravioli with butter fried diced onion or fried lardoons (pancetta cubes).

As usual feel free to leave feedback.  

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Second in line

Hi guys,
I am just about to get ready for another recipe, this time different colour and completely different flavours.
I have decided to start off with soups as they are easiest to make. I will get more complicated later hahah....
Keep popping in and hopefully you will enjoy the food I am sharing with you. 

Recipe Number One ;) Gherkin Soup

Gherkin Soup - Zupa Ogorkowa and Potato Cakes - Placki Ziemniaczne

This is a perfect winter soup, it will warm you up on a cold winter day ;)
The recipe consist of a soup and small add on that makes it more homely.

Gherkin soup

-          - Pork Shank (medium size)

-          - 1 jar of gherkins (cucumbers in brine)

-          - 2 medium onions

-          - 4 small potatoes

-          - 1 medium leek

-          - 2 small parsnips

-          - 2 large carrots

-         -  Dill (small bunch)

-         -  Salt and black pepper for seasoning

-         -  Pork stock cube

-         -  Double cream (to whiten the soup)

Potato Cakes

-         -  8 medium potatoes

-         -  1 medium onion

-         -  1 large egg

-         -  Plain white flour

-         -  Olive oil

-         -  Salt and black pepper

Preparations:

Soup:

Place pork in a deep pan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat down and cook for about 40 minutes. While you’re cooking pork notice bits gathering on the surface, collect them with a table spoon or a small sieve.

Chop parsnip, carrots and leak into small cubes, potatoes can be diced a bit larger, put them with the pork. Next grate gherkins and leave them in a small dish for later.

After about 25 minutes check if potatoes are fairly soft, if so add gherkins and a stock cube. Next, dice both onions into small cubes and brown them on a frying pan with about two table spoons of olive oil, then add them to the soup and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Now try the soup and season to your own taste.

Final touch, add chopped dill and a splash of double cream to whiten the soup.

I usually add a bit of brine form the jar after I use all the gherkins to sour the soup a bit more.

Potato Cakes:

Grate all of the potatoes into a mixing bowl, do the same with the onion. Next, season with salt and leave for about 10 minutes.

-          I use quite sparse grater as I like bigger bits of potato, but it’s up to you if you want them more finely grated.

-          I would recommend start doing that as you cook soup to make sure they are ready when soup is cooked.

After around 10 minutes, potatoes should release water, use a table spoon to remove all water. You do that by pressing on potatoes and water will collect in the spoon. Make sure you count how many spoons of water you drained (this is very important). Next you need to add flour, remember the number of spoons of water removed? Add the same number of spoons of flour.

Next, add the whole egg season with salt and pepper and mix it all together.

Preheat the frying pan and add about three table spoons of olive oil, then place the potato mixture, one spoon the time, making sure you flatten the cake and brown on both sides. Usually it takes around 5 minutes each side but it may vary depending on the pan temperature. 

And that’s that…

Simples ;)

Hope you all enjoy….. 

First Ever

Finally, the firs ever blog....
I got this idea from TV funnily enough. This might be a good idea to share my culinary adventures with others. You may think, oh no not another one, but trust me, this one is different.
Living in Uk for some time now I've noticed that  not many places, if any whatsoever is serving or promoting polish cooking. It's a shame really as native Polish food is extraordinarily tasty and full of flavour. Most dishes are simple and quick to cook.
I have to warn you, if you're in to all the healthy rabbit food thingy than you might be a little disappointed. Although I will show how to make some tasty and simple salads and vegetarian dishes, most of the food stuffs in this blog is meat friendly and rich.
Hope you enjoy.
PS: Don't forget to leave comments ;)