Kasza And Her Daily Glory?

Reading all lovely comments from you Dear Readers I decided that some of Polish cusine is needed of course the way we eat in Poland nowadays isn’t much different from other European countries: we have Italian restaurants, French restaurants, sushi and chinese restaurants, fast foods and kebab bars. Of course we tend to cook internationally, as we are highly influenced by what we read and watch, still tough there are products which are only avaliable in Poland and nowhere else. So is kasza. Kasza can be translated into English as grits or millet or pearl barley. It used to be very popular in Poland before the arrival of potato (which was some time in XVIIth century) and is still nowadays. Grits is good for you, as it’s easy to digest plus it works for insides a little bit like a tiny broom, so it helps digestions in general. In Poland we have at least dozens of different kinds of grits, all to your liking. I prefer the pearl barley or millet, as my stomach seems not to agree with buckwheat grits, which my parents adore.

Grits is nuticious but low in calories and high in proteins. The avarage grits to water ration is 1:2 – so per one cup of grits one should take two cups of water, so easy peasy. As rice it has tendency to get bigger when it soaks the water, so make sure your pot is big enough for that bugger.

When I was thinking about grits I had to think about the history of Polish cusine. My country is located in a very interesting spot of central Europe. One one side we always had Russians, on the other Germans and Czech. Through Poland the armies and cultures seem to roll back and forth, we had Germans helping us build the cities, Italian Queen, French King, Swedish robbing the country naked, Tatars and Turks and all other goodies. This all had a huge influence on our food. Funnily enough Polish cusine isn’t the same in the whole country, but varies from region to region, and from family to family. My family comes originally from Eastern Border – from the town called Vilnus, which now belongs to Lituania, but used to be Polish. Simply because back in XIV/XVth century, when Teutonian Knights were pain in the neck Poland and Lituania signed the act of Union, and ever since we had one king. So food from my father’s family is closer to the Russian food, but still very Polish. Oh did I mention that I’veRussian surename? Here you go – father of my grandfather was Russian, but married a Polish Nobel woman and they lived happily ever after. Maybe that’s why everyone thinks I look exotic, as my face has certain eastern features – black almondy eyes. No I’m not an alien

This dish was inspired by chats I had with my dear friend who’s historian of polish cusine. She’s so amazingly talented and introduced me to the world of historical food and history of food. When I lived abroad she sent me a book on Old Polish Cusine which was highly inspiring for someone who felt derooted at times. It’s the simplest idea of grits with sauce, made on similar principle as risotto, but still different. Feel warned as it’s very meaty but we are carnivores, and since my Dad’s and mine blood groups are type O we eat lots of meat… otherwise we get anemic (and I’m not kidding you) Unfortunately it does take time to make, but it’s worthy I assure you, as everyone took seconds and thirds plus it’s really good for you…

Grits with Meaty Sauce Old Polish Way

(feeds 4-6)

1 cup of grits

2 cups of water

1 tb spoon butter

1 stock cube

250g smoked cooked ham diced

4 frankfurters sliced thinly

5 young stems celery sliced

250g frozen peas

1 red pepper diced

2 onions diced

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 tb sour

1/2 tb flour

4 tea spoons Ajvar

4 junipers

pepper

In the frying pan add olive oil, onion and garlic and give it a fry. Add ham and frankfurters and brown nicely. Then add 1/2 liter of water and simmer slowly for 20-25 minutes. Add celery and simmer for another 15. Add a bit more water and add diced pepper. Let simmer for 10-15 mins and add few junipers and  Ajvar . In the meantime in the bigger pot melt the butter, rinse the grits and give it a fry. Add water and broth cube and let simmer for about 20-30 mins with a lid on, until ready. In the bowl pour hot water over the peas and allow 3-5 mins for them to cook, rinse. In the mug mix sour cream and flour, add some of the broth from ham/veggie mix and stir until smooth, poor into the mix and stir until smooth and let simmer for 5 mins. Remove the grits from stove. Now add the sauce to the cooked grits, and give it a stir, add peas, stir and put the lid on and let mingle for 10 mins. Now it’s ready to serve Enjoy!