The Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota (PACIM) has just completed its 26th year. What first started out as a group of people wanting to keep alive their Polish heritage has grown to a non-profit organization of over 500 members, with events and classes all to preserve, promote and celebrate Polish heritage, Polish culture and Polish-American traditions here in Minnesota and beyond.
This morning Marta Pachnik told us about a number of upcoming events, and she showed how to make "Nalesniki".
February 18: Welcoming Reception for Consul General Zygmunt Matynia of the Polish Consulate in Chicago
February 20: Movie Night at the Library featuring the first two installments of the Dekalog (The Decalogue)
To find out more, visit www.pacim.org.
Nalesniki(Stuffed Crepes)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 slight heaped cup of sifted flour
1 cup water
Beat eggs, milk, and salt with a wire whisk until well blended and creamy. Gradually add flour a little at a time, beating constantly. Batter is sufficiently beaten when all lumps of flour have disappeared and air bubbles appear on the surface. Mix in water. Add only as much water as needed to get a thin batter that easily spreads along the bottom of skillet. Hint: Your naleśniki will fry better and easier to fold if you add 1-2 teaspoons of oil to batter.
Heat a 7-10 inch skillet until fairly hot and pour in a small amount of oil. Pour a little batter into the skillet, tilting it so batter covers entire surface. Fry until golden on bottom, then flip over and fry other side to same color. Place fried naleśniki on an inverted dinner plate. Oil the skillet before frying next naleśniki as above, and continue.
If you don't plan to use the naleśniki immediately, keep them stacked on the dinner plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
When ready to use, spread with filling of choice, roll up, and brown on both sides in butter until nicely golden brown. Another way is to place in a well-buttered baking dish in layers, drench with melted butter (or dot with cold) and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Placki Kartoflane Latwiejsze
(Potato Pancakes the Easy Way)
8 potatoes
1-2 eggs
1 quarted onion
1/2-1 tsp salt
Peel and dice about 8 potatoes.
In blender place 1-2 eggs, 1 quartered onion, ½-1 teaspoon salt and about 1 cup diced potatoes. Whirl until blended, before adding remaining potatoes 1 cup at a time.
Add 1 level tablespoon potato starch and 2 heaping tablespoons of flour and blend briefly to get a uniform batter. Spoon into hot lard or oil in a skillet.
Flatten each pancake gently with spatula as they should be on the thin side. Fry to a crisp golden brown on both sides and serve immediately.
Poles generally don't drain these on absorbent paper, but feel free to do so. Top with a little salt and sour cream or sugar and sour cream if desired.
