In honor of Pure Monday, here are some dishes I like:
biala kapusta postna (Lenten cabbage)
Shred a 2lb. head of cabbage. Scald with boiling water to cover and bring to boil. Drain. Add 1t sugar, 2T cooking oil (it's just olive oil you can't have, right?), and (optional) 1/2t caraway seeds; cook on low hear until tender. Adjust to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve with boiled potatoes and/or fish (are you allowed to have fish?)
kapusniak z grzybami postny (Lenten sauerkraut soup with mushrooms)
Soak 5-6 dried Polish mushrooms in 1c water several hours or overnight. Add mushrooms and their water to 5c water along with soup vegetables and spices for court bouillon (I'll include that after this) and cook until mushrooms are tender (30 min. or so- the exact time will depend on the age and dryness of the mushrooms). Remove mushrooms, dice, and return to pot. Drain, rinse well, drain, sqeeze dry, and chop 1/2qt (2c) sauerkraut, add to stock and cook about 60 min. or so longer. Toward end of cooking, brown 1 diced onion and add to soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and 1/2-1t Maggi extract. If it's outside of Lent, or for you Latin Rite-ers, cream soup with 1/2c sour cream fork-blended with 2T flour. Simmer several more minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes in jackets (kartofle w munderkach),I assume that means with skins? I've made this soup, but served it with baked potatoes instead.
Vegetable stock/court bouillon
Pour 8c cold water into a pot. Add 2-3 peeled, medium carrots, a slice of celeriac (or 2-3 stalks celery), 1 leek (or onion), 1 small parsnip, 6-8 peppercorms, 1-3 grains allspice, 1/2-1 bay leaf and 1T salt; cook until veggies are tender.
This one I've never actually made, but it sounds interesting.
buraczki postne z rodzynkami (Lenten beets with raisins)
Peel and grate your boiled or baked beets (2lbs.) Finely chop 1 onion and simmer in 2T oil or margarine until golden and tender. Soak 1/2c raisins in warm water 10 minutes, then drain. Add onions and raisins to beets, mix, cover, and simmer on low heat about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. For a sweeter taste add 1-2t sugar and 1-2T court bouillon if mixture appears too thick. Season to taste with salt and a little vinegar. From my cookbook: "A Polish cookbook published in the late 19th century recommends this dish as the perfect accompaniment for such fast-day dishes as fried fish or fried mushrooms."
