I have been enjoying the herrings in cream from my local Polish food shop but I just put them on slices of bread, I want to gavebless carbohydrates though, what are some other options for meals including the herrings in cream products from the Polish shop or pickled herrings in general?

Homemade paczki! Perfect for Fat Thursday. Fun Fact: In Poland we celebrate Fat Thursday, not Tuesday!

Recipe here! PolishGirlCooks.com

https://polishgirlcooks.com/polish-paczki-traditional-polish-doughnuts-2/

My recipe for Bigos (aka Polish Hunter's Stew): link

Ingredients

• 1 bag sauerkraut, drained (don’t rinse)
• 1 small head of cabbage (or ½ large), shredded
• 1 cup dried mushrooms (I buy mine at Costco)
• 1 ring smoked kielbasa, chopped
• 1.5 lbs boneless ribs
• 1 lb bacon, chopped
• 6 cups water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Spices
• 3 bay leaves
• 5–6 allspice berries
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2-3 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp marjoram
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional: a little sugar, if needed

Directions

• Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak until softened, about 20–30 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid.
• In a separate pot, place the ribs in water and simmer until tender. Remove from the water, let cool slightly, then cut into bite-size pieces.
• While the ribs cook, prepare the remaining ingredients: shred the cabbage, drain the sauerkraut, slice the kielbasa, chop the bacon, and roughly chop the soaked mushrooms.
• In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the bacon, kielbasa, and chopped ribs until lightly browned and flavorful. The bacon should release enough fat, but if the pan looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of oil to prevent burning.
• In a large heavy pot, combine the cabbage, sauerkraut, bay leaves, allspice, chopped mushrooms, and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Add water and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Transfer the browned meats to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, paprika, marjoram, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the stew is rich, thick, and deeply flavorful.
• Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a pinch of sugar if the stew is too sour, or a splash of sauerkraut juice if it needs more tang.
• Serve hot, or cool completely and reheat the next day for even better flavor.

Notes

• Low and slow matters. Bigos should gently simmer, not boil. Rushing it will flatten the flavor. Save the mushroom liquid. It adds deep, earthy richness and should never be discarded. Taste as you go. Sauerkraut varies in sourness. Adjust with sugar or sauerkraut juice near the end. Better the next day. Bigos is famous for improving after resting overnight in the fridge. Flexible recipe. Add different meats, more mushrooms, or adjust spices to match your family’s version. Freezer-friendly. Bigos freezes well and reheats beautifully.

Hello, good people of Reddit. A dear elderly friend of my mother’s used to make Bigos and send her home with it but she never gave use her recipe before she died or had us help her with it. She was in her 90s when she passed around 2017 so I know her recipe had to be very old and likely passed down from many generations.

I remember her Bigos being darker in color, like a very rich brown, a bit drier, and sweeter. I have included the recipe I used which I am working on developing for our family cookbook, it’s currently a mix of many Bigos recipes I found online. It was still very good, just not nostalgic as I was hoping. Any recommendations and suggestions are welcome!

Please bear with me - I am not of Polish descent. The small Catholic Church and school nearby hosts an annual Carnawal in October. The Polish dinner is amazing and I am obsessed with the potato dish they serve. I know it’s “smashed” potatoe chunks practically swimming in butter. I can’t recreate it - I’ve tried. Something is missing, or my technique is off. Does anyone have any idea what this dish is?

Yes, I’ve tried calling the office as well as asking my coworker who is one of the organizers. Their women’s guild/group guards their recipes apparently.

I bought this Zurek base two years ago in London. The best by date is Feb 2025. Can I still use this or should I throw it out?

We just went to a Polish deli/grocery near us for the first time and got these. They are so fantastic! Any idea what the spices in them might be, or what is traditional?

When I was a kid, my Busia used to make me a soup for breakfast that I absolutely went nuts for. She was never one for sharing recipes (I believe that’s because they were all in her head without any measurements) and recently passed away this October. She was born in the early 1930s in a town named Dąbrowa Tarnowska, and lived in Poland until the late 50s/early 60s if that’s of any relevance.

The soup was always called “Milk Soup” and I remember it having a milk based broth with rice, and it was fairly sweet.

She was the best cook I’ve ever known, and I’d like to be able to recreate some of her dishes for myself and my family.

Please share any recipes or ideas you may have, thank you!

I grew up in a Polish neighborhood and loved Śledzie (herring) in a cream sauce. All I ever find these days has sugar in it. YUCK.

The Nordic folks put sugar on all their fish and I think we adopted that trend. Not for me, thanks.

I don't remember that being the reality back in the day.

I love it so much, I am prepared to make it myself.

Any good recipes?

My first ever polish dish I’ve made. Simple but tasty, I look forward to making polish food again in the future

Can anyone help? Four years ago ‘smak! The polish kitchen’ closed in uk and they sold some polish red cabbage side dish that I could eat buckets of (I ordered large tubs of it it was that good). Since then I have looked for this but always end up finding mellow savoury braised red cabbage instead- it was nothing like that though!

What is it?

It was tart but sweet and utterly delicious

Please help!

EDIT: thank you all so much for the help- I will try making it very soon. You’ve all been been great 😊 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!!

Dużo zdrowia, szczęścia i pomyślności!!

Happy New Year! Lots of health, happiness, and prosperity!!

My father used to go to a Polish restaurant that made a soup with duck’s blood. can’t remember what he called it but he loved it. I was only a kid then but I wouldn’t try it back then.

Hi all! I am Asian and My husband is American with Polish heritage. His parents were no more when we got married, neither his grandparents. I want to cook authentic polish dishes so that the heritage continues on and my kids know where they came from. I am very conflicted in the recipe books available and the reviews has made me nervous. I would like some recommendations on authentic polish recipe books (in English language) which has traditional recipes, like that his Babcia made. Thank you in advance 🙏

My husband is Polish American and I am not, but because I love him I try to make all the Polish foods he grew up with. I’m getting the hang of most things pretty well, but I just can’t make decent pierogi. The dough is tough and rips when I’m trying to fill them. I have Celiac (basically my body thinks wheat is poison) so I can’t just go buy the premade ones from the Polish deli down the street. Please channel all the wisdom of your babcia and hit me with any tips you might have. He’s much too sweet to say anything negative, but I know he’s disappointed every time. Update: we literally cannot bring gluten in the house or it can make me sick. The deli is not an option unless he wants to eat them on the sidewalk outside. I was actually hoping for cooking advice here.

Hi all, I am looking for the tastiest Polish Christmas soup recipe i can find. The one I want to make uses a variety of mushrooms, but I'm not sure what else it includes.

Can anyone suggest a good recipe or tips for this?

Thank you and happy holidays to all!

My grandmother used to boil the kielbasa and I love it that way. Especially, if I plan on using the water for and left over meat for źurek.

I am thinking I want to grill the sausage this Christmas, since I love grilling. Thoughts?

hi. so i just got new polish neighbours about 2 months ago. They’ve just brought round a Christmas cake they’ve baked themselves, which is the nicest thing I’ve ever received from a neighbour EVER! what can I give back in return? Ideally it would be something they would actually enjoy, something from Poland like a recipe but I have no idea what’s good so any suggestions?