Carrot, cabbage, and feta salad

Carrot, cabbage, and feta salad

This is a quick crunchy salad that is easy to whip up, looks very colourful, and tastes great.

2 large carrots finely sliced
about the same amount of finely sliced red cabbage
1/4 to 1/3 block of feta
2 tsps honey
1 orange

Mix the carrot and cabbage in a bowl, crumble the feta over.
Drizzle the honey and then squeeze out the juice of the orange over the salad. Toss till combined & serve. A great addition to bbq's!!

Kluski

Pumpkin kluski with red cabbage

Kluski is a kind of generic name for dumplings or thick noodles in Polish. There are different types of kluski, but the ones my babcia and mum used to make most of the time were made of mashed potato and were oh-so-good.  Especially in soups, or just simply fried in a little butter the next day...

Babcia'sKluski
Peel 5 medium potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Mash them with a small amount of milk. While they are still warm mix in 1 egg, and enough flour from a cup of plain flour so that the dough comes together and is malleable and not sticky. The quantities of the flour will depend on how much moisture is in the potatoes, and even on the humidity of the room. Add it slowly until it comes together. Roll out thick snakes of the dough, cut pieces off, and shape them so they have a little indentation. Ok, I have to admit - I never shape them because I am lazy! But Babcias were always perfect and beautiful!

Cook in large pot of boiling salted water without crowding the kluski. As they float up to the surface remove with a slotted spoon. Serve them with soups, stews, fried with cabbage - or bacon, which was my mums favourite.!

My Pumpkin kluski
My version of kluski uses mashed pumpkin instead of potato - you need to add more flour, and usually another egg to get a good non-sticky dough. It is always softer and more sticky than the potato kluski. Instructions for making it are the same as for the potato. These are a little sweeter because of the pumpkin, and I find they go really well with red cabbage as a wonderful autum dish - the flavours work well, and the dish is just beautiful to look at!

Almás lepény

Almás lepény

Almás lepény is a Hungarian apple cake/pie. It is full of appley goodness! The apples for this version came straight from my dad's apple tree - and you can't get fresher than that. I'm not sure what the variety of apple is, but they were pinky-red rather than scarlet, sweet, and slightly tart. Use any sort of apples you want, as long as they are full of flavour! The pie/cake is light and a little bit moist, and will last a day or two - though it is best straight from the oven.

I've been wondering if I can use the same recipe with different fruits, like pears for instance ... will have to give it a go sometime...

Ingredients
200g plain flour
200g butter
4 eggs seperated
75g brown sugar
60g white sugar
500g diced apples (ours came direct from Dad's tree!)
2 apples sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp baking powder

preheat oven to 200C or 400F

Method
Beat eggwhites and white sugar till stiff.

Mix melted butter, brown sugar, and egg yolks. Fold this into the eggwhites. Sift the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder in. Gently fold in the apples.

Pour into a pie dish. arrange apple slices on top. I then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, which is why it looks so brown in the pic - not overcooked I promise!

Bake for about 45mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

Serve hot or cold, with or without custard and/or cream.

Red Cabbage with Caraway

Cabbage with Caraway

I just love this - it is quick, easy, yummy, and good for you!! I usually have it with pumpkin kluski (a sort of gnocchi from Poland), and that combo is perfect for autumn - not only do you have the warm oranges and purples of autumn colours, but the flavours as well - and a good warming and filling dish.. It goes well with noodles or with meat. If you haven't had caraway try it - it is a lovely spice, no heat but with a lovely fragrant taste. :)



Ingredients
olive oil for frying
2 -3 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 small head of red cabbage sliced finely
2 onions sliced

Method
Heat oil over a medium heat, add caraway seeds and onion and cook till the onion is translucent.

Add cabbage and cook until the cabbage is soft but still firm. Serve!!

Variations
You can add a bit of butter for a bit more richness, or a splash of brandy for a bit of fruity sweetness - but the original is pretty good all by itself! Some people add a wee bit of sour cream right at the end, but I prefer it without myself :)