Cuisine Featured: Polish
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
3 T vegetable oil 8 c beef stock, fresh or canned
1 c finely chopped onions 1 medium-sized bay leaf
½ c finely chopped celery 3 whole cloves
1 small parsley root, peeled and 1½ tsp salt
cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces 6 whole peppercorns
1 carrot, scraped and cut crosswise 1 c sour cream
into 1-inch pieces 2 T flour
½ tsp thyme 1 c coarsely grated sour dill pickles
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Heat the oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. Stir in the
onions, celery, parsley root and carrot, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or
until the vegetables are lightly colored. Stir in the thyme and transfer the
vegetables to a 3- to 4-quart casserole. Pour 1 c of the beef stock into the
skillet and bring to a boil, meanwhile scraping in any browned bits that
may be clinging to the bottom of the pan. Pour the broth into the casserole,
and add the remaining 7 c of beef stock and the bay leaf, cloves, salt and
peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the
casserole and simmer for 45 minutes.Strain the contents of the casserole through a fine sieve set over a large bowl, and discard the vegetables and herbs. Wash the casserole and pour in the strained soup. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
Stir the sour cream and flour together in a small bowl and, with a fork or wire whisk, slowly beat in ½ c of the hot soup. Pour this mixture slowly into the soup, stirring constantly, and add the grated pickles and their juices. Taste for seasoning, and serve the soup directly from the casserole or from a large heated tureen. Serves 6 to 8.
