Polish Dinner - #2 of 12 Cultural Dinners

We had planned to have a Polish dinner in February, but the month got away from us, so we had our Polish dinner tonight.  I decided to keep it simple and we enjoyed kielbasa and saurekraut.

Bo made pierogies from scratch, using dairy free recipes. The dough was simply flour, water and egg.  The filling was also simple -- boiled russet potatoes and sauteed onions mashed together with salt and pepper.  We had never made them before, and while the recipe was simple, the execution was time-consuming.  The results were declared delicious, however!  After running the dough through a pasta maker, he cut the dough into circles and filled with the potatoes. The pierogies were crimped and then boiled.  Bo finished them with a quick saute in the fry pan.  Lydia had a good time sitting on the island and eating huge spoonfuls of the filling.

I searched for a Polish dessert and found that prunes are very popular.  I came across a recipe for Plesniak, or moldy cake, and after reviewing the recipe decided it would be our dessert.  The name "moldy cake" made me laugh.  The cake was a hit, and my siblings happily took home extra cake.  I made the cake with cherry filling.  The dough was more like a cookie dough vs. a cake batter, and the meringue was a unique touch that was interesting, and good.  It's a cake I will definitely make again in the future!

Russia is next on the list, and I've already been told not to bother serving borscht. I'm not sure what we'll serve, but I'll let you know as soon as we serve the meal!