So much begins with a meal...

How to make Polish Kotlet Schabowy (Pork Cutlet)

You will need:

• Good quality pork
• 1 egg
• Flour
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Margarine or lard

This dish extremely popular in Poland and very simple to prepare. It’s rather impossible to spoil it, provided that the  pork you get for it is OK. 

1. Get some good quality pork. Cut it in several pieces  (or simply buy it in pieces) and beat each one with a mallet so it’s more or less oval in shape. A single chop should not be too thin. You may cover the meat with foil to prevent its specks from flying around. 
   
   
2. Rub salt and pepper into each chop on both sides.
   
   
3. Dip the chops in flour, raw stirred egg and breadcrumbs. 
   
   
4. Heat up some oil on the pan (use margarine or lard) and place the chops in the pan. 
   
   
5. Fry until they become golden.

Serve the kotlets with potatoes and sauerkraut or mizeria (cucumber salad) or some other salad (a tomato one for instance). You may use either whole or grated potatoes. If you want to, spread some fresh dill (leaves) on the potatoes. 

Polish Kotlet Schabowy - served with potatoes and sour cucumbers

How to make Polish Potato Pancakes.

This is a very simple but very enjoyable dish. 

You will need:

• 4 lb. potatoes
• 1-2 oz. onion
• 1/2 glass milk
• 1 oz. flour
• 1-2 eggs
• Salt, pepper (optional)
• Vegetable oil

1. Grate peeled potatoes and onions and mix them together. 
   
   
2. Pour in boiling milk while stirring. Add eggs, flour and salt. Add pepper if you like. Mix it all up. 
   
   
3. Don’t wait too long with the rest of the preparation because the fresher the mixture the better the cakes. 
   
   
4. Heat the oil in a pan. Then put on the pan portions of the prepared mass. Each portion will become a separate pancake. It should not be too thick. The shape will be more or less oval. 
   
   
5. Fry the pancakes, flipping them every now and then until they get brownish and crispy on both sides. They should be served directly after being prepared when they’re still fresh and crunchy.

Polish Potato Pancakes - on the right - served with red pepper

How to make Polish Kotlet Mielony (a.k.a. Sznycel)

You will need:

• 0,4-0,5 kg (11 lb.) meat: pork, turkey, beef (in equal quantities)
• 1 stale bread roll (about 50-80g or 2-3 oz.)
• 1 glass milk
• 50 g (2 oz.) onion
• 1 egg
• salt, pepper, dill
• 1 garlic (optional)
• 20 g (0,7 oz.) breadcrumbs
• Oil (vegetable oil, lard or margarine)

It is possible to prepare a Kotlet Mielony from just one kind of meat, say pork. However for best results you should use different kinds of meat at the same time.

Mince the meat thoroughly, add finely grated onion. Soak the stale bread roll with milk and squeeze it. Add the bread and egg to the meat.  Add salt, pepper, dill and grated garlic.

Polish Kotlet Mielony (Sznycel) - on the right - with potatoes and vegetables

How to cook Polish Rosol (Polish Broth)

You will need:

• 0,5 kg (1,1 lb.) chicken meat
• 0,5 kg (1,1 lb.) beef
• Vegetables: carrot, celery, leek, parsley, onion
• Salt, pepper
• Dried mushrooms (optional)
• Noodles

Classic Polish Rosol