Recipes

Cook it at home

A few of the dishes I cook every week, written for a home kitchen. The quantities are for a family table, not a canteen.

All Polish kitchen English kitchen Baking

Overnight no-knead caraway seed bread

A classic caraway bread with a lovely aroma and flavour. The dough does its work in the fridge overnight. Caraway pairs particularly well with butter, cheese, soups and cold meats.

Makes 1 loaf

Time 20 minutes hands-on + overnight in the fridge

Difficulty Easy

Gluten Sesame (sesame version)

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Ingredients

500 g plain flour

400 g cold water

7 g instant yeast

10 g salt

20 g olive oil (optional, for a softer crumb)

10–15 g caraway seeds (2–3 tsp)

Method

1 Mix the flour, yeast, salt and caraway seeds.

2 Add the water and olive oil. Stir with a spoon until all the flour is hydrated.

3 Cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

4 Refrigerate overnight, for 12–24 hours.

5 Take out of the fridge and leave for 45–60 minutes.

6 Gently fold the dough a few times and shape into a loaf or round. Place on a tray or in a loaf tin.

7 Prove for 45–60 minutes. Sprinkle with extra caraway seeds if you like.

8 Bake at 220°C in a conventional oven for 35–40 minutes, or at 200°C in a combi/convection oven for 30–35 minutes.

Tips: for a stronger caraway flavour, lightly crush half the seeds before adding. Add 1 tbsp honey for a slightly sweeter loaf. Swap 50 g of the flour for rye flour for a more traditional Eastern European-style bread. Brush the top with water before baking and sprinkle with caraway and sesame seeds.

Caraway & sesame version (for 500 g flour): 10 g caraway seeds, 25 g sesame seeds, 20 g olive oil. It makes a particularly tasty loaf with a nutty crust and soft crumb.

Kamote cue, caramelised sweet potatoes

A Filipino street-stall snack. Sweet potatoes fried together with brown sugar, which coats them in a crunchy caramel shell. Served on skewers.

Makes 4 people (8 skewers)

Time 20 minutes

Difficulty Easy

No major allergens

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Ingredients

600 g sweet potatoes (yellow or white-fleshed are best)

120 g brown or muscovado sugar

500 ml vegetable oil for frying

pinch of salt (optional)

8 wooden skewers

Method

1 Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into thick 2 cm rounds or wedges. Pat them dry with kitchen paper, as wet pieces spit and caramelise poorly.

2 Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok to about 160–170°C (medium heat).

3 Add the sweet potatoes and fry for about 4 minutes, until the edges start to soften.

4 Scatter the brown sugar evenly over the sweet potatoes, straight into the oil. Don’t stir yet; wait about a minute for the sugar to start melting.

5 Gently turn the pieces for 5–6 minutes, until glossy with caramel and tender inside. Watch the heat, as caramel burns quickly.

6 Lift out with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with salt if you like. Thread 2–3 pieces onto each skewer and rest on a rack for 2–3 minutes so the caramel sets.

Best eaten warm, as the caramel hardens once cool. Oven version: toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tbsp oil and the sugar, roast at 200°C for about 30 minutes, turning halfway.

Homemade apple ketchup

A mild ketchup made with sweet apples and tomatoes, with no preservatives or thickeners. Thick, smooth and good with everything from chips to schnitzel.

Makes About 1.5 litres (5–6 jars)

Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Milk (if using butter)

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Ingredients

1 kg sweet apples, peeled and grated

1 kg ripe tomatoes or 720 g thick passata

1 large onion, finely chopped

1–2 tbsp oil or clarified butter

1½ tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp cinnamon

1 level tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp cider vinegar

Method

1 If you are using fresh tomatoes, score a cross in the skins, cover them with boiling water for 30 seconds, peel, remove the stalks and blend until smooth.

2 Heat the oil or butter in a wide, heavy-based pan. Fry the onion over a medium heat for 5–7 minutes until soft and see-through, but not brown.

3 Add the grated apples with their juice. Cover and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until they fall apart completely.

4 Pour in the passata or blended tomatoes. Add the paprika, cinnamon, salt, honey and vinegar.

5 Simmer uncovered over a low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring often from the bottom, as the thick sauce likes to catch and spit. Cook it longer for a thicker ketchup.

6 Blend everything with a stick blender until silky smooth. Taste and adjust with salt, honey or vinegar.

7 Spoon the hot ketchup into sterilised jars, leaving about 1 cm at the top. Wipe the rims and screw the lids on tightly.

8 Stand the jars on a tea towel in a large pan, add warm water to three quarters of their height and pasteurise for 15 minutes from when the water boils. Lift out and leave to cool.

Keep sealed jars somewhere cool and dark. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within 2 weeks. If a lid has not popped down after cooling, put that jar straight in the fridge. For babies under one, use sugar instead of honey.

Garlic and cheese baguettes

Soft yeast baguettes with garlic butter and cheese baked inside. I freeze the butter in thin logs, so it melts slowly in the oven and stays in the bread.

Makes 6 baguettes

Time 2.5 hours with proving

Difficulty Medium

Gluten Egg Milk

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Ingredients

500 g strong white flour

7 g fast-action dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

1½ tsp salt

300 ml warm water

2 tbsp olive oil

For the garlic butter: 150 g soft butter, 4 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp chopped parsley and chives, a pinch of salt

200 g grated cheddar or gouda

1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Method

1 Beat the butter with the crushed garlic, herbs and salt. On cling film, shape it into 6 thin logs about 12 cm long and freeze for at least 1 hour.

2 Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warm water and oil and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3 Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

4 Divide the dough into 6 pieces, roll them into balls and leave them under a tea towel for 10 minutes.

5 Roll each ball into an oval about 18 by 12 cm. Scatter a portion of cheese down the middle and lay a frozen butter log on top.

6 Fold the long sides into the middle, pinch the seam firmly and seal the ends. Put the baguettes seam side down on a lined tray and leave for 30 minutes.

7 Heat the oven to 200°C. Brush the baguettes with the beaten egg, but do not slash the tops. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden.

Wait 5 minutes before serving, because the butter inside is very hot. Baked baguettes freeze well. Reheat them from frozen at 180°C for 10 minutes.

Scotch eggs

A boiled egg wrapped in seasoned sausage meat, coated in crumbs and fried until golden. A picnic classic and a favourite on the buffets I make.

Makes 6 eggs

Time 1 hour

Difficulty Medium

Gluten Egg Mustard

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Ingredients

7 eggs

500 g good sausage meat

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage or parsley

1 tsp English mustard

50 g plain flour

100 g panko breadcrumbs

Black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Method

1 Lower 6 of the eggs into boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Move them straight into iced water, leave to cool, then peel.

2 Mix the sausage meat with the herbs, mustard and a pinch of pepper. Divide it into 6 equal portions.

3 Flatten each portion on a piece of cling film, put an egg in the middle and wrap the meat around it, sealing it well.

4 Beat the last egg. Roll each scotch egg in flour, then in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumbs.

5 Heat the oil to 170°C and fry the eggs in batches for 7 to 8 minutes, turning them, until deep golden.

6 Drain on kitchen paper. The meat must be fully cooked, reaching 75°C in the centre.

For a buffet, make them a day ahead and serve them cold with piccalilli or mustard.

Blueberry buns with crumble

Soft yeast buns with blueberries and a butter crumble on top. In Poland they are a summer classic, and I bake them for morning meetings.

Makes 12 buns

Time 3 hours with proving

Difficulty Medium

Gluten Egg Milk

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Ingredients

500 g strong white flour

7 g fast-action dried yeast

80 g caster sugar

250 ml warm milk

2 eggs

80 g butter, melted

A pinch of salt

300 g blueberries

1 tbsp potato starch or cornflour

For the crumble: 60 g plain flour, 40 g cold butter, 40 g sugar

1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp milk, to glaze

Method

1 Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warm milk, eggs and melted butter and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

2 Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

3 Rub the crumble ingredients together with your fingertips until they look like coarse sand. Keep it in the fridge.

4 Divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll them into balls and flatten them on lined trays. Press a deep well into the middle of each one.

5 Toss the blueberries with the starch and spoon them into the wells. Brush the edges with the glaze and scatter over the crumble.

6 Leave to rise for 30 minutes, then bake at 180°C for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden.

The buns are best on the day they are baked. Keep leftovers in a tin and warm them in the oven for a few minutes.

Stuffed peppers in tomato sauce

Peppers filled with meat and rice and baked in tomato sauce. One of the most popular dishes on my hot counter.

Makes 6 people

Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Celery

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Ingredients

6 peppers in mixed colours

400 g minced beef or pork

150 g cooked rice

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp sweet paprika

A handful of parsley, chopped

Salt and black pepper

500 g passata

200 ml stock

1 tsp sugar

Method

1 Heat the oven to 190°C. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. Keep the tops.

2 Fry the onion in the oil until soft, add the garlic for one minute, then let it cool a little.

3 Mix the meat, rice, onion, garlic, paprika and half the parsley. Season with 1 tsp salt and some pepper.

4 Fill the peppers without pressing too hard and stand them in a deep baking dish. Put the tops back on.

5 Mix the passata, stock and sugar, season, and pour it around the peppers.

6 Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, spoon the sauce over the peppers and bake for 15 minutes more, until the meat is cooked through.

7 Scatter over the rest of the parsley and serve with bread or potatoes.

For a vegetarian version, swap the meat for chopped fried mushrooms and a little more rice.

Gołąbki in tomato sauce

Cabbage leaves wrapped around pork and rice, simmered slowly and served with tomato sauce. I top mine with grated carrot.

Makes 6 people

Time 2 hours

Difficulty Medium

Celery Egg Milk

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Ingredients

1 white cabbage, about 1.5 kg

500 g minced pork

100 g white rice

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 egg

1 tsp dried marjoram

Salt and black pepper

500 ml stock

500 g passata

2 tbsp soured cream

1 carrot, grated, to serve

Method

1 Cook the rice in salted water for 8 minutes so it is only half done. Drain and leave to cool.

2 Cut the core out of the cabbage. Put the whole head into a large pot of boiling water and peel off the leaves as they soften. Shave down the thick rib on each leaf with a knife.

3 Fry the onion in the butter until soft. Mix it with the pork, rice, egg, marjoram, 1 tsp salt and plenty of pepper.

4 Put 2 tablespoons of filling at the base of each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up tightly.

5 Line a heavy pot with the torn outer leaves. Pack the rolls in tightly, seam side down, and pour over the stock.

6 Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour, or bake at 180°C for 1 hour 15 minutes.

7 Warm the passata with a splash of the cooking liquid, season it, and stir in the soured cream off the heat. Serve the gołąbki with the sauce and the grated carrot on top.

Gołąbki taste even better the next day. Reheat them in the sauce, covered, over a low heat.

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