[Molly] A long time ago, my ancestors lived in Poland.
So, I'm connecting with my culture through food.
Ah!
I guess I am a borscht person.
There'll be plenty of bacony pan-fried cheese pierogi...
Oh! Look at that color!
...my creamy and comforting white borscht soup,
with salty sauerkraut pancakes on the side,
and for dessert, kolache cookies.
It's tasty being Polish.
Oh, yum!
[in sing-song voice] Yay!
[in normal voice] Hey! This is me, Molly Yeh.
This is my husband, Nick.
This is our growing family.
And this is our home, our farm on the North Dakota-Minnesota border.
The place where I eat, sleep, and breathe food.
To connect with my Polish ancestry,
I'm making a feast with a bunch of Polish-inspired cookies.
I am so excited to connect with my food roots.
And by that, I mean eat.
For dessert, I am baking up some kolache cookies,
which are sweet and buttery, and I'm filling them with cherry jam.
To get going on the dough, I'll first combine two cups of all-purpose flour,
and one cup of powdered sugar,
and a teaspoon of kosher salt.
I'll whisk this to combine.
So, growing up, I always just thought
I'm half Hungarian on my mom's side, half Chinese on my dad's side,
easy as that, split down the middle.
But then, a few years ago at Thanksgiving,
I heard some of my Hungarian family talking about how
at one point our ancestors lived in Poland, and I was like,
"Whoa, that is the most delicious plot twist,"
because I've always loved Polish food,
and this just gives me more reason to love it.
Okay, dry ingredients are combined,
next are my wet ingredients.
A block of cream cheese,
and that is what makes this cookie dough special, in my opinion.
It also makes it similar to the rugelach dough I make.
They both have that delicious tang from the cream cheese.
And one cup of softened, unsalted butter.
I'll zest in half a lemon.
The lemon with the cream cheese together is so good.
Also kind of reminds me of the hamantaschen dough that I make every year.
Hamantaschen, rugelach, kolache cookies,
they come from the same region, so they're closely related.
And a splash of vanilla.
And I'll beat this until it's creamy and combined.
[whirring]
While this is mixing up, I'll separate out an egg.
I'll use an egg white in the dough
and then save the egg yolk as an egg wash later on.
And then gradually add my dry ingredients.
I'll reduce the mixer to low so they don't go flying everywhere.
So, kolaches are originally a yeasted cake,
so they're puffier and fluffier. And they're filled with fruit.
But over time, this cookie version emerged.
And I really love them.
Especially the next day,
when the fruit absorbs into the cookie, and they get a little soft.
-[mixer winds down] -Okay.
That's combined. I'll grab some plastic wrap.
I'll divide it in half and wrap it up,
patting it into a square.
I'll wrap up the other half of the dough now,
and then stick 'em in the refrigerator,
for an hour to firm up, and then I'll roll 'em out.
My dough is firm, it's ready to roll out.
My counter is dusted with some flour so it doesn't stick.
I love forming cookies.
Cut-out cookies, any sort of cookies.
I'll dust with a little more flour.
I'll roll this out, until it's an eighth of an inch thick.
So, it's pretty thin, but the dough will be eventually
getting folded up onto itself.
I like how dainty these cookies are.
I'm rotating the dough as I roll it out,
to ensure that I'm rolling it out evenly.
I wanna try to maintain its square-rectangle shape,
because ultimately when I cut these out,
I'll just cut them out into squares.
There are a few different shapes that kolache cookies come in.
But the ones that I'm making look like bow ties.
They're really pretty and you can see the jam poking out.
To cut out squares, you could use a square cookie cutter,
you could use just a knife.
You know me. I'll take any excuse to use my accordion cutter.
Just like the accordions in the polka bands in Poland.
I'll divide this now into three inch squares.
And then the other way.
[chuckles] Now I can breathe.
Look at all these perfect squares.
I've got a baking sheet that's lined with parchment
and dusted with a little flour.
I'll dollop out a teaspoon of jam to the center.
You can use any kind of jam.
I'm using cherry jam today.
Anytime jam is in a cookie when it bakes up, it gets
kind of chewy and gummy, almost like candy. So good.
I'll fold one corner up over the jam,
dot it with a bit of egg wash.
This is the yolk left over from making the dough,
beaten with a splash of water.
This'll be the glue to hold these cookies together.
And then I'll fold the opposite corner up, and give it a press.
Like a little bow tie.
So, I'll repeat this pattern with the rest of the cookies,
and then I'll bake at 375 degrees for about 13 minutes,
until they're puffed and lightly golden.
I think I'm smelling that cherry jam.
[in sing-song voice] Yay!
[in normal voice] They baked up so nice, they held their shape.
And I love how some of the corners got a little darker.
They'll be kind of crispy that way. Okay, I'll plate them up.
And dust with powdered sugar.
This is so satisfying. Ta-da!
Just make it snow.
These are so pretty.
I think I want this one. Has a lot of jam in it.
Mmm. Mmm.
They're soft, they're buttery,
that tang from the cream cheese is delightful.
It's tasty being Polish.
Coming up, the secret to making perfect pierogi.
[sizzling]
What kind of Polish feast would it be,
if I didn't make pierogi?
I'm making my cheese-filled pierogi, which are chewy dumplings
filled with fluffy ricotta, salty bacon,
sweet cooked onion, what's not to love?
I'm starting by crisping up my bacon.
I'm rendering the fat, so that I can use it to cook the onions,
and then later on, I'll finish up the pierogi
by crisping them in some bacon fat, too.
I have always loved pierogi.
I grew up in Chicago, where there's a huge Polish population.
So, I would eat pierogi at food festivals,
we'd see them frozen at the grocery store.
And my mom would get them a lot, so we would have them for a weeknight meal.
Learning that I was a little Polish made a lot of sense,
because I'm partially made of pierogi. [chuckles]
Okay, I'll get my bacon out of the pan.
Ensure it's spread to a wire rack so that it stays crispy.
I'll set this aside, and then drain off most of my fat,
leaving some of it in the skillet to help cook the onion.
Pour into a heat safe vessel, obviously.
I've got one large white onion that I'll finely chop.
This'll add some really lovely sweetness,
both to the filling and to the pierogi at the end,
'cause when I crisp them up I'll top them with some of this onion as well.
I've never been to Poland. The closest I've gotten was Hungary.
I recently learned that there's actually
an official Polish-Hungarian day of friendship,
that is celebrated in Poland and Hungary.
It makes sense.
I'll toss this onion into the skillet.
I'll stir these around and let them cook over medium high
for a good 10 to 12 minutes,
so that they can get brown and softened and extra sweet.
While my onion finishes up cooking,
I'll get going on the rest of my filling.
I've got some ricotta cheese here,
which will be fluffy and creamy and hold everything together.
I'll add one cup of it.
And then I've got a baked potato.
It's been going at 350 for an hour, and then it's cooled slightly.
And I'm not even gonna peel it. I love the peel.
Gets extra fiber.
So, I'll just coarsely chop it,
to break up any big pieces of peel and make it easier to mash.
Potato pierogi are the ultimate carb on carb action. [chuckles]
And then throw cheese into the mix and... Heck, yeah.
And I'm hashing this to taste. Okay.
Lots of chopped chives for freshness. And it looks so pretty.
Like little confetti.
I'll chop and add most of my bacon.
I'll reserve some of it for sprinkling on the pierogi at the end.
This filling is basically the ultimate baked potato
with all of its toppings mushed right up.
I'll add a bit more salt, and this is just to taste.
And some black pepper.
Onion is brown, it's smelling sweet.
I'll add half of it to the filling,
and then reserve the other half for when I saute the pierogi.
I could eat this filling alone and be satisfied.
Mmm.
I'm getting excited.
Let me get my dumpling dough.
What I love about pierogi dough is that it's soft,
and chewy, and enriched. It's also really easy to make.
Just whisk together flour and salt,
then make a well, and pour in a combination
of warm water, Greek yoghurt, and an egg.
Mix that until you get a shaggy dough.
Knead until it's soft and slightly sticky.
And let it rest in the fridge for one hour.
Now it's time to roll and stuff.
I'll dust my counter with a little flour.
And roll this out until it's an eighth of an inch thick.
The process of making pierogi isn't too far off
from the process of making a potsticker,
which I grew up making all the time.
But what's different about the dough is that added egg and the dairy.
So, the dough is softer and richer, and really, really good.
Okay.
And I will cut out my circles using a three inch cookie cutter.
Fill it with a heaping tablespoon of my filling.
And then fold these into a half moon shape,
pinching the edges to seal.
I'm gonna pinch them really well, to lock in all this filling.
I'll curl the edges over onto themselves
and give 'em a good pinch, just like that.
Like a little smile.
I'll place this on a baking sheet
that I've dusted with some flour,
and keep on shaping.
I'm ready to cook.
I've got some boiling salted water here.
I'll cook these in batches,
and boil them for a few minutes until they float to the top.
I know a three-year-old dumpling fiend who is going to love these too.
While they cook, I'll get my reserved bacon fat heating in my skillet.
Okay, we've got some floaters.
I'll get them out of the boiling water,
and shake off as much excess water as I can.
I don't want too much water hitting the hot pan with the bacon fat
and making them too spitty.
That sizzling is what I wanna hear.
I'll allow these to cook undisturbed over a medium high heat
for a few minutes per side, so that they can develop that crisp texture.
And you could definitely prep a huge batch of these
and keep them in the freezer.
And they could boil from frozen, just add on another few minutes.
Oh! Look at that color!
That's exactly what I'm looking for.
I'll flip these over and get them that color on the other side, too.
All right. I'll add some of my reserved onion,
and crumble in some of my reserved bacon,
to get a double dose of bacon and onion,
both in the filling and outside.
I love serving it like this because you have more texture more flavor that way.
What is more delicious than a pile of pierogi?
I'll dollop on some sour cream
for necessary cooling creaminess.
And sprinkle with chives.
Oh, yeah, it's happening. And black pepper.
Oh, heck, yeah.
That is the most wondrous combination.
They're crispy, they're chewy, they're cheesy and salty.
[sighs]
That is a pile of plump perfection, right there.
I'm gonna have another bite,
and then I'm gonna fry up the rest of these.
Next, a stunning soup that combines all the best parts of Polish cuisine.
[hens clucking]
[sizzling]
For a soup that'll warm
both your belly and your soul,
I am making white borscht.
It's velvety smooth and jam packed
with creamy potatoes and smoky kielbasa.
And it's really easy to make, it's a one-pot wonder.
I used to think I wasn't a borscht person, because I don't like beets.
But then, in my Polish food research,
I discovered that there is a white borscht that is potato based.
I was like... Ah!
I guess I am a borscht person.
This is the borscht for me. No beets, just potatoes. And other tasty things.
To start, I've got an onion, some leeks, parsnips and celery,
softening in some butter with salt and pepper.
And these are just coarsely chopped.
Eventually this soup gets pureed,
so don't worry about bringing your best knife skills to this one. [chuckles]
Okay, my veggies are soft.
I'll toss in some garlic.
Let it cook just for a minute.
So, white borscht is popular in both Ukraine and Poland,
and it's traditionally eaten as an Easter soup.
Leeks always remind me of Easter,
so the leeks in here give me those spring vibes.
Okay, I'm smelling that garlic.
I can pile in a pound of Yukon gold potatoes.
These are so creamy and buttery.
I'll toss in a bay leaf, to infuse the soup with herbaciousness,
and then bring it together with six cups of low sodium chicken stock.
And now, I'll also plop in an entire, whole kielbasa here,
one of my favorite Polish foods.
It's a smoky pork sausage.
I'll stir it around and bring it to a boil, and then, as it simmers,
the kielbasa will infuse the soup with its smokiness,
and the soup will heat up the kielbasa. So it's a win-win.
This has come to a boil. I'll reduce it to a simmer,
and let it cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
I'm smelling that smokiness and the potatoes are soft.
I'm ready to blend this up, but first, I'll take out the bay leaf.
I'll also get the kielbasa out.
It's plumped up and it's hot and steamy.
I'll let this cool before I slice it up and add it back into the soup.
Now, one of my favorite things about this soup
is that sourdough bread is added.
It helps thicken up the soup, and it also adds
that great sour flavor.
And a quarter cup of pickle brine
will contribute acidity and brightness.
Okay, I'll stir this around.
-Okay. -[tapping]
And the easiest way to blend up a hot soup, is to keep it in the pot
and use a hand blender, but you could also ladle it into a regular blender too.
I'll blend it up until it's smooth.
[whirring]
Okay.
-[blender stops] -That's looking smooth.
I'll add back in the kielbasa.
I love big, thick slices.
As far as soups are concerned, this is a pretty quick and easy weeknight meal.
This is like the definition of cozy.
I'm gonna make a bowl.
Gotta make sure to get a lot of kielbasa.
I've also got some sour cream.
It'll add richness and help cool it down, so I don't burn my mouth off.
Sprinkle on some pickles.
A little fresh dill will be pretty,
and also echo the dill flavor in the pickle brine and the pickles.
Cute. And lastly, some black pepper.
That is such a pretty bowl of soup.
I love accessorizing all my soups.
Yay! It's almost too pretty to eat.
No, I'm diving in right now.
Thank you to sour cream for cooling down my soup
so that I can take a bite immediately.
Mmm.
It is so creamy and hardy,
but the sourdough and that pickle brine brighten it up.
Let me tell ya, this is one stupendous soup.
Still to come, this sour ingredient rocking my pancakes world.
For a crispy, salty side to our Polish inspired feast,
I'm frying up sauerkraut pancakes.
They're briny, they're satisfying, and they are so easy to make.
So, I'll start with the star of the show, the sauerkraut.
I love this stuff. It's fermented cabbage, and...
[sniffs] ...it's pretty healthy, so...
...I'm gonna consider it a salad.
It's important to drain the sauerkraut
of as much moisture as you can,
to ensure that these pancakes get crispy.
This is very similar to a latke,
or really, a kimchi pancake,
which was my original inspiration for these,
since it's another kind of preserved cabbage.
So, I just figured... Sauerkraut. Big in Poland.
Also big in my world, because I love it so much.
So, I'm frying it up into a pancake,
and nothing bad ever came of frying something in a pancake.
I'll use a spatula to press out as much moisture as I can.
And in a crazy turn of events,
I discovered that sauerkraut sort of originated in China,
and eventually made its way over to Central and Eastern Europe.
So, there's the Chinese element,
the Polish element,
and the latke-like element.
This is all of me in a pancake.
Okay. I'll let this drain while I mix up my dry ingredients.
I've got a cup of all-purpose flour,
a quarter cup of cornstarch, which will help the pancakes get crispy.
A tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon of salt,
and some black pepper in here. And then crack in two eggs.
Pour in a cup of water.
I'll zest in half a lemon for some great brightness and depth.
I remember making sauerkraut in Brooklyn a few years ago.
It blew my mind that to start sauerkraut, you basically just need
shredded cabbage and salt.
Then you knead it together and you soften the cabbage
and then you let it ferment for a few days.
I love a funky sauerkraut.
This is it for my batter.
This will hold everything together.
I'll fold in some other tasty things.
I have sliced scallions and shallots for extra flavor and color and crunch.
My sauerkraut is well drained now, so I can add that.
And lastly, I'll chop up some dill to toss in.
I'll combine this completely.
And meanwhile, I have my big skillet heating up here.
Just like any fried fritter,
you wanna make sure that the skillet is hot enough.
Otherwise, they won't get crispy.
My batter is combined. I'll get some oil in my pan.
This is just neutral oil.
And then scoop in some batter to make about a four to five inch pancake.
I'll space these out evenly, and cook them on this side
over medium heat for a few minutes, until they're golden brown.
Flip them, and then you let them get golden brown on the other side as well.
There's actually a lot of sauerkraut in this region,
because there are so many people with German ancestry.
Everything's connected.
I am seeing these golden brown edges, I am gonna flip.
Sticks the landing.
That is GBD, golden brown and delicious.
Okay. I'll keep it going on the other side,
until it's this beautiful and golden brown there, too.
Just like making latkes.
Okay, these are looking great. Ooh, I just got a whiff of dill.
I'll transfer these to a wire rack to remove any excess oil.
I'll sprinkle them with some flaky salt.
Before I fry up more, I'm gonna plate one up so I can taste test it.
I'll dollop with some plain Greek yoghurt.
You can also use sour cream.
Anything creamy and tangy, to be a nice balance to the hot, fried thing.
A few tears of dill, so pretty!
And some black pepper.
[sighs] Oh, that's smelling good.
In I go, a little sour cream, a little dill.
[crunches]
Mmm.
Mmm-hmm.
It's like a briny latke.
That's heavenly.
It's crispy, it's salty, it's creamy from that yoghurt.
Dang, that's a good pancake.
As they say in Poland...
Smacznego. It's time to eat.
[applause]