Category Archives: Polish Cuisine

The Lonely Winter Brussels Sprouts Soup. It’s “lonely”, but you don’t have to eat it alone

December 22, 2017 by Food Polka

I am fortunate to spend this Holiday season with my family in Poland. It has been 16 years since the last Christmas together and a very long time since I experienced the “real” winter for longer than a week. Although it’s cold out here, I am still super excited because the trip triggers so many culinary memories. Winters in Northern Europe offer very limited variety of local produce but Brussels Sprouts are in season now. So, here is my sentimental winter tale about this “little” vegetable. I grew […]

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Categories: Christmas, Communism, Cooking Classes, Dill, Dinner, Editorial, Food Art, Food Photography, Food Styling, Herbs, Lunch, organic, Pearl Barley, Polish Cuisine, Published by Marta Fowlie, Recipe Development, Resourceful Cooking, Soup, Tomatoes, Vegetables • Tags: brussels sprouts, brussels sprouts soup, creative food stylist los angeles, culinary productions, culinary writing, Dill, food photographer, food photographer la, food photographer los angeles, food photography, food polka, food styling los angeles, food stylist los angeles, foodpolka, marta fowlie, polish cooking, published by Marta Fowlie, winter soups

Pork schnitzel breaded in buckwheat as guiltless pleasure

February 25, 2016 by Food Polka

The Pole’s relationship with pork chops is like the American’s relationship with steak. Although I love steak, I also love pork. After 25 years of Polish Pork Cuisine, pork has become an integral part of my diet. Sometimes when I get cravings for the old times and Slavic–Germanic culinary tradition, I make a simple pork schnitzel accompanied with potatoes and dill. When the spirit of Californian speaks to me and I want a healthier version, I make a pork schnitzel… breaded in buckwheat flour. So here is a recipe for a […]

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Categories: Black Pepper, Buckwheat Flour, Culinary Writing, Dinner, Eggs, Food Photography, Food Styling, German Cuisine, Lunch, Marta Fowlie, Marta Smolczewska, Polish Cuisine, Pork, Pork Loin, Published by Marta Fowlie, Recipe Development, Salt, Spices, Vegetables • Tags: breaded pork, buckwheat batter, buckwheat bredding, buckwheat pork, creative food stylist los angeles, dinner meal, dinner meat, egg batter, food photographer los angeles, food styling los angeles, food stylist los angeles, German Cuisine, jajka, kotlet schabowy, meat, polish cooking, Polish cuisine, Pork, pork cutlet, pork loin polish style, pork schnitzel, published by Marta Fowlie, schabowy

My miserable youth was filled with this cucumber dish

February 20, 2016 by Food Polka

As I started exploring my Polish food memories, there was a moment when I realized many Polish dish names have pretty negative associations. Let’s take “Mizeria”, a simple dinner side dish, which basically translates to “Misery”. Mizeria consists of two main ingredients. Sour cream and green cucumbers. That’s it. The sour cream was sometimes swapped for similar dairy products like kefir, buttermilk or yogurt, if they were available. Or some people used heavy cream instead. To add a boost of […]

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Categories: Apetizer, California Cuisine, Cucumbers, Culinary Writing, Diary Product, Dill, Dinner, Editorial, Food Art, Food Photography, Food Styling, Garlic, Lemon, Lunch, Polish Cuisine, Potatoes, Published by Marta Fowlie, Recipe Development, Resourceful Cooking, Salad, Snack, Vegeterian, Yogurt, Yogurt • Tags: creative food stylist los angeles, dressing made from scratch, food photographer los angeles, food styling los angeles, food stylist los angeles, green cucumber recipe, helathy salad, home made dressing, lean cuisine, light food, persian cucumbers, personal chef LA, pickling cucumbers, privet chef in LA, published by Marta Fowlie, refreshement

Split pea soup inspired by Polish military field kitchens

December 29, 2015 by Food Polka

This is the ultimate Polish soup recipe. The soup is called “Grochówka” which means it’s made out of dried split pea and few more typical for Polish soups ingredients. If you drive across Poland you will notice roadside stands and food shacks in the woods inviting you to have a bowl of the “Grochówka Wojskowa” or “Grochówka Polowa” which translates into the “Military Split Pea Soup”. Stop by and you will most likely end up with something really tasty. Something […]

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Categories: Carrots, Christmas, Communism, Culinary Writing, Dinner, Food Photography, Garlic, Green Pea, Herbs, Lunch, Marjoram, Polish Cuisine, Pork, Potatoes, Privet Chef Events, Published by Marta Fowlie, Resourceful Cooking, Smoked Bacon • Tags: creative food, creative food stylist los angeles, food photographer los angeles, food styling los angeles, food stylist los angeles, fusion food, green pea soup, grochówka po polsku, grochówka polowa, intuitarian, marta smolczewska, military split pea soup, polish soup, polish split pea soup, published by Marta Fowlie, resourceful cooking, sauce, soup, sustainable cooking

Holiday Eggnog Martini just like grandma used to make

December 25, 2015 by Food Polka

When I was a little girl, I felt in love with the home made treat called kogel-mogel. It was made out of raw egg yolks and white sugar. Sometimes I would have it with a touch of raw cocoa powder or lemon juice. At times of my childhood in communistic Poland, when sweets were rationed and for most of the time not available at all, this treat meant to me a lot. Particularly, because I could make it at home […]

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Categories: California Cuisine, Christmas, Cocktail, Dessert, Diary Product, Dinner, Eggs, Eggs, Food Photography, Food Styling, Holidays, Lemon, Liquors, Maple Syrup, Polish Cuisine, Privet Chef Events, Published by Marta Fowlie, Published by Marta Fowlie, Soy milk, Vegeterian, Vodka • Tags: adwokat, ajerkoniak, art director, boże narodzenie w polsce, creative director, creative food stylist los angeles, diet cocktail, diet eggnog, eggnog, eggnog martini, eggnog with vodka, food photographer, food photographer los angeles, food styling los angeles, food stylist, food stylist los angeles, healthy cocktail, holiday cocktail, kogel mogel, light eggnog, personal chef LA, polish christmas drinks, polish christmas food, polish martini, privet chef in LA, published by Marta Fowlie, refreshement, wódka z jajkiem, winter cocktail

American steakhouse dinner menu takes the cake, proving meat and potatoes never go out of style

October 28, 2015 by Food Polka

Earlier this month I received the unfortunate news that a chef startup that had recruited me back in 2013 is ending its operation in Southern California. Their business idea didn’t quite fit the geographically dispersed LA footprint, so they’ve decided to focus solely on NYC where they’ve been seeing a lot of success. I have to admit, I genuinely enjoyed working with them. Not only did they match me with a good number of awesome jobs that allowed me to […]

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Categories: American Cuisine, Apetizer, California Cuisine, Culinary Writing, Dessert, Dinner, Food Photography, German Cuisine, Mexican, Polish Cuisine, Privet Chef Events, Published by Marta Fowlie • Tags: art director, birthday dinner menu, creative director, creative food stylist los angeles, dinner party, family dinner menu, food photographer, food photographer los angeles, food styling los angeles, food stylist, food stylist los angeles, home dinner party, long beach chef, los angeles food service, personal chef, personal chef LA, privet chef long beach, steakhouse dinner

Naturally fermented, lightly salty dill pickles

September 3, 2015 by Food Polka

Growing up in Poland, I fell in love with homemade sour pickles – especially ones that were naturally fermented. The pickles sold in America are cucumbers preserved in vinegar. My idea of a pickle is a cucumber that’s been naturally fermented in a brine solution. The most common place to find them in the U.S. is at Jewish delis or overpriced foodie spots, but these places usually only give you one, or even just half of a pickle, so I’m […]

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Categories: Apetizer, Black Pepper, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Culinary Writing, Dill, Dinner, Editorial, Food Photography, Food Styling, Garlic, German Cuisine, Herbs, Lunch, Pickles, Polish Cuisine, Privet Chef Events, Resourceful Cooking, Salad, Salt, Snack, Spices, Thai Chili, Vegan, Vegeterian, Yellow mustard seeds • Tags: art director, creative director, creative food stylist los angeles, dill pickles, fermented cucumbers, fermented food, food photographer, food photographer los angeles, food polka, food styling los angeles, food stylist, food stylist los angeles, home fermented cucumbers, home food fermentation, home made pickles, home preserves, jemwiecjestem.com, jewish deli style pickles, marta fowlie, marta smolczewska, personal chef LA, Polish Carnival, Polish chef, Polish cuisine, polish cuisine is us, polish pickles, published by Marta Fowlie, sauerkraut and pickles

Sophisticated sauerkraut made in the privacy of your own home

July 6, 2015 by Food Polka

Sauerkraut is perhaps one of the most controversial culinary ingredients in the entire world. Either you love it or you hate it. I have never seen anything in between. Either you devour it or you don’t even look at it. That is the bottom line. The “gray zone” starts when it comes to making the kraut sour (btw, kraut is a German word for cabbage). The process of souring it can have many faces. This outwardly “simplistic” vegetable can be […]

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Categories: Cabbage, Dinner, German Cuisine, Lunch, Pickles, Polish Cuisine, Salt, Sauerkraut, Vegan, Vegeterian • Tags: art director, creative director, creative food stylist los angeles, fermented cabbage, food photographer, food photographer los angeles, food polka, food styling los angeles, food stylist, food stylist los angeles, home preserves, jemwiecjestem.com, kapusta kiszona, marta fowlie, marta smolczewska, pickled cabbage, Polish Carnival, Polish chef, polish cuisine is us, polish kimchi, published by Marta Fowlie, sauerkraut, sour cabbage

The springtime dinner a’la Food Polka

June 10, 2015 by Food Polka

What the springtime in Poland tastes like? It tastes like a new vegetable garden. It tastes like tiny, creamy new potatoes boiled with the skin on, tossed in fresh butter or buttermilk and topped with fried, runny yolk egg. It tastes like fresh, chopped dill. It tastes like miniature, pale but the sweetest baby carrots and fresh green pea. This is the only time of the year when you can get all these flavors and combine them into one dinner […]