Kluski Food

KLUSKI EGG NOODLES (POLISH-STYLE PASTA FOR SOUPS)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Make a well in the center.
• Fill the well with a whole egg and 2 egg yolks.
• Add a tablespoon of fat. I like to add clarified butter for recipes like these, but you can replace it with any other fat (such as canola or olive oil).
• Combine all the ingredients with a fork. As soon a soft ball forms, pull the dough off the fork.
• Start kneading the dough by hand. It takes a while to turn smooth and elastic: depending on the size of the eggs, anywhere between 20 minutes up to an hour (that's an extreme end). It took me around 25-30 minutes, but I watched my favourite show as I was kneading. :-D
• If you prefer to use a stand mixer (with a dough hook), simply hold back a tiny bit of flour and only add it when necessary. If the dough appears too dry, add a spoonful of water. Observe the dough, after 20 minutes it should be well kneaded.
• Form a ball and wrap it in cling film. Place it in the fridge and let it rest for a minimum of an hour (and a maximum of a day).
• Set out a large area to work in. If you have a pasta / pastry board, use it. Dust it with some flour.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into 3 pieces. Take one piece and cover the rest with the foil (don't let them dry out).
• Place that chosen piece of dough onto the work surface and roll it out. Roll it out as thinly as possible. I use a rolling pin so it takes a few minutes, but if you have a pasta maker - feel free to use it.
• Roll this thin pancake into, well...a roll, and slice this roll into noodles with a very sharp knife. [The width of my kluski noodles was about 0.5 inch (1.25 mm)]. Place the sliced ​​noodles into a bowl and sprinkle them lightly with flour.
• Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
• It's worth picking up the noodles you're already made, and moving them around. That will let noodles dry and will prevent them from sticking.
• Noodles are ready to be cooked. If you prefer to cook them later, here are your options:
• If you're planning to cook them within the next two days, just spread the raw noodles on your work space and let them dry for an hour. Then dust them with a little bit of flour and place them in a container with a lid (a zip food bag works too). Chill in the fridge until you're ready to cook your kluski noodles.
• If you're planning to cook these noodles even later, freeze them instead. Just move them into a freezer-friendly bag, label it with the date and description and place it in the freezer. Consume within 2-3 months.
• Are you hungry now? Great, let's cook kluski noodles straight away. Boil a large pot of water (I use the size of 3 quarts / 3 litres). Add a teaspoon of salt into it, then throw all of the noodles in.
• Stir a little and reduce the heat, so that the water boils gently. Once the noodles start to float (it took 3 minutes in my case), they're cooked. The exact cooking time will depend on how thick your noodles are and how wide the cut was. It's best to test them empirically, by having a bite. If a noodle is pleasantly soft (yet still firm) - that's the time to drain them all in a colander.
• Serve these kluski noodles in a soup of your choice (e.g. Rosół, Pomidorowa) or treat it just like a regular pasta - add some sauce, cheese, herbs and spices.

BUTTER GARLIC CABBAGE AND KLUSKI NOODLES

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in kluski noodles and return to a boil. Cook kluski noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender but still slightly firm, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain well. Return to pot and stir in 3 tablespoons butter until butter has melted and coated the noodles. Set noodles aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir sweet onion in butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Thoroughly mix in crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Stir cabbage and water into onion mixture until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is tender and reduced in volume by about half, 15 to 20 minutes. There should be a small amount of liquid left in pot.
• Gently stir the buttered kluski noodles into the cabbage mixture until well combined. For a more buttery flavor, stir in 3 more tablespoons butter if desired; season to taste with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

KOPYTKA - POLISH POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• With the skins on, boil potatoes until tender, cool and then peel
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
• Mash the potatoes thoroughly or process with a potato ricer
• Stir in the egg and salt
• Add enough flour to create a smooth dough, stirring just enough to incorporate the flour, overworking will make for tough dumpings
• Take a small amount of the dough and roll on a floured surface to form a rope about 3/4 inch in diamter
• Slice the rope on the diagional about 1/2 inch apart
• Boil in salted water about 4 minutes without over crowding the pan, you'll do multiple batches
• Remove from the water with a slotted spoon
• Serve topped with buttered bread crumbs, pan drippings, gravy or sugar

BUSIA'S POLISH KLUSKI

Steps:

• Mix all of the above ingredients together,except bacon, adding just enough flour to make a doughy consistency.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water.
• Smear potato mixture on a small saucer and flick about one inch pieces into the boiling water.
• Start with just a few pieces - if they break apart, you need to add more flour to the mixture. If they stay together in the boiling water, cook until they float to the top, then cook another 3-4 minutes.
• Drain well and put into a casserole.
• Cook bacon pieces in a small frying pan until crisp, then dump grease and bacon over the top of the kluski - toss to coat.
• Serve warm with pork and applesauce.

KLUSKI

Steps:

• Get a large kettle of salt water boiling.
• Peel the potatoes and then grate them in a large bowl. Use the "pokey" side of your hand grater so it creates a potato mash. Don't worry when the top of the potato mash turns a brownish color -- that's what happens when the potatoes are exposed to air.
• Add egg and salt to the mash and mix. Salt is approximately 1 teaspoon -- not an exact measurement.
• Start adding flour. I use a sifter to evenly add over the top of the mash. Mix in and add more. Continue doing this until the mix is too thick to stir, then start using your hands. Continue adding flour until it is like a thick dough.
• Pat out on cutting board approximately 3/4" to 1" thick and cut into approxiamtely 1 1/2" wide strips.
• Start frying bacon in a large pan.
• Put several strips on a plate and set edge of plate on edge of kettle. With a butter knife, cut/break/slide a dumpling size chunk into the boiling salt water. Tap knife on edge of kettle to get it to fall off knife. If dough continues to stick to knife, just dip the knife in the water on occasion. Repeat until done. This goes much faster is you can get someone to help you with a second plate.
• Cook dumplings approximately 35-45 minutes. Stir frequently to keep dumplings from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Water WILL get thick and starchy when nearly finished cooking. This is where you have to keep an eye in them because it's easy to burn at this point.
• Finish cooking bacon until crisp.
• Remove dumplings from heat and drain using a large slotted spoon/scoop and place a layer in a large bowl. Add a layer of bacon. Add another layer of dumplings and another layer of bacon. Drizzle a little bacon grease over several layers for added flavor. Repeat until all dumplings and bacon are used.
• Serve hot. Sprinkle a little salt on top and add butter if you wish.
• Enjoy!

HALUSKI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook egg noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain noodles and set aside.
• Add 1/2 cup of butter to a large dutch oven or deep pot over medium heat and cook until melted. Slice the onion and add to the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup of butter to the pot and melt.
• Chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot.
• Cook, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes or until cabbage has softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
• Stir the cooked egg noodles into the cabbage mixture. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a 9x13 buttered baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

POLISH KLUSKI NOODLE (KLUSKI DO ROSOLU)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor (or by hand), combine flour and salt. Add eggs and enough water so dough forms into a ball.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface as thinly as possible. Do not cover. Let dry for 30 minutes but no longer otherwise it will crack when you try to cut it.
• Either roll the dough into a cylinder and slice, or slice dough into 3-inch wide strips, flour and stack them on top of each other, then slice 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch across.
• Scatter noodles across a floured surface so they don't stick together. Let dry 30 minutes. Cook in boiling, salted water 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness and your preference. Drain.
• If you want to save the noodles for later use, make sure they are completely dry before storing.

POLISH KLUSKI - FRESH HOMEMADE NOODLES

Steps:

• 1. In a big mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients with your hands.
• 2. Mix until hard (yet pliable) dough forms. If gets really wet, add little bits of flour to keep it workable. (10-15 minutes). Dough will not be very smooth at this point.... work it out until it is smooth.
• 3. Separate dough into two round balls. Turn out onto floured surface and let them rest for 5 minutes.
• 4. Working with one of the dough balls, roll it out on a floured surface (don't forget to flour your rolling pin). Roll it until thin but firm enough for you to pick up the whole sheet (roll for about 15 minutes until about 1/8 in. thick).
• 5. Set first sheet aside and roll out the second dough ball.
• 6. Set the sheets somewhere so they can "dry". You don't need to hang them like you sometimes see in pictures or movies. You can leave one on the rolling board and one on the table or clean countertop... Let them rest and dry for about 15 minutes.
• 7. Time to cut the noodles! Cut dough into strips about 3-4 in. wide. Then, stack those strips, and working from the shorter end, and using a SHARP knife, cut your noodles into small strips.
• 8. Put cut noodles into lightly-floured bowl. Get your water boiling. When ready, boil noodles until they rise to the top. (This will be quicker than when you boil the packaged noodles from a box).
• 9. Enjoy fresh noodles with anything... here we gobbled them up with a tiny bit of butter, tiny bit of sugar, fresh crumbled farm cheese and berry jam...
• 10. ... and with orange marmalade...!

HALUSKI - CABBAGE AND NOODLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in egg noodles and return to a boil. Cook noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender but still slightly firm, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
• Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat; cook and stir onions until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Cook and stir remaining butter and cabbage into onions until cabbage is softened but not browned, 5 to 8 more minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Place cooked noodles and cabbage mixture in a large roasting pan and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with more salt and black pepper if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes.

POLISH POTATO DROP DUMPLINGS (KARTOFLANE KLUSKI)

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together grated potato, flour, milk, salt, and pepper until a thick paste forms.
• Dip a teaspoon in the boiling water, then dip a teaspoon in the dumpling mixture-picking up half a teaspoon or so-and slide it into the gently boiling water . Continue until all the dumpling dough is gone.
• Simmer about 20 minutes or until dumplings taste done. Drain in a colander and serve as a side dish, a Lenten/vegetarian meal or in soup.

EASY KLUSKI NOODLES (POLISH-STYLE PASTA)

Steps:

• Into a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse until the dough reaches a crumbly texture (about 10 seconds).
• Remove the dough and transfer it to the lightly-floured cutting board or clean countertop.
• Form the dough into a ball, the knead for about 2 minutes until the dough is elastic. If you find that the dough seems too dry, add water, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add in flour, one tablespoon at a time.
• Form the dough into a ball and wrap it with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.
• Use a rolling pin or pasta maker to roll out the kluski pasta dough and cut it into noodle shapes.
• To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, then gently add in the kluski noodles. Cook for 2-5 minutes, until the noodles rise to the top. Drain and use immediately in various soup and pasta dishes (like the Ribeye Steak with Egg Noodles Puttanesca). ENJOY!
• In a large bowl, add flour and salt. Whisk until well-combined.
• Using a spatula, make a "well" in the center of the flour/salt mixture. Add in the egg, egg yolks, and butter into the center. Mix together with a fork until a crumbly dough forms.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to the lightly-floured cutting board or clean countertop. Form the dough into a ball, the knead until the dough is elastic. If you find that the dough seems too dry, add water, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add in flour, one tablespoon at a time.
• Form the dough into a ball and wrap it with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.
• Use a rolling pin or pasta maker to roll out the kluski pasta dough and cut it into noodle shapes.
• To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, then gently add in the kluski noodles. Cook for 2-5 minutes, until the noodles rise to the top. Drain and use immediately in various soup and pasta dishes (like the Ribeye Steak with Egg Noodles Puttanesca). ENJOY!