Barley Soup (Krupnik)

Well-known Polish soup, boiled on vegetable/chicken stock with barley :) So easy, standard, tasty and filling, great for children :) 

Recipe from my Mum :)

Ingredients:

• 3 litres of water
• 500g of chicken breasts
• 3-4 big carrots
• 5 potatoes
• 1-2 parsleys
• 1/2 or 1/4 of a celery
• 1/2 onion or 1 green part of a leek
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 3-4 allspice pieces
• 150-200g of barley
• 4 tablespoons of ghee
• 1-3 teaspoons of black, ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• vegeta
• chopped parsley(green part, leaves) or dill (optional, though worth adding)

Preparation:

1. Take a big pot. Put water inside.
2. Wash chicken breasts, cut into cubes, add to the pot, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Start boiling (around 10-15 minutes on an average heat).
3. Using a spoon take out the 'foam' from the top of the soup and throw it away.
4. Wash all the vegetables. Peel and throw away the skins.
5. Cut carrots, parsley and onion/leek into slices, potatoes and celery into cubes.
6. When the water in the pot boils, add onion/leek to the pot, chopped celery and parsley. Boil for 15 minutes on an average or low heat.
7. Add carrots and potatoes and continue boiling.
8. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ghee, bay leaves, allspice and barley. Stir and keep boiling. Stir all the time for 5 minutes so that the barley doesn't burn.
9. Boil for 30 minutes and - if needed - season with vegeta and pepper.
10. Add chopped parsley or dill. It is also possible to sprinkle a particular plate with parsley or dill, it's not necessary to add it to the entire pot with the soup.
11. Bon Appetit! :)

Cod Pilaf

Pilaf, (also known as pulaw, pulao, polow, plov and pilav) came across while looking for an unusual way of preparing a meal. A very weird-looking recipe from http://www.kwestiasmaku.com/dania_dla_dwojga/pilaf_z_jajkiem_dorszem/przepis.htm has gained the name 'The fushion of flavours' because, indeed, it undoubtedly is. 

Definitely worth trying!

Ingredients (4 portions):

• 200 g (2 bags) of rice
• 2-3 tablespoons of raisins (= sultanas)
• 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons of almond flakes (might be slightly browned on the frying pan)
• spices: 1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 5-7 cardamom seeds (powder might be used instead, but then not more than 2 teaspoons), 2 teaspoons of Sichuan Pepper (I used basic, classic, black one instead), 3 teaspoons of yellow curcuma, 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 of the lemon or lime
• 300-500 g of cod fillets
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 boiled eggs, chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Take a pot, pour water inside, salt it. Boil. When the water reaches 100C, add rice. Boil it for 10-15 minutes, till the rice gets soft.
2. Take a quite big casserole, cut the rice bag and put the rice inside.
3. Turn on the oven and start preheating it to 150C.
4. Take the cod, wash it, cut it into smaller pieces, sprinkle with pepper and salt.
5. Mix the rice with raisins, parsley, almonds, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, 2 teaspoons of curcuma. Stir. Add bay leaves and lime/lemon wedges.
6. Put the cod in the casserole, sprinkle with the last teaspoon of curcuma and with oil.
7. Cover the casserole with foil and put in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
8. If the fish is not ready after spending 30 minutes in hot oven, take the foil off and bake for additional 3-5 minutes.
9. Add the eggs, cut into wedges.
10. Bon Appetit! :)