Polish Vegetable Salad & Pâté

Breakfast, lunch, special occasions, but most especially Easter breakfast, brings back memories of the Polish vegetable salad, better known in Polish as, sałatka jarzynowa! This is a dish that is memorable not only to me but many people of Polish decent, as it is a classic aspect of Polish cuisine. It’s a delicious medley of a number of vegetables mixed with eggs and complimented by the sweet crunch of crisp apples and the sour taste of pickles all blended with mustard, mayo, and a blend of herbs. It’s the very best of what you can pick from a garden all in one flavor-filled bowl!

Though it’s simple to make, it does involve a number of ingredients and quite a lot of dicing! In fact, the most important tip I can give you for making the most delicious version of this dish is to dice all the ingredients as finely as possible. I’ll never forget how, when growing up, my mom used to coach me on cutting the veggies into smaller and smaller pieces (it takes patience!). She says this helps all the flavors blend well within the salad. It takes some time but it’s well worth the effort!

The vegetable salad is an important aspect of the Polish Easter breakfast, served alongside other foods such as cooked white sausage, deli meats, pâtés, and always enjoyed with a slice of homemade bread with butter.

That’s why, in addition to this favorite Polish salad I’m also including a recipe for a vegetarian pâté! I know the meat lovers reading this are probably asking “why?!,” as traditional Polish pâtés are meat based; but, as I have become more and more conscious about health and good living over the last (crazy) year, I’ve made the decision to step away from consuming meat. What I’ve discovered is that even in doing so (though this may surprise many of you), I can still enjoy Polish cuisine at its finest and this pâté is proof of that! The blend of herbs and seasonings combined in this vegetarian version still make it taste just like (if not even BETTER than) the original! If you don’t believe me, you’ll just have to try it and see!

Hope you enjoy these great Easter dishes as you celebrate the holiday this year. Smacznego!

Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych!

Xo,

Aleksandra

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INGREDIENTS

Polish Vegetable Salad

• 5 medium size carrots
• 3 medium size parsley roots
• ½ celery root
• 10oz of frozen peas
• 1 onion
• 2 Gala apples
• 2 cooked potatoes optional
• 6-7 hardboiled eggs
• 1 bag of Cracovia Pickles
• ¾ jar (375 ml) of Kielecki Mayonnaise
• 3-4 tablespoons of Kosciuszko Mustard
• 4 tsps. of Dary Natury Herb Blend for Egg Based Dishes
• Salt & pepper for taste
• For garlic lovers – 1-2 cloves of garlic finely diced
• Enjoy with a slice of wiejski/country bread

RECIPE DIRECTIONS

1. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly, peel and into smaller chunks (don’t chop just yet!)
2. Place carrots, parsley root, celery root, & potatoes in a steamer basket over a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water. Lower temperature to a simmer, cover with a lid and allow the veggies to steam until tender. Do not overcook! Veggies will be ready when they are a vibrant color and you can easily pierce through their thickest part with a paring knife. (If your steamer basket is not big enough to fit all the vegetables at once, steam in several batches. )
3. Once veggies are tender, drain and set aside in a serving bowl to cool completely. While the other veggies cool, place the peas in the steamer basket and steam until soft. Drain and also place in a bowl to cool.
4. Set 5-6 eggs on the stove to boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until hard boiled.
5. Peel apple and onion and drain Cracovia Pickles from their packaging. Dice each of these into very fine pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add about 1-2 cloves of finely diced garlic (if you prefer!) here as well.
6. Once cooled, take the steamed veggies and chop them into very fine pieces, adding them into the mixing bowl over all the other ingredients. Once cooled, toss in the peas.
7. Peel the hardboiled eggs and also dice into very fine pieces, then add to the bowl.
8. One tablespoon at a time begin adding the Kielecki Mayonnaise & Kosciuszko Mustard into the contents of the bowl, as well as the Dary Natury Herb Blend for Egg Based Dishes, salt and pepper for taste. Mix thoroughly as you continue to add the mayo, mustard and seasonings. Give the salad a try a few times as you mix to determine whether more condiments or seasonings are needed for just the right taste.

From my experience the salad tastes best if allowed to sit in the fridge overnight. This allows the flavors to combine nicely. Once done, you can place in a serving bowl and garnish with a bit of chopped green onion or parsley leaves. Enjoy with a slice of wiejski/country bread topped with butter, cheese, your favorite deli items or my veggie pate!

INGREDIENTS

Veggie Pate

• 500 grams of dry butter beans (sometimes also called “Lima” beans)
• 1 large onion
• 2 large parsley roots
• ½ celery root
• 1 twig of rosemary
• 2 tbsps. of butter or olive oil
• 150 grams of peanut butter (smooth, 100% peanuts, sugar free)
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 3 tsp. Dary Natury Classic Pate Seasoning Blend
• Enjoy with: Grated Horseradish or Horseradish Sauce, a slice of wiejski/country bread & Cracovia Pickles 

RECIPE DIRECTIONS

1. The day before baking the pate, soak the beans: put them in a large pot, pour cold water about 10 cm above the level of the beans and leave to soak overnight.
2. The next day, strain, then add new water to the pot (approx. 5 cm above the level of the beans) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook covered for about 2.5 hours until tender. About halfway through cooking, add salt to taste. Drain the beans and cool (keep the remaining stock).
3. Next, bake the vegetables: preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. Peel the onion, parsley and celery and dice it. Place on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle the rosemary leaves over the veggies and mix with melted butter or oil. Put the tray in the oven and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
4. Once the beans and veggies have cooled, grind in a food processor or grinder. Then, transfer the paste over to a mixer and blend with the addition of the peanut butter and nutmeg. If the mixture is too thick, as you blend add a bit of the stock from the beans one tablespoon at a time. Season the mass with approx. 4 tsps. of Dary Natury Classic Pate Seasoning Blend, as well as a bit of salt and pepper. Finally, mix in the eggs.
5. Transfer the paste into a long cake tin (around 9”x 5”) lined with parchment paper. Bake uncovered in an oven heated to 355 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Remove, cool, refrigerate overnight.
6. Enjoy on top of a buttered slice of wiejski/country bread, topped with a bit of Grated Horseradish and thinly sliced radishes, or smear with a bit of Horseradish Sauce and add a few thin slices of pickles on top.

For more from Aleksandra and the Flavor of Poland TV series visit www.flavorofpoland.com or @aleksandraaugust & @flavorofpoland on Facebook and Instagram!