Cookbook writer and Polish food expert Ren Behan shares some of the essential ingredients that you’ll find in her kitchen
MEET REN
‘You’ll never leave a Polish home hungry,’ assures Ren Behan, outlining some of the cuisine’s hallmark tastes. She lists an appetising assortment of fresh soups, raw salads, breads made with rye, hearty stuffed rolls, sharp preserves and sweet bakes. ‘It will often be literally everything on the table: starters, mains and desserts, with everyone helping themselves. It’s a very family-oriented style of cooking,’ she adds. Keen to take these dishes beyond her family table, the British food writer, who grew up in Manchester with Polish parents, has written her second cookbook, The Sweet Polish Kitchen. As the name suggests, it focuses on the more honeyed and syrupy side of Eastern European fare, from babkas to Easter bakes. ‘It’s a gathering of all my favourite recipes I’ve grown up eating and wanting to learn how to cook myself,’ Ren explains. ‘It’s a real celebration of Polish home baking.’
The Sweet Polish Kitchen by Ren Behan (Pavilion, £26) is out now
SAUERKRAUT
Sauerkraut can be used in a few ways. You can eat it raw – rinse it slightly if you aren’t too keen on the sour flavour. You can also add it to soups. I chop it up very finely and mix it with a chicken or vegetable stock. It’s a nice warming bowl.
POPPY SEEDS
You find poppy seeds in lots of Polish baking – they’re traditionally a symbol of fertility and happiness. They can add a little texture to fruity bakes, and I also use them to make a paste with mixed peel, raisins and almonds, ready to fill buns or swirl through baked cheesecakes.
WILDFLOWER HONEY
I use honey to add sweetness to most of my cooking and baking, and wildflower honey gives you more of a floral flavour. I also drink lemon tea with wildflower honey – in Poland we tend to drink tea this way rather than with milk.
If you’re making a cake for adults, you can use CHERRY VODKA, let down with a bit of water, as a soak for the sponge. It goes really well with chocolate cakes, or any sponge recipe that involves a jam.
My tip for fresh BEETROOT is to bake it whole, as you would a potato – it intensifies the flavour and keeps the lovely colour. Once cool, you can peel it easily, grate it and add it to soups.
PORCINI MUSHROOM PASTE
There’s still quite a tradition of mushroom hunting and picking in Poland.
