Today in the History of Poland…

Posted on May 19, 2013 by lkonieczny

….on May 19, 1674, the Grand Hetman of the Crown(Military Commander in Chief) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Jan Sobieski, was elected King of Poland. After a period of turnmoil and attacks from various external forces (Turks, Swedes, Tatars, etc.), King Jan III Sobieski ushered in a period of stabilization and normalization in Poland.

After his election as King, some years later, Jan III Sobieski heeded the summons of all of Europe and, as the leader of a joint command of Polish, Austrian, and German troops, led Europe to a decisive victory over the superior Turkish forces at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Though outnumbered 130,000 to 81,000, Sobieski proved victorious and was hailed as the “Savior of Vienna and Western European Civilization” by many, including the Pope.

And I feel a special “kin” to Sobieski,  Not by relation, but by history and geography. When I was in Ukraine in 2011 with my cousins Alicia and Wojtek, and their son Filip, we visited many of the cities and sites that were significant in the live and accomplishments of King Jan III Sobieski. Currently I am reading “Jan Sobieski: The King who Saved Europe” by Militiades Varvounis, an excellent book which is a biography of Sobieski. It brings back so many good memories of the great places I visited in what was then Poland but is now Ukraine. I can’t wait to go back.

I believe there is a lot we can learn today from Polish history. Learn a bit about Sobieski and the history of Poland. It’s a great story!

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70 Years Ago, on April 19, 1943

Posted on April 20, 2013 by lkonieczny

….The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began. 70 years have passed and people tend to forget the horrific crimes that were committed on Polish soil by the German Nazis during World War II. All Jews were already sentenced to death by the Nazis. And for a Pole to be discovered helping a Jew was a death sentence. Yet hundreds and thousand of Poles risked death to help the Jews. And, sadly, there were some Poles who did nothing or worse. But overall, the Polish people have always been open in accepting others, that’s why Poland had such a huge Jewish population before the Nazis came.

The Nazis concentrated Jews in ghettos in large cities such as Warsaw. Early on, they’d round up hundreds and thousands of Jews and send them away, ostensibly to work camps, but in reality to death camps. Eventually the word got back, not only to the Jews and the Poles, but to the allies as well. What did the Allies do with that information? Sadly, they hid it for fear of “offending” Stalin. But the Jews and the Poles did differently. They knew the sad and sordid truth–the Nazis were systematically exterminating all Jews and any who helped the Jews.

And so when the Nazis entered the Warsaw Ghetto on April 19, 1943, they were met with organized resistance from the Jews. Some of their weapons were manufactured, some stolen from the Germans, and some given to them by the Polish resistance. While the Jews in the Ghetto fought back for a month, until May 16th, Polish resistance forces also worked outside to hinder the Nazis in their plans. The Nazis systematically burned the ghetto and in the end, 13,000 Jews died, about 6000 from burns and smoke inhalation. And what of the rest of the Jews. Sadly about 57,000 men, women and children were “deported,” mostly to Treblinka a Nazi death camp on Polish soil, where they were murdered.

But, 70 years ago, a band of Jews resisted the Nazis, with Polish help, and for a month held off superior forces. And what of the Nazi general who led all of this. I’m happy to report that he was sentenced to death by a US military tribunal, then extradited to Poland where he was tried and convicted of crimes against humanity and and hanged by Polish authorities in 1952.

To read more about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, see this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Ghetto_Uprising.

And now, 70 years later, on April 19, 2013, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews opened in Warsaw. I’m sure it’ll be on my itinerary for my next visit to Warsaw.

To learn more about the history of Jews in Poland, see this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Poland. The whole world would learn a great lesson in tolerance (and in how intolerance develops) if it would study this history of the Jews in Poland….

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Polish Contribution to the Eradication of Polio

Posted on April 14, 2013 by lkonieczny

Throughout history, Poles have contributed to science, the arts, mathematics, humanities, and many other fields. Today I want to note the death (April 11, 2013) of a Pole who made a great contribution to the field of modern health care, Dr. Hilary Koprowski. Dr. Koprowski developed the first successful oral vaccine for polio. We don’t hear much about polio today, and for that we can be thankful in large part to Koprowski, along with the more famous Jonas Salk an Albert Sabin.

A talented muscician, Koprowski was born in Poland in 1916 and studied medicine and music. Coming from a Jewish background, he fled  during the war when the Nazi Germans invaded Poland and eventually went to Brazil, and finally the United States where he began his career in a pharmaceutical lab. There in 1950 he developed his oral vaccine about two years before Jonas Salk developed the injectable version (Salk was sponsored by the organization now known as the March of Dimes).

Though he was not as well known as Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, it was Koprowski’s 1950 clinical trial that was the first to demonstrate that it was possible to vaccinate against polio, the crippling and sometimes fatal disease that’s now all but eradicated, thank to the work of Koprowski, along with Salk and Sabin.

Another true hero, a son of Poland, a Polish hero. S. P., Dr. Koprowski.

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Pierogi Eating Party

Posted on February 2, 2013 by lkonieczny

In December I wrote about our 8th annual Pierogi Party, where a group of us made nearly 40 dozen pierogi, with the promise of eventually having a party to eat them. Well, in January my friends Ewa and Joe hosted the Pierogi Eating Party. About two dozen of us or so gathered to eat pierogi. We had quite a feast and I’ve posted some pictures of that fun event here:  http://photos.leonkonieczny.com/2012-PierogiParty/Pierogi%20Eating%20Party/index.html. Smacznego!

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You Really Don’t Know Polish History….

Posted on January 3, 2013 by lkonieczny

….if you were “educated” in the government schools of the United States. US history books are devoid of all but the most brief mentions of Poland, yet it is a country that saved Europe several times and at one time was the largest, most powerful country in Europe.

Now, if you’d like just a brief, 10-minute run-down of some of the highlights of Polish history, you can find it here: http://youtu.be/Quld5950v6w. It is well worth your time to learn a bit of “real” history, not the stuff you were fed in high school.

Posted in History of Poland, history, multimedia | Leave a comment

Polish History Lesson in 8 minutes

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lkonieczny

Do you really know much about Polish history. If you are like most Americans, the answer is, sadly, “no.” And worse yet, what little you do know is skewed and unbalanced. But the truth of the matter is that Poland has a long and glorious history, at one time the largest and most powerful nation in Europe, home to a form of government that was in some ways a model for our US government, and yet a nation often fought over, and one which eventually succumbed to internal squabbles and external forces, only to rise again.

But, if you want an objective, 8-minute “short story” of Polish history, you can hear the words of acclaimed British scholar Norman Davies. He has spent a lifetime studying Poland and Polish history, and presents a fair and balanced perspective in this brief clip: http://youtu.be/3OoSdnebLxw.

It is well worth your time.

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Żeby Polska była Polską — Let Poland be Poland

Posted on December 30, 2012 by lkonieczny

Żeby Polska była Polską is a well-known Polish protest song, written in 1976 by Jan Pietrzak with music by Włodzimierz Korcz. It quickly became an informal anthem of the Solidarity era protests in Poland, protesting the totalitarian Communist regime. It is a song the communists tried to repress, but the spirit of the Polish people would not let that happen!

Poland and the Polish people have always been fiercely patriotic, sometimes in the face of great odds. At one time the largest and most powerful nation in all of Europe, Poland’s fortunes have risen and waned through the centuries. By the end of the 18th century, she had been partitioned and devoured by more powerful and greedy neighbors–Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. After World War I Poland again fought for her independence and became a free nation, only to be abandoned by her allies and “friends” and split by Germany and Russia at the beginning of World War II. The end of World War II saw Poland being “given up” by the Allies to the Soviet Union and thus began a period of Communist domination of Poland and the Polish people.

But the free spirit of the Poles could not be dampened, and by the 1970s, change was in the wind. It was during this time that the Solidarity Trade Union was formed, and it was during this time of social unrest that this song, Żeby Polska była Polską, was written. The tranlastion is, “Let Poland be Poland.”

When first performed, Communist censors forbade the song from being performed during the author’s shows. So, it became a habit that the audience would sing  it and Pietrzak (the author) would stand by silently while they did so. The communists tried and tried to repress the song, but it spread all the more. In 1981 it won the “hit song of the season” and “audience award” at the 19th National Festival of Polish Song in Opole.

After martial law was imposed in 1981, Pietrzak was arrested and imprisoned. Ronald Reagan named a speech after the song, and Queen Elizabeth II quoted from it in her speech to the Polish Parliament.

Of course, you know the rest of the story: in 1991 Poland became once again a free nation, leading the way in shedding the shackles of Communism and Soviet oppression. This song typifies the nationalistic and free spirit of the Poles.

The words and translation of the song can be found here: http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/web/arts_culture/music/hymns/zeby/cache.html.

You can hear the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK05Xqtt71M.

You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBeby_Polska_by%C5%82a_Polsk%C4%85.

Posted in My love of Poland, Politics, culture, history, music | Leave a comment

Name that Dish!

Posted on December 10, 2012 by lkonieczny

OK, i have invented a new dish, a new food. But I need a name for it. I’ll tell you what’s in it and how I did it, but I need you to help me name it. Here’s a picture of two of them, cut in half:

I was faced with some leftovers from my Pierogi Party:

  • leftover mashed potatoes (actually, yukon gold potatoes that had been put through a ricer
  • leftover potato and cheese pierogi filling (a mix of the above potatoes with fresh cheese that I made, blended together and seasoned with a bit of salt and white pepper)
  • leftover fried bacon bits with onions fried in butter (this was the accompaniment for many of the pierogi we ate at the party)

So, I considered what I could make and I came up with the following:

PierogiLatkes??!?

Or maybe I’ll call them pierogatkes.  Or maybe Latkierogi…. well, you can help me out here. What should I call them?

Here’s what i did.

I put a portion of the potatoes in one bowl, and a portion of the potatoes and cheese in another. To each I added the onion/bacon mixture and mixed/folded well. Then I added a bit of flour and a bit of beaten egg.  And I mixed/folded again. It was a bit sticky at this point.

In a separate pan, i put some flour with salt and pepper. Then I used a greased round cookie cutter to form the potato mixture into rounds, much like a hamburger. I put this into the round and evened it out, then put into the flour mixture. I let these sit a bit, then later gave them a second dip in the flour mixture.

Finally, i headed about 3/8 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet until about 375 degrees, then added the little rounds of love. I fried them until nice and brown, then turned them. When they were done on both sides, I drained on a paper towel and served with sour cream.

“How were they?” you may ask. Well, they were outstanding! I’d make them again in a second. Now, next time I think I’d actually put them in an egg wash after the first flour bath, then flour again. But they were awesome. Hot. Tasty. Kind of like a pierogi potato pancake. The bacon and onion made them very savory and the sour cream added a nice touch.

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Pierogi Party 2012

Posted on December 9, 2012 by lkonieczny

Well, the 2012 Pierogi Party is history, and we made a record number of pierogi. The 8th annual Pierogi Party was also the biggest I’ve had, with 16 of us. This year I invited my Polish class, and a number of them were able to attend. We had a great time, as you can tell from the pictures I took. You can see the pictures here:  http://photos.leonkonieczny.com/2012-PierogiParty/.

We made about 40 dozen pierogi this year, and managed to consume almost 20% of them. Another portion will be the pierogi for our Polish Class Christmas party and Wigilia this coming Wednesday. And quite a few more will be the centerpiece of Ewa’s pierogi party this coming January, after the holidays, to which all attendees will be invited.

We had good times with good friends and good eats at this year’s party. Now to start planning for the 9th Annual Pierogi Party in December, 2013. I can’t wait!

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Pierogi Party Recipes

Posted on December 8, 2012 by lkonieczny

Today is the day of my 8th annual pierogi party. I want to “immortalize” two recipes that will play a bit part in our pierogi-making today, my favorite pierogi dough recipe, and a fresh cheese recipe–I use the fresh cheese for my potato/cheese pierogi.

Best Ever Pierogi Dough Recipe

The pierogi dough recipe we’ve settled on (after several years of experimentation with various iterations) is the following:

  • Stir together 3 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Scald (warm but don’t boil) 1 cup milk and add 1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) butter.
  • Add the hot mix mixture to the flour mixture and mix well.
  • Then add two beaten eggs to the mixture.
  • Knead a minute or two. Add a bit more flour if too sticky, but it will be just a bit sticky.
  • Form into a ball, put on a plate or cutting board and cover with a tea towel, and let rest for 20 minutes. This is critical—the dough needs to hydrate!
  • When it’s rested, roll out thinly (under 1/8”) and cut out circles.
  • Fill with your filling of choice!

One batch of dough will make approximately 36 3-1/2 inch circles. The recipe came from my mother’s cousin Stella Kokaly who got it from a family friend, Lottie Szemraj. As a person who has experimented with well over a dozen varieties of pierogi dough recipes in my time, this is hands down the best ever.

Fresh Farmer’s Cheese Recipe

This recipe is not mine and is from another web site. If you want step-by-step instructions, use this link. You can find the original recipe on the about.com web site here.

Ingredients:

  • 2 quarts whole milk (use pasteurized, instead of ultra-pasteurized, if available)
  • 2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • cheesecloth, rinsed

Preparation:

In a heavy-bottomed pot, over low heat, slowly heat the milk up, stirring often, until it is just about to simmer (about 180 degrees F). Stir in the buttermilk, and then the vinegar, and turn off the heat. Very slowly stir until you see the milk separating into curds (the solids) and whey (the liquid). Leave undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Line a large strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth, and place over a stockpot to catch the whey. After the 10 minutes, ladle the curds into the cheesecloth, and allow the whey to drain for 10 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth, and tie a string around the top to form bundle. Tie the string to a wooden spoon or dowel, and hang the cheese curds over the stockpot and continue draining for 30 minutes.

After draining, remove the cheese from the cloth, and transfer into a container. Stir in the salt and refrigerate. This fresh cheese can be used for up to 5 days. Use as a spread, or as you would use cream cheese, or cottage cheese.

Of course, I use the cheese for my potato & cheese pierogi. It makes the best ever, far superior to store-bought farmer’s, cottage, or ricotta cheese. Give it a try, you’ll love it!

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