Kasia's Kitchen
Polish Johannesburg resident
Kasia Wysoczarska is a home chef supreme who specialises in the art of fermented and healthy food, a passion that started in Poland.
"I wanted to bring a bit of Polish tradition to South Africa. All my foods include a slow fermentation process and is made with love for people and for food from scratch," she says
on her website.
Her menu includes traditional staples like sourdough rye bread, poppy seed cake, cucumbers in brine and pierogi (with mince, sauerkraut and mushrooms or ricotta, potatoes and onion). She also does smoked sausages, croquets with mince, sour beetroot juice, bigos (chopped meat stewed with sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage), tripe soup and Polish vegetable salad.
Get in touch with Kasia at 078 747 30 15 or email
[email protected]
Image: Kasia's Kitchen Facebook Page
Victoria Polish Meat Company
The Victoria Polish Meat Company produces traditionally smoked Polish meats and sausages free of preservatives and prepared by a Polish butcher. Their products include cracower sausages, turkey legs, smoked chicken, trout, sirloin skewers, salami, carpaccio and hams. They also produce their own homemade mustards and tuszonka - a canned stewed meat especially popular in Russia and other countries of the former Eastern Bloc.
Their stand can be found at
Morningside Farmers Market,
Melrose Arch Market and
Hazel Food Market in Pretoria. If you can't make it to the market, they do deliveries straight to your door. Email them at
[email protected] or WhatsApp them on 072 701 8558.
Image: Victoria- Lord Of The Smoke & Fire Facebook Page
Polish food at Schwaben Butchery
Schwaben Butchery is a German deli and restaurant, but they stock similar food to what is eaten in Poland. This includes kluski ślaskie (potato dumplings), kabanosy (salami sausage) and rye bread. They are located in Meadowdale Value City, just off the R24 offramp to Edenvale.
Gosia Brania
Those in the Johannesburg Polish community will know (or know of) chef supreme
Gosia Brania and her homebaked, authentically Polish goodies. We're talking
white kielbassa, pastries, cold legs, dumplings, salads, bread, as well as pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage and mushrooms. She also makes cakes, including poppy seed, cheesecakes and
mazurek.
Add her on Facebook to see what's on offer, and place orders for delivery or collection on her phone via 073 200 4256 or via Facebook messenger.
Image: Gosia Brasia Facebook Page
Make your own Polish food
If you're still struggling to find Polish food, why not make it yourself? Pierogi is a Polish classic that turns the humble potato into a mouthwatering masterpiece. It's rather labour intensive to make, but the final result is definitely worth it.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 2 C flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 C sour cream
- 1/2 C butter, at room temperature
For the filling:
- 1 C mashed potatoes
- 1 C cheddar cheese
To finish:
- 1/4 C butter
- 1 onion, sliced
Method:
- To make the dough: Mix the flour and salt. Add the egg and combine.
- Work in the sour cream and butter until the dough comes together.
- Knead the dough without adding extra flour until the dough is less sticky.
- Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
- To make the filling: Combine the potato and cheese.
- To assemble: Roll out half the dough until it is about 30mm thick. Use a round 5cm cutter to cut circles out of the dough. Continue until you've used all the dough.
- Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling in the dough and fold over, creating a pocket. Pinch the edges of the pierogi to seal.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook about 10 pierogi at a time until they begin to float. Drain the pierogi.
- Saute the onion in the butter in a large pan until it begins to brown. Add the drained pierogi and fry until browned and crisp.
- Serve with additional sour cream.
*Recipe sourced from
King Arthur Flour.
This article is part of our World In Joburg series - a guide to cuisine from all over the world, right here in Jozi.
