At a wine festival in Maryland many years ago, the vineyard representative said something that’s stayed with me for decades. This wasn’t just a representative of the winery, it was the family owner and winemaker himself! It remains my favorite winery, not just because of the fantastic wines and champagnes they create, but also for this one gem of advice.
“If it’s good to YOU, it’s good.” said the winemaker with a shrug. “Don’t let anyone else tell you what YOU think is good.”
I believe in healthy eating through purchasing the freshest, local ingredients and cooking in a simple method. To me, the best food is food that makes me feel good afterward. “Good” to me is energized, not lazy. Satiated but not full. My mouth is full of flavor, not fat. I’ve created a flavorful meal using fresh ingredients and basic cooking methods.
However….there are times when “good” is the heart-felt warmth that foods from your cultural heritage or childhood bring you. There’s certainly a recipe that your grandmother “never follows” to arrive at a meal only decades of practice could create. That’s your culinary heritage.
I found part of my culinary heritage at the Polish Festival in Riverhead, N.Y. It’s the 36th year for the street, arts, food, and polka festival that supports many community charities.
Pierogies (or Pierogi) are the Slavic answer to ravioli. Every culture the world-over has an item where unleavened dough is stuffed with fillings. Beside raviolis, Indians have samosas, Spanish have empanadas, Chinese have wontons, Japanese have dumplings.
The Pierogi is like a big ravioli, most often filled with mashed potatoes, sauteed onions, and grated cheese. However, they’re also stuffed with cabbage or ground meats, and can be an inspiration for anything you create in your kitchen.
Explore your culinary cultural heritage. What items did grandma make “from the old country” that you can incorporate into your diet and pass the heritage to your children? Perhaps you can update some of those family recipes to include healthier ingredients and simple cooking methods so all generations are happy!
I’m interested in your family’s cultural meals. Please comment below and share with everyone.
MMMMMMMM ..Golabki. My maternal “Nunny” was the only non-Italian ancestor in our family. So while most of our “family recipes” were Italian, nothing was as comforting as her Haluski (with pan fried kielbasa slices added in) and her Golabki. While I believe somethings, like Haluski, just weren’t meant to be healty..just eaten in moderation; I also enjoy experimenting with other recipes. A few years back on a Friday during lent, I wanted a meatless recipe that I could also use the leftover homemade tomato soup from the night prior. So I made the Golabki, while omitting the meat. I made a rice mixture containing plently of garlic and onion, finely diced mushrooms, corn, and finely shredded cabbage, and some egg whites to keep it all together. Rolled them up and cooked them as normal using the leftover soup.
Though I am sure it is not original by any means, it was a “winner” with my family. It is almost a ritual in my house to have Golabki the day after I make tomato soup…I just can’t understand putting canned anything over something otherwise so fresh. So now, it is still the standard follow-up meal to tomato soup but many times without the meat. Also, when we were stateside, I would use ground venison as the meat when I made them, as it is a little leaner meat….
The only thing stronger than family food memories are those when you’re sick. Tomato soup and grilled cheese was a remedy when I was a child.
Thanks for the great story.