Meatballs with egg-lemon sauce (Giouvarlakia)

This is one of my favourites - and one of my discoveries after I came to Greece. I guess in every country you'll find some type of meatballs, I knew for example the Polish version with tomato or dill sauce, served with mashed potatoes. Giouvarlakia was something new and captivated me with its refreshing, lemon taste of avgolemono. 

The love story between avgolemono and me started with a pinch of scepticism, as the combination of egg and lemon was a little bit exotic to me and I really wasn't sure what to expect.

After giving it a try with giouvarlakia, my attitude changed from reserved to pretty passionate about it!

Some recipes describe giouvarlakia as soup, some others make it more into meatballs with sauce - I prefer it rather thick and love to scoop out the sauce with some bread, but it's really up to you!

Potato pancakes (Placki ziemniaczane) with mushroom sauce & garlic dip

Another dish that brings my childhood memories! Potato pancakes ("placki ziemniaczane" in Polish) are one of the most popular Polish food - crunchy, delicious and easy to make. 

This time I've decided to make them with mushroom sauce and garlic dip, but they go well with other sauces too. And if you feel adventurous - I suggest trying them with sour cream and sprinkled with sugar. This is how I used to eat them when I was a kid and believe me - however crazy it might sound, it's actually amazing!

"One bite" mushroom mini pies

These little mushroom filled bites burst with taste in your mouth! They're perfect snacks when you just want to grab something fast, when you're going to a picnic, when you want something to go with your beer or at any other time.
Invented as a savory trait I needed to prepare for an event, they've become a "must-have" appetizer in my cookbook and are one of the favourites.

Mazurek with kajmak (dulce de leche) and dried fruits - Polish Easter dessert

Mazurek is a type of Polish short pastry made traditionally on Easter. There are few theories about origins of its name. One says it derived from "Mazur" which was a tribe living in Mazovia region of Poland, the other states that Mazurek took its name from one of our traditional folk dances. The second theory suits the festive nature of that cake, so personally I like it more.

Mazurek comes in many shapes - oval, round or rectangular, can have one or two layers of pastry, but its characteristic are - elaborated decoration made with dried fruits and icing called "kajmak".

This is a very sweet cake, so it comes as a little "reward" after forty days of Great Lent before Easter.

Pierogi with cottage cheese & potato filling (Polish dumplings)

If you'd ask anyone in Poland about the typical Polish food, most likely their answer would be "pierogi ruskie". This is a classic Polish recipe - the name translates to "Russian dumplings", but it has nothing to do with Russia. It comes from the area of Red Ruthenia, called in Polish "Ruś Czerwona". It's a historical term describing territory of southeastern Poland and western Ukraine.

In Poland we make many types of pierogi - with meat, mushrooms, sauerkraut, fruits etc., but these have a special place in my heart - my grandma was making them, my mom did and now me.

Homemade breakfast buns

They say the aroma of freshly baked bread is one of the most comforting and delicious for most of us. Some scientists even prove that it makes us kinder to people! So why not bring some of this kindness to your home? 

These little buns are crunchy outside, fluffy inside and they will take you back to your childhood, when the bread was a real bread...