Cook of the Week: John Podgorny
John Podgorny is a 40 year Southern- transplanted Northerner from Wisconsin, Illinois and Idaho. He’s a retired stained- glass artist and furniture maker. John owned and operated two different businesses. He’s been coming to Calhoun since 1985 and moved here with wife Mary Nell in 2009. They live in her childhood home, which he is completely remodeling. Besides the reconstruction, he has completely revamped the landscape; he enjoys gardening, camping and if he can ever get back to it, he loves carving and sculpting.
Way back in the late ‘ 50s, John’s mother ( Ruth) went back to nursing at a hospital on the 2nd shift. She would leave directions for John and his sister, Mary, who is three years older, on what and how to make supper for themselves and their father. He’s been cooking ever since. In fact, his father once told him he made something better than his mother did, but they never told her!
Even though Mary Nell and John have a ton of cookbooks, he seldom uses them. If he does, he seldom follows the directions or ingredient list. He prefers coming up with his own modification. Mary Nell says he “Podifies” everything with a 90- 95 percent success rate. And don’t ask him how he made something, as it will be different next time. He does enjoy ethnic cooking and baking ( the rare times he follows recipes). Anything gardenfresh is best.
When he was a kid eating his mother’s cooking, he hated vegetables. She would boil everything in too much water for too long. Since he learned to cook, that has changed, but there are some root vegetables he is not fond of, and doesn’t cook them.
When asked what advice he would give to those who might not be experienced or are just starting out cooking he replied, “Learn to use spices and herbs, and don’t rely on salt to make something tasty. As in everything in life, don’t be afraid to try something new, experiment with different ingredients. It might not be a taste- treat delight, but you probably won’t kill anyone. “
A tip John shared was not to plant brussel sprouts too close to the kitchen window. He said that they smell as bad growing as they do cooking. But, according to John, you can dress them up and make them taste right.
The recipes John has chosen to share today are Golabki ( Golumbki)- Polish Cabbage Rolls, Ruth’s Kolachy, Bar Cookies, and Grandmothers of Uganda Chicken Curry.
Golabki ( Cabbage Rolls)
( Also spelled Golumbki, a different dialect spelling, pronounced “goWUMPkee”) Filling: 1 lb. ground beef 1 lb. ground pork 2 cups cooked brown rice 1 lg. chopped yellow onion 1 lg. Egg 2 teaspoonful of rosemary Salt and pepper to taste Enough breadcrumbs and/ or chicken stock to make everything stick together Cook of the Week John Podgorny with his wife, Mary Nell, who was featured as last week’s Cook of the Week.
Mix all of this together in a large bowl. Sauce: 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
1 can thoroughly crushed tomatoes 1- tablespoon tomato paste 1- cup chicken stock Mix together, don’t crush tomato rounds.
Boil cabbage in a large pot of water until leaves start to unfurl, about 10 minutes. You can core the cabbage first. Separate the leaves, leaving them in boiling water to soften. Thick part of leaf can be removed for easier roll- up. Fill each leaf with large spoonful of meat/ rice mixture, holding them together with a toothpick. Make as many as you can. Line a 9” x 12” glass baking dish with leftover leaves. Place cabbage rolls (“Little Doves”) on top of the leaves. Pour sauce over it all. Bake in pre- heated 350- degree oven, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Note: Sauce should cover about ½ the cabbage roll. If you don’t have enough, add more chicken stock
This can also be done in a crockpot. Cook long enough to ensure meat is done.
A roll of breakfast sausage can also be used in lieu of ground pork.
Grandmothers Beyond Borders Taste of Uganda Chicken Curry
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite- sized pieces
1 lemon cut in pieces 1 teaspoonful salt 2 tablespoonfuls minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil 3 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoonfuls chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoonful cornstarch 1- cup water 1 8- oz. can tomato sauce ½ teaspoonful dried lemon grass 1 lg. carrot, diced 3 tablespoonful coconut butter or 1 tablespoonful coconut oil
½ cup green peas frozen) Spice mix: ½ teaspoonful thyme ( fresh or
1 tablespoonful sweet curry powder 1 teaspoonful turmeric ½ teaspoonful Garam Masala
½ teaspoonful ground black pepper ½ teaspoonful ground white pepper ½ teaspoonful salt ½ teaspoonful cayenne pepper Rub the chicken with the lemon pieces. Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and ginger. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 15- 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the spice mix. Stir to combine and set aside.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly brown and transparent. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and cilantro. Mix the cornstarch with the water and tomato sauce. Add to the skillet along with the spice mix. Let simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Place the chicken in a casserole dish. Add the coconut butter/ oil, lemon grass, carrots and peas. Pour the curry sauce over the chicken. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees for another 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender. Serve with boiled potatoes or basmati rice. Serves 6.
Ruth’s Kolachy
1-cup margarine 1 8- oz. pkg. cream cheese ¼ t teaspoonful vanilla 2 ½ cups flour ½ teaspoonful salt 1 can apricot or prune filling Blend well all ingredients except fruit. Roll dough at 3/ 8” thick and cut with a glass. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Make thumbprint in center or with the back of a spoon and add fruit. Bake at 350 degrees, around 15 to 18 minutes or until brown. Frost with powdered sugar frosting.
Bar Cookies
2 ¼ cups flour 2 cups quick- cooking oats 1 ½ cups brown sugar 1 teaspoonful baking soda ½ teaspoonful salt 1 ½ cup butter, melted 1 12- oz. Package chocolate chips 1 cup chopped nuts 1 ½ cup caramel ice cream topping Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and melted butter. Press half of crumb mixture into 13” x 9” x 2” baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, nuts and caramel syrup. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 15- 20 minutes more until golden brown. Cool before cutting.