I read something today that sits well with me. I have started a few times, different blogs related to one basic topic (as I think blogs should be) and then, I don't write. I don't write because I hate being stuck into one category. I have at least 5 or 6 restaurant reviews, complete with pictures from the last few months, but I don't want to write them up. Why? Because I feel like someone (the nonexistant reader out there) expects them from me. So, I will stamp my feet like a 2 year old and refuse to do it. Why am I such a PITA?
The thing I have been thinking about the most lately is the amount of time I've spent reading recipes in the past few years. This happened because of a few reasons:
1. I'm in Poland. A lot of things that can be readily bought at home are either a) unavailable b) expensive c) difficult to find or d) labeled as what you are looking for when in fact it is not quite the same thing. So, I look for recipes to make things from scratch that I can't find.
2. I got married. I don't want to sound like a 50's housewife, but I like to have meals cooked for myself and my husband and I don't like cooking the same thing often... so... recipes it is.
3. I didn't have a lot of friends when I got here... and I needed something to do. Cooking takes a lot of time, I like to do it and the results are usually enjoyable.
I've read at least one of Nigella's cookbooks cover to cover. I like her for basic recipes that seem to work every time. I've become addicted to www.skinnytaste.com, where Gina the magician turns food you love into food you love with less calories and fat, without using too many fake ingredients. I squirreled away a copy of "Think Like a Chef" by Tom Colicchio from my friend Sarah in New York over the holidays. And, I call my mother in law more often than I'd like to admit because while she can be a bit trying, she is the BEST cook I know.
And with all that being said, I want to leave you with the most basic of basic Polish recipes today. It couldn't be easier or more perfect for the warm weather we are about to be having (I hope). A simple combination of cucumbers and sour cream called in polish "Mizeria" which sounds a lot like the english word misery but tastes like pure joy.
Mizeria
1 medium cucumber
2 tablespoons of sour cream ( I have actually never measured this... just add as much as you see fit)
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: Wash and peel the cucumber. Then, using a food processor or the wide grate on your grater, slice into very thin slices. You could also use a knife if you're a proficient chopper :) Place cucumber slices in a bowl, add sour cream salt and pepper. That's it. You might want to let it set for a minute but it's delicious right away too.
Variations: Some people add garlic. Others add fresh dill. Others yet add chives. Some squeeze some lemon juice over the cucs before adding the sour cream. I usually add a teaspoon of sugar (our fav. restaurant does this). You can pretty much do what you want with this, it's pretty basic and if you screw it up, it's not an expensive mistake.
That is what I feel like writing about today :)
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