Fresh from Poland

Polish (and lots of Eastern European) cuisine gets a bad rap for being bland, heavy, and full of meat. Michal Korkosz completely proves that wrong, These recipes sound so good and use a lot of easily available and kind of underrated ingredients (like farmer's cheese) and bonus: a lot of these are very inexpensive. I bookmarked a bunch - a kind of sauerkraut pancake, creamy beets, a lentil, cabbage and mushroom concoction that sounds like perfect wintertime food. I really want to try to make pierogies and admittedly he makes it look easy with some great variations on the typical vegetarian options.

He tells some sweet stories of his family and growing up and what the various foods are eaten with and when, and it was a fun cultural immersion.

Also, the photographs are stunning. The bio explains that he combines his love of cooking with that of food photography, and I was so impressed that he'd done the photos himself. And he's 22! Wonderful book, great ideas, and gorgeous presentation. Polish cuisine really deserves a better reputation, this book makes huge leaps in getting it there.

While I am unable to make most of the recipes in this cookbook (I cook gluten free with limited dairy, and this book is heavy on wheat and often specialty dairy for nearly every recipe), I can't help but give it 5 stars because of all that it has going for it. Korkosz is a Saveur award winning Polish chef who clearly loves this food and passes on traditional Polish recipes in ways that make them appealing and accessible, with gorgeous color photos of every dish. He accompanies them all with stories of how his grandmother or others prepared the dish, how it would be traditionally eaten, and other details that really leave the reader feeling as if they've been taught by a passionate Polish friend who's taken them under his wing, rather than just reading a dry cookbook.

Take note that you may have to source some ingredients you don't generally cook with, such as rose petals (used often). Vegans take note that not many recipes can be adapted easily, as Korkosz loves his butter and cheese. Also note that while this is labeled a vegetarian cookbook, at least one recipe calls for gelatin, which is not vegetarian. No nutritional information is provided.

I am going to attempt to convert some of these recipes to gluten free and adapt them to ingredients in my kitchen while still working to maintain their overall aesthetics. I'll update this review with my results when and if I get a chance to do so.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Growing up I never liked vegetables, even though I was served some every meal. A few years ago, my health had really declined and I made some major changes to my diet. I used to eat a lot of protein with little to no vegetables. I have no reversed this and try to eat a lot of vegetables with very small portions of meat. I got very excited when I saw this cookbook as I'm always looking for more vegetable recipes!

The majority of the recipes do tend to use a lot of flour, milk, and tomatoes. I am gluten-free (GF), so several of these recipes I am going to change them to using GF flours. I am fully aware, the taste may not be exactly the same, but I am looking forward to trying several of these recipes.

While I have some dietary restrictions, this author has done a fantastic job on this cookbook. There are a LOT of great recipes and some beautiful pictures. If you are interested in Polish food, I would highly recommend this book!

As an American of Polish descent, I love Polish food. I have visited Poland in recent years and expanded my knowledge of Polish cooking from what I learned from my family. However, some of my younger relatives are vegetarians and have not been as interested in Polish cuisine because so much of their experience has been recipes heavy with sausage and pork. I ensure a couple of pierogi are meat free each year at the holidays, but real vegetarian options have been out of my repertoire.

To see Fresh From Poland pop up on my radar was so exciting. I have already pre-ordered a couple of copies. The recipes are those I am familiar with, but created without meat. They sound amazing and I can hardly wait to make them with my vegetarian family members. In addition, some recipes are for fundamental ingredients that I am excited to make and have on hand, such as sauerkraut and farmer’s cheese. Bread recipes and desserts that I have not found in my mother’s recipes, such as Polish cheesecake, will now be possible for me to make.

The book is chock full of adapted traditions and lovingly created photographs. I love cookbooks with lots of photos. For the thousands of Poles living in the US, this cookbook will be a great inspiration and a necessary addition to their cookbook collection. Libraries in Polish communities in the US should take note. This is the first really modern Polish cookbook I have seen and the younger generation looking for vegetarian ideas will find them here combined with their family traditions. A winning combination.

As Eastern European food often gets a bad reputation, it was nice to see a cookbook focusing on vegetarian dishes from Poland. Several of them are fairly inexpensive and I loved the layout and sections in the book. The book has also lots of amazing photos.

Very well presented selection of many useful Polish recipes, all of them involving things I won't do – baking, pickling, or six pounds of butter per serving – and all involving nothing I generally rely on, namely meat. Yes, it takes a rare talent to successfully suggest Polish cuisine can be vegetarian, but these selections – cold summer soups through to hearty stews, light breakfast-cum-tea-cum-anywhen-in-between dishes and so on – all contain no meat, and a lot of variety. It also most successfully pegs things back to the traditional family round the traditional kitchen table, each member with their own tastes and approaches but combined in their appreciation of fresh and seasonal ideas. I'm certainly going to try out a few of the soups, if nothing else – to a proper cook or a collector of cookery books this is certainly going to be a keeper.

This cookbook is a beautiful delight. It is one of the most unusual cookbooks I’ve been lucky enough to preview. I am not usually a fan of cookbooks with “arty” photos but these are great and there is one for each recipe which is a big plus for me. There are so many fantastic sounding recipes I want to try starting with several in the first chapter alone. I have never felt a desire to make cheese before I read about twarog and now I am writing out my grocery list to do just that. Each recipe includes the Polish name of the dish and ingredient(s) which I will enjoy googling to hear the pronunciations. I can’t wait to get started trying these out. First up the aforementioned twarog and then on to Popped Buckwheat! This would be a treasured addition to anyone’s collection.

This cookbook is amazing! Not only does it have the background of each recipe, history, how to make it here in the states aka outside of Poland- the pictures are beautiful and the most important part the recipes are laid out in clear directions!
The layout and design are one of the best I have seen for a while. It's simple, clean, with pictures and clear directions.
The author starts with how he got cooking and then main Polish ingredients. The cookbook is broken into typical themes. As someone who lived in Eastern Europe and has been to Poland -- I can't wait to try some of these recipes!

Most people associate Polish cuisine with rich, heavy meats such as kielbasa. But Michał Korkosz reveals a whole new side of his beloved culinary heritage—showcasing beautiful fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs while still evoking the traditional food of his mother and grandmother.
Korkosz’s passion for food shines through in his award-winning photographs. Here is vegetable-forward comfort food for every occasion: Brown Butter Scrambled Eggs; Buckwheat Blini with Sour Cream; Sourdough Rye with Cultured Kefir Butter; Chilled Beet Soup with Cucumber, Radish, and Dill; Polish Cheesecake, and (of course) sweet and savory pierogi of every kind. Polish cuisine has never been more vibrant—or delicious.

This book is lovely. The photography is clear and beautiful, the food sounds delicious. Korkosz's writing is very personable and what he has to say about each recipe is an added bonus. I got hungry every time I picked it up.

"Fresh From Poland" is beautifully designed, personal, accessible, and has easy-to-follow recipes. Although I'm of Polish descent, my experience with Polish food is very limited, and of the experiences I've had, most are specific to Ashkenazic traditions. As a librarian, a novice chef, an avid eater, and most importantly, a reader who reads cookbooks like novels, I loved how Michal made the recipes come alive through his personal story and yet precise and informative so that this book appeals to readers, eaters, and cooks.

I tested out his sauerkraut fritters - it just so happens that I had all of the ingredients in the house to begin with. Michal encourages readers to personalize recipes, so I did just that. I happened to have a beautiful batch of cabbage sauerkraut and beet sauerkraut, so why not use both in the recipe? The prep was easy to follow (and easy to do) and the cooking took no time at all. As a lover of (almost) all things fermented, I accidentally ate half of the results within a few hours, and I'm very okay with that.

I can't wait to try his other recipes for myself and if there are any leftovers, for my loved ones. This is definitely a cookbook to have on hand at all times.

This cookbook was a surprise for me for I found recipes for some of my favorite food that I ate as a child such as Angel Wings, cold red beet soup, and Farmer’s cheese. I especially liked his pictures of the prepared food in their colorful bowls.
Having most of the recipes on one page helps to visualize quickly what is needed to create the specialty. The book contained an excellent choice of recipes along with their Polish history.


I would like to thank Netgalley and the Experiment Publishing Co. for an advanced ecopy of the book.

This book is beautifully photographed, and the recipes are mouthwatering. I was very excited to see a cookbook featuring vegetarian Polish food. I will definitely be putting this book on display in my library, as we're in a neighborhood with a large Polish population.

This cookbook is an amazing collection of recipes from Poland. The photographs that accompany the recipes are amazing and mouthwatering.
Although these recipes are quite serious and are not fast and easy meals, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to try new things or challenges in the cooking world.

This books is a really great overview of polish cooking, there are common and expected recipies as well as unusual and lesser known recipes. I love making polish food and have had trouble locating specialty ingredients like polish farmer's cheese, this book has a recipe so you can make it yourself! The weights and volume measurements are also very useful.

I really enjoyed the thoughtful tips and history of each dish. The background info is informative and concise at the same time which takes a lot of skill to pull off.

Overall this was thorough, thoughtful and well written. I haven't had a chance to try making any of the recipes yet, but I'm inspired and can't wait.

A lovely introduction to the vegetarian side of Polish cuisine, which often gets lost amongst all the kielbasa. There is a good mix of traditional and modernized dishes, and the pictures are gorgeous. The only drawback for American readers might be the trek to the Polish deli to buy some of the essentials (honestly, it's so much easier to just buy farmer's cheese).

My latest favorite vegetarian cookbook! Although I am adventurous when it comes to cooking I have to admit I was not familiar with Polish cuisine. I was very pleased when browsing the pages and found that I wanted to make lots of dishes from this book.
Ingredients are super easy to find, nothing that requires a trip to a specialty shop,
What impressed me the most was the bakery section, OH MY GOD! The almond streusel Challah is to die for! Worth the price of the book. This and many other recipes have pictures of the procedures and the final product. In the case of the Challah the autor shows how to to do a 4 strand braid step by step for those who are not familiar with the process.
There is even a recipe for butter , many jams and different pierogis.
This book is amazing. I started with a yeasted bread but there are a bunch of recipes that I will be making in the next few days, like the oat bread.
The instructions are clear and concise and pictures are beautiful.

Fresh from Poland is a cookbook and recipe collection by Michal Korkosz. Due out 17th March 2020 from The Experiment, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

My paternal grandfather was Polish and some of these recipes take me back to my childhood. I think most people conjure up heavy meaty dishes full of starch when they think about Polish traditional food, but this collection is full of delicate and beautifully presented plant based recipes absolutely bursting with fresh flavor.

The recipes are grouped thematically: breakfast, soups, breads and baked goods, mains, sides, pierogies and dumplings (I *love* these), desserts, and preserves jams and pickles. Each of the recipes includes a description (including the name in Polish), yields and prep/cooking time, ingredients (both American standard and metric measurements included - yay!) listed bullet style in a sidebar, and step by step directions. Special tips, alternatives, and usage info are included, highlighted with a sidebar. Nutritional information and dietary restrictions (allergens, nuts, etc) are not included.

Many (most) of the recipes are pictured and the photography is clear and appealing. The selected recipes as far as I can tell are authentic and all we've tried were delicious. The lacto-fermented brined dill pickles (Ogórki kiszone) are wonderful and honestly worth the price of admission on their own. My family are huge pickle eaters and the next round, I'm going to triple or quadruple the recipe (original recipe yield is 3 litres).

Five enthusiastic stars. Beautifully presented, well written, and as far as I can see, error free.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

When I think of Polish foods, I think of sausages and perhaps bread. This book has changed my opinion of Polish cooking, with fresh, seasonal, vegetarian recipes that all look delicious. Vegetarians and omnivores alike will find something to try here, from cheese curd dumplings to tomato-apple soup. Lots of beautiful photography. All recipes include American and European measurements.

Love this cookbook! The recipes are accessible. I would say they are not super quick, but they are not complicated. You have to do some shopping first and then set aside some time to try the recipes. Perfect for weekends. I'm am always on the lookout for vegetarian eastern european cooking. My family is Slovak, so I know the meat and potatoes lifestyle. And cooking with lard. Very similar to Polish food. I'm sad that most of the delicious sauerkraut and pickle dishes are very meat heavy....until this cookbook!!! Yummy. I have not tried them all, but a few and I am really enjoying the dishes. If you like Polish food but want to be a bit more health conscious, this cookbook is for you. A total win for vegetarians.

TITLE: Great Polish cook book! Great vegetarian cook book!

This is a book for lovers of Polish food. If you are of Polish descent, and looking for a jumping off place for a more exciting take on traditional Polish foods, I suggest this one. It is outstanding as a vegetarian interpretation of the best of Polish and PolAm (Polish American) cooking. This is not an all-encompassing Polish cook book that covers all the basics and traditional Polish foods. And because it does not attempt to be that kind of book, Fresh From Poland turns out to be quite exciting and extraordinarily refreshing.

This is also a book for vegetarians! No matter your heritage, there are exciting new ideas for you in this book!

Somehow, I can just about taste and smell the freshness of the recipe ingredients popping off the pages. This excitement is unusual in a more traditional Polish cook book, but--thinking about it--it shouldn't be that way. Because the best-loved ingredients in Polish are vibrant and fresh, and smack of tang and sweetness, earthiness and greenness, crunch and creaminess, and all good things.

These recipes do that, and most of them are not hard to accomplish. Stand-outs (for me) include Creamy Millet Pudding with Blueberries and Lemon-Vanilla Honey, Tomato-Apple Soup with Poured Noodles (which are a LOT of fun), Dill Pickle Soup, Bigos with Smoked Prunes, Sauerkraut Apple and Carrot Slaw, Creamy (almost pureed) Hot Beets, a mushroom-mustard sauce for Kopytka (kind of like gnocchi), a simple plum jam, and strawberry-lime preserves.

There are pictures of just about all the recipes, and page layout is easy to follow and type style is easy on the eyes. The author offers us pleasant introductions to all the recipes, too.

I find this book is sbe pecial and very worthy of your attention, as Michael Korkosz takes what you've probably already gleaned from the recipes in older Polish cook books and re-presents them with quite a lot of flair and vitality.

Not to diminish this wonderful book by Michael Korkosz in any way, but: If you are looking for an all-encompassing Polish cook book, this would not be your first choice. There are plenty worthy, old-time-y, traditional Polish cook books out there, and they do cover all the basics and all the special Holiday recipes and traditions. And to get a true understanding of the country's cuisine, and an over-all look at it, you should consider one of those books. And fair warning, what I mean by "old time-y" is poor indexes and no pictures. I recommend Polish Heritage Cookery, it's a large volume, a bit dull, but it's got it all, and it is available here on Amazon.

I’m a lifelong vegetarian, and intrigued by Polish cooking, so I’m excited to preview this new cookbook! It just came out last week. I don’t know much about Polish cooking, and I have (incorrectly, of course) assumed it had mostly to do with pirogi type foods and sausages. Let’s take a look inside.

This is the first international cookbook I've seen in a long time that doesn't immediately launch into a Pantry introduction informing us of all the things we'll need to stock to make these recipes. I wonder, then, if the ingredients needed for this book are things we all, the cookbook's audience, are suspected of already having in our fridges and pantries. 

After a brief Introduction, the cookbook begins with Breakfast recipes - a rye crumble with honeyed fruit, several healthy sounding spreads, and an oatmeal. The cheese curd dumplings are what I sort of expected from this cookbook, and I'm intrigued by the "Crepes with White Cheese and Rose" and by "Brown butter scrambled eggs." Apple fritters are a recipe featured in so many of the cookbooks on my shelves; I'll be curious to see what gives them a Polish spin. I'd wondered if this region of the world shares some influences with Russian and Ukrainian food and sure enough, there's a recipe for "Buckwheat Blini with Sour Cream and Pickled Red Onion." "Creamy Millet Pudding" doesn't sound very delicious to me personally; instead I'll try making "Polish Farmer Cheese."

I give two thumbs up (and five stars) to this ethnic vegetarian cookbook. The ingredients aren't far-fetched, the recipes are healthy most of the time (don't look at how much sour cream I'll be dumping on my creations!) and other than my personal distaste for horseradish and sauerkraut, everything seems approchable and tasty. This book presents a fabulous opportunity for vegetarians and people eating less meat to learn to cook Polish food.

-Carrie

I was raised by a Polish grandmother who was a fantastic cook. Unfortunately, she never wrote any of her recipes down, and I’ve spent the last 20 years trying to recapture the magic of her Polish kitchen.

Since becoming vegetarian in 2004, I had tried to adapt Polish recipes to be vegetarian-friendly with varying success.

So I was thrilled to see that Fresh from Poland was being written!

Filled with a combination of traditional and modern Polish dishes like borscht, pierogi, Side dishes and baked goods, this will taste just like what you grew up with, with some modern intriguing touches. This is particularly noticeable in the pierogi chapter, with traditional options like cheese and potato alongside lentil with tomatoes, buckwheat with mint, and spinach with goat cheese and almonds.

The step-by-step photos, particularly for more challenging techniques like pierogi and crepes, will ensure that even novice cooks can turn out delicious, Instagram-worthy meals.

I have made several of the recipes so far including the sauerkraut fritters, chilled beet soup, lazy dumplings and poppyseed rolls and everything turned out fantastic.

I look forward to cooking these foods for my family when I visit this summer!

This cookbook was a delight to read. The recipes were nicely divided into the following sections:

Breakfast
Soups
Breads and baked goods
Main dishes
Side dishes
Pierogi and Dumplings (every Polish person knows these demand their own section)
Desserts
Preserves, jams and pickles

The book kicks off with a nice intro and a deep dive into a typical pantry. I love when cookbooks have this section so I can easily see what staples I might need.

The photographs were both beautiful and appetizing. There were photos of a majority of the recipes (maybe all), some showing the finished product, others showing step by step instructions, all mouth-watering.

As someone with many Polish ancestors, I was taken on a wonderful food journey back into my youth. I am sure my relatives would love these recipes, most especially if I did the cooking for them. Now I will finally be able to!

Many thanks to The Experiment and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great Polish cookbook by such a young and talented author and chef. Fresh from Poland brings together a whole pile of Polish recipes from breakfast to desserts with lots of favourites plus lots of other recipes you've probably never heard of.
I'm especially looking forward to making some of the Pierogi recipes as they are my favourite.
Most (if not all) of the recipes have at least one if not two beautiful photographs of the food. The book has a pantry section at the start so you can get a feel for any special ingredients you might need to get.
Overall a perfect cookbook for anyone who wants to celebrate their Polish heritage or anyone just interested in cooking some new recipes.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and The Experiment for a ARC digital copy for review.
I look forward to checking out his blog for more recipes.

Fresh From Poland is full of great recipes and beautiful photos. It is a great addition to my international school library's collection. I also purchased a copy for myself, and I plan on giving copies as gifts too. The layout of the recipes are clean and crisp, and the directions are clear and precise. The small personal introductions to each recipe make you feel like you are part of the author's family.

Honestly, I never thought that “polish” and “vegetarian” could be a thing. Seriously, you think “polish food” and you think “sausage.” Delicious, delicious sausage. But I do love vegetables, and I'll seize any opportunity to eat a giant mound of veggies.