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My great grand-parents migrated to Ellis Island, and onto Michigan, after evading Poland. They were avid farmers, that passed on wonderful knowledge of cooking. One dish I remember vividly is the pierogis. They are versatile and comforting, with many ways to add different meats, toppings, and flavors inside the Polish inspired dish. You can get creative with it and make it your own while keeping the easy recipe simple. I truly enjoy the amazing meals all cultures bring to our world.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Polska Kielbasa Sausage Rope, or Sausage of preference
• 1 white onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1tbsp Worcestershire
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 packages of frozen pierogies (any flavor) or if you want to get really authentic, making your own pierogies is not too hard! Think of a dumpling made of flour, egg, sour cream, and butter, with a filling of your choice, some people use potatoes, cheese, vegetables, even ground beef, go wild!
• Sometimes we add green peppers to the recipe.
  Toppings could include:
• Bacon, cheese, sour cream, green onions, etc.

Description:

1. Dice onions until translucent in half of the required oil. Add in Sausage for about 6 minutes, add in the rest of the oil and garlic, plus salt and pepper. After sausage is heated, move to the side of your pan, add in pierogies, cook like package says, as they will be most likely only need to be heated for a short amount of time. We add shredded cheese and sometimes sour cream on top of ours. Enjoy!

Submitted by: Sara Nelson in memory of her mother Linda

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French/France

Dessert Crepes are one of the most popular desserts in the world. The word crepe comes from a Latin word Crispus which meant crisp. So famous that it even has it’s very own Holiday. February 2 is known as le jour des crêpes (‘the day of crepes’) and folks make crepes, and apparently most make them for dinner. In the beginning it was a religious holiday. It is also known as La Chandeleur (‘the return of the light’), because it symbolizes that Spring is on it’s way. the crepe looks looks like the sun and reminds us that the cold winter will soon be over. Some say it is also the French Groundhog Day!
There is a legend that crêpes were born of a “happy accident,” when a 13th-century housewife in Brittany, France accidentally spilled some buckwheat porridge from a kettle in the fireplace onto a flat cooking stone, but other sources put crepes much earlier on the timeline.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs well beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1-1/4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• Clarified butter for frying

Description:

Add all ingredients, but clarified butter, to beaten eggs. Beat with a rotary beater until smooth and let batter stand at room temperature for one hour.
*Clarified Butter: melt 6 tablespoons butter in a heavy pan. Let stand a few minutes and then carefully pour off clear liquid which clarified, discarding residue which is left.
Heat a skillet or omelet pan until a few drops of water sprinkled in the pan bounce across and evaporate. Brush pan with clarified butter. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter and quickly rotate and tilt pan so that the bottom is covered. It will set brown in about 20 seconds. Turn and brown other side. Slide onto a warm plate. Repeat above until all batter has been used.

Submitted by:

Mary Kurtz

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My family is a fusion of multiple cultures including Cuban, Italian, Puerto Rican and more. This is a favorite of my family, and we usually add mojo sauce or chopped jalapeños because we are definitely a fan of spicy food. The best side dishes are, of course, frijoles negros y arroz con maduros (black beans and rice with sweet plantains), but that’s only if you feel like going the extra mile for a truly Cuban meal. Latino food is all about having fun and enjoying the meal with your family, so make this at your own pace! It may take a few times to get it right, but it’s part of the experience. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Carne Asada Marinade – (Use for 3lbs flank steak)

• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cloves garlic minced (or garlic puree)
• 1 lime juiced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder (or less if you want it less spicy)
• 4 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• A small bundle (the leaves of 5 stems) of cilantro or cilantro puree from a bottle
• Optional: 2 tsp cayenne for extra spice
• Garnish:
  Cilantro
  Chopped Onions
  Lime Juice
  Cheese
  Green/Red/Orange Peppers
  – Anything you want!

Description:

1. Steak: (These are all approximate, so don’t be afraid to add more/less and play around with the ingredients to see what tastes best for you! The steak should be evenly coated and marinated for no more than 4 hours. If you want a more tender steak, try adding some minced onions to the marinade.)
   My family grills the flank steak after it marinades. Rain or shine! It kinda of varies as to the the doneness – we like it medium rare. Some people bake their steak and skillet cook it. The real trick is lock the moisture in by searing the outside first.
   Once done cut the meat into thin slices.
2. To assemble:
   Get a pack of small street style tacos and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 seconds. You want the shell to still be soft enough to roll around the filling. Traditional carne asada is only the first 3 toppings, but if you like cheese, sour cream or guacamole, feel free to add it!

Submitted by:

Bridgett Berriel

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