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So, there's this "Polish pâté" stuff called pasztet (which means... pâté... go figure.) It's often made with meat, but there are wonderful mushroom versions too. Since I would get into real trouble with my Aunt if I did a Polish menu WITHOUT mushrooms, we're going to start there. The thing is, this "authentic" version I'm describing is like a sliceable loaf... wonderful, but also doesn't fit the way I would like with the rest of the menu. Could we take the soul of this, keep things mostly-Polish, and make that into a proper spreadable type pâté like the French version? We can, and we're calling it MOSTLY-POLISH ROASTED MUSHROOM PATE. A bunch of different fresh and dried mushrooms sauteed with shallots and herbs, fine-chopped and seasoned, finished by folding in some confit garlic butter. You'll get this better-than-it-looks pâté with some crispy rye toasts to spread it onto and some pickled mustard seeds to put on top for a little pop of contrast. This is a seasonal, deeply savory zakaska to properly start our meal, and it does its job superbly.

Our main focus this week needs a touch of explanation, so bear with me. You've had cabbage rolls right? No? You really ought to, they're wonderful. Well, they're wonderful if somebody else makes them. This isn't just my opinion, in Polish home cooking cuisine there's a whole "category" of dishes that are just great, but also require a church kitchen full of babcias to have any hope of finishing them before dinner. What do you do when you want to cook a dish like this for your family at home? Simple, you make the leniwe (lazy) version. That doesn't mean that YOU'RE lazy, it means that the "proper" version of the dish needs to CALM DOWN. So this week we're having GOLABKI LENIWE "CABBAGE ROLLS". The true home cooking version of this iconic dish, basically the same thing but with the cabbage MIXED IN rather than rolled around the outside. I'll be using ground beef and pork, mixing that with sauteed onions, braised cabbage, and rice (a very essential part), then forming those into meatballs and braising them. I'll be serving this with a savory, slightly sweet-tart tomato sauce and herbed sour cream for the top. I won't speak blasphemy and say these are BETTER than proper cabbage rolls, but they are certainly closer to my heart.

Our next dish is easy to understand, and simple enough that you can't not like it. BUTTERED DILL POTATOES are pretty much exactly what they sound like: boiled potatoes with butter and dill. A classic for a reason. I'm going to go one step further and serve these with some "okrasa" for the top... okrasa is traditionally cubed pork fatback and onions cooked down to make a condiment, and mine will be much lighter and made with scallions and garlic. Classic potatoes with a memorable sauce. That's the whole story, and it's a great story.

We need something light, refreshing, and classic to make this menu feel complete. I can't imagine anything filling that slot better than MIZERIA CUCUMBER SALAD. Traditionally it's cucumbers with a seasoned sour cream dressing, and that's that. I'll be salting the cucumbers beforehand so that they stay crunchy and keep the dressing from becoming watery, and I'll be garnishing the salad with a little smoked paprika, which is MOST CERTAINLY not Polish but it works quite well with the dish and with the menu as a whole. Other than that, this is classic all the way, and it works very nicely on its own and even better with the rest of the lineup this week.

Dessert this week is CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE, and it's definitely not like a slice of New York cheesecake. First, the cheesecake has actual TEXTURE thanks to the use of farmer's cheese rather than cream cheese. Second, we're going to do some streusel on top, which is not REQUIRED for this dish but makes it better. Apple streusel could make sense, but I think a dark cocoa streusel would be even better. So, rustic cheesecake baked up with chocolate crumbles on top, then served with a thin chocolate ganache to drizzle over it, because why not double down on the chocolate? If you're into cheesecake, chocolate, and desserts you can't find in bakeries around here, this is your thing.