The story behind the recipe
The name comes from the French "croquette." The Polish Wikipedia describes a krokiet as "a fried pastry with a savory filling wrapped in a pancake": the pancake with filling is rolled into a cylinder with closed sides, breaded in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried on both sides. They are also referred to as pancake krokiety or pancake pastries, and among vegetarian fillings, there is sauerkraut with mushrooms. A linguist points out that this is different from krokiety in other cuisines: there, the filling is combined with a thick béchamel or mashed potatoes and deep-fried, while here it is wrapped in a pancake and pan-fried.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century, the word meant something else. The Inowrocław "Polish Cuisine" from 1912 states: "Krokiety are called in French cuisine any fried toppings; there are krokiety made from rice, potatoes, or even poultry or veal." However, in the same book, there are "Pancake Pastries known as 'loads'": a pancake with ragout or lung filling was rolled "in the shape of a load, or a medium finger," dipped in beaten egg, coated with breadcrumbs, and fried in butter. This is exactly today's technique. When these pastries began to be called krokiety is not certain.
Today, krokiety are mainly made at home, as the linguist writes, and those with sauerkraut and forest mushrooms often find their way to the Christmas Eve table, served with clear red borscht. The Polish Wikipedia lists krokiety among contemporary additions to red borscht, alongside pastries, potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs. Kwestia Smaku calls them "grandma's krokiety for borscht" and recommends them for both Christmas Eve borscht and a regular Friday dinner.
Ingredients
Pancakes (12 pieces, 22–24 cm pan, about 9 inches)
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200 g all-purpose flour (type 450 or type 500)
Abroad: USA and Canada: all-purpose flour; UK: plain flour; Germany: Type 405 or 550 - 2 pcs large eggs
- 300 ml milk 3.2%
- 200 ml water (can be sparkling mineral water)
- 1 pinch salt
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30 g melted butter (or 2 tablespoons of oil)
Abroad: unsalted butter - 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil (for greasing the pan)
Filling
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40 g dried forest mushrooms (porcini or porcini with bay boletes)
Abroad: USA, UK, Canada: dried porcini (bay boletes: bay boletes); Germany: getrocknete Steinpilze -
500 g sauerkraut (naturally fermented, without vinegar)
Abroad: sauerkraut fermented with lactic acid, not canned and without vinegar - 180 g onion (1 large, finely chopped)
- 30 g butter (or 2 tablespoons of oil)
- 1 pc bay leaf
- 2 pcs allspice
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- ½ tbsp (7.5 ml) ground caraway (not necessarily)
- 1 pinch sugar (or half a teaspoon of honey, only if the cabbage is very sour)
Breading and frying
- 2 pcs eggs
- 1 pinch salt
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100 g breadcrumbs
Abroad: USA: plain breadcrumbs; UK: dried breadcrumbs; Germany: Paniermehl or Semmelbrösel -
clarified butter or oil (for frying, a layer of 2–3 mm, about ⅛ inch)
Abroad: ghee; Germany: Butterschmalz
Method, step by step
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Rinse the mushrooms in cold water, cover with 2 cups of water in a saucepan, and soak for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
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Cook the mushrooms in the soaking water over low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes until soft; larger pieces may take longer, even up to an hour. Drain, and strain the broth through cheesecloth and set aside. Chop the mushrooms very finely.
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Thoroughly squeeze the sauerkraut to remove excess juice and chop it. Place it in a pot, cover with the strained mushroom broth and a cup of water, add the bay leaf and allspice. Cook covered over low heat for about 40 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
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Sauté the onion in butter over medium heat until translucent. Add the mushrooms, then the cooked cabbage without the bay leaf and allspice. Season with salt, pepper, and optionally caraway, and if the cabbage is very sour, a pinch of sugar. Fry uncovered, stirring, until all the liquid evaporates and the filling is dry. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
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For the batter: in a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Gradually pour in the milk and water while continuously whisking, add the eggs and mix until smooth, then stir in the melted butter. Let rest for 20–30 minutes. The batter should be thin and runny.
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Heat a crepe pan over medium heat and lightly grease it with a paper towel soaked in oil. Pour in a ladle of batter and immediately tilt the pan to spread it as thinly as possible. Cook for 40–60 seconds until the top sets and the edges turn slightly brown.
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Flip the pancake and cook the other side for only a few to 20 seconds, as the krokiety will be fried again. Remove the pancakes to a plate, stacking them one on top of the other. You should get about 12.
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Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cold filling on each pancake, leaving the edges free. Fold in two opposite sides about 2 cm (¾ inch), then roll the pancake tightly starting from one of the unfolded edges. You can either bread the rolled krokiety immediately or store them in the fridge.
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Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in a deep plate, and place breadcrumbs on another plate. Dip each krokiet in the egg, then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs.
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In a pan, heat clarified butter or oil enough to cover the bottom with a layer of 2–3 mm (⅛ inch). Fry the krokiety over medium heat for about 1.5–2 minutes on each side until golden and crispy, adding more fat if necessary. Serve immediately with hot clear red borscht.
Photos
