Crunchy Kopytka With Mushrooms, Leeks & Lovage From Michał Korkosz
Food52
Photo by The Experiment Publishing
- Serves
- 2
- Prep Time
- 15 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 Minutes
Stews, like other dark foods, are not particularly photogenic, but taste is what counts. The key to good stew flavor was formerly Maggi, a Swiss seasoning sauce that contains monosodium glutamate (MSG), lovage, and yeast. It was so popular in Poland that it became a staple of the Polish dinner table. Eventually, Maggi gave way to soy sauce, but I missed the flavor of lovage, so I started panfrying kopytka, leek, and mushrooms with soy sauce and adding fresh lovage. I like to serve this dish with raw egg yolks for an extra-thick sauce, but that’s totally optional.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, plus more for frying
- 1/2 pound (220 grams) mushrooms (any variety, such as button, oyster, porcini, or milk cap), halved if large
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large leek, white part only, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 pound (450 grams) pre-made kopytka or gnocchi
- 2 egg yolks (optional, but recommended), for serving
- 3 tablespoon fresh lovage leaves, for serving
Featured Video
Recipe from Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland © Michał Korkosz, 2023. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold. Note: if you can't sort lovage, celery leaves will do!
Directions
- Step 1
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Panfry the mushrooms, stirring a few times, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the skillet. Set aside in a medium bowl.
- Step 2
In the same skillet, place the leek, garlic, and salt. Panfry, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the leek and garlic from the skillet and add to the bowl with the mushrooms.
- Step 3
To make the sauce, combine the mustard, soy sauce, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and ¼ cup (60 ml) water in a medium bowl.
- Step 4
Add more oil to the skillet, if needed. Add the kopytka and panfry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and leek mixture to the skillet and stir in the sauce. Cook until warmed through and remove from the heat.
- Step 5
To serve, divide among bowls. Top each with an egg yolk, if using, and the lovage. Season with pepper.