Peaceful Poland and Potato Cream Soup

One of my favorite things about traveling is of course the food! One of my favorite things to do when we return from any of our travels is to recreate favorite dishes. I was shocked when a dish in Poland rocked my world and all of my travel companion's worlds too!

We traveled to Poland after a few incredibly busy days in Paris and I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a much welcome change of pace! We stayed in Kraków Old Town which is the historic district of Kraków. When we arrived in Kraków we had approximately 3 hours till check in. We stayed at the Sleeping in Kraków Apartments, they were perfectly located, clean, and very accommodating. They allowed us to store our luggage until check in, which was great! We promptly did some exploring and and looked for a place to eat.

The Old Town Square was just down the street from our place. There was a music festival going on while were were in town........my stepfather very much enjoyed the music festival later in the evening :)



 



We walked around, had some coffee, checked out the shopping stalls, and bought some original artwork. My guy and I went off on our own for a little while and ended up at the restaurant right across from our apartment for a late lunch. The Restauracja Sławkowska 1 did not disappoint, so much so that we decided to make a reservation for our whole group for dinner!

I had the potato cream soup, the presentation was fabulous but the soup itself.......mind blowing!! The flavor had  incredible depth, with a very pleasant smokey flavor. My guy tried it and was equally mind blown! We went into investigative mode immediately, knowing we would be attempting a recreation!



Our visit to Poland was for one sole purpose to visit Auschwitz ( I will write more about our visit at a later date), we had all prepared ourselves for the solemn and memorable experience it would be and had not anticipated how great Kraków is. We immediately regretted not having more time to experience more of Poland as a whole.

It is definitely a place I would visit again, the area we were in was lovely and welcoming.

Back to the soup

Last night I attempted the recreation! Remembering the flavors from having had it twice.....yes I ordered it again with our dinner ;). Actually we all had the soup along with polish platters, beef, and dessert!

The following is the recipe I came up with:

6 slices of a good smoked bacon (we get ours from the butcher counter at our local grocery store)

1 carrot

a stick of celery

1 small onion

a clove of garlic

5 potatoes peeled and cubed

1 can of cannellini beans

4 cups of chicken broth

1 sprig of rosemary

Sour cream to serve

Begin by cooking the bacon in the same pot as the soup. I use a dutch oven. while cooking the bacon, add in chopped up carrot, celery, and onion. cook until the bacon is crispy then drain oil. add garlic, potatoes, beans, chicken broth, and rosemary. bring to a boil and then turn heat down to medium. Once the potatoes are done,  use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree. Add a dollop of sour cream right before serving. although you can't see it in the original soup, there was something like it in there! The only thing I forgot was the croutons. Next time I make it....I will be sure to have them!



Not to brag but I successfully recreated the soup we loved so much and it was so easy to make! It will definitely be in the recipe rotation, it will be especially great during our long cold winters!

What dishes have been memorable during your travels? Have you tried to recreate them?