A Bounty of Fruits and Vegetables in Krakow

Dinner at Media Aetas Restaurant, Krakow 2011

Last Monday night we ate an amazing Sorrel Soup with chunks of chicken and red rice as part of a unique dinner at the Media Aetas (Middle Ages) Restaurant during our first evening in Krakow.  The rest of the dinner was sumptuous.  We relished the meal that featured an abundance of vegetables, something I’d been missing in France where salads seem to be the most common source of vegetables.  By the way, we’ve left France for a week to visit my husband’s home country in Poland. 

Honey Beer from Poland 

Dinner began with a salad of goat cheese, figs, and dried cranberries with mache greens and hazelnuts.  The sorrel soup (a field green) followed and then we shared a main course of pork ribs accompanied by a wonderfully tangy red cabbage slaw.  A round of celery root topped with shredded beets and a sprig of rosemary took center stage with the pork ribs playing a supporting role (no gooey barbeque sauce either).  We ended the meal with a delightful serving of honey cake.  My guess is that honey is more frequently used in Poland since the restaurant also offered five kinds of beer with honey.

Selling Cherries in Krakow, 2011

Fruit Plate, Cherubino Restaurant 

And the fruits—cherries and fresh raspberries are divine and local.  Doesn't the young woman look lovely from whom we bought fresh cherries?  We took a short break on Wednesday afternoon at the Cherubino Restaurant in the Older Quarter for a luscious fruit plate and fresh squeezed orange juice.  Who says a fruit plate has to look dull?

Kay taking a break

The apartment we rented in Krakow sits on the third floor of an older building just off the main square of the Old Quarter, the heart of the city. Our modern apartment interior (fully equipped by Ikea) offers a contrast to the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) with its mammoth Renaissance style remodeled in 1875 and the bugle-call tower of St. Mary’s Church with its turrets and gillded crown looming in the distance.  Yes, a bugler plays from this tower every hour sounding exactly like reveille at 6 am.

Now for a long walk along the three-mile Planty Green that surrounds the old quarter. The Planty replaced the medieval fortifications built between the 13th and. 15th centuries. All that’s left is the stunning St. Florian’s Gate and remnants of the 13th century City Wall.

I’m wishing I’d tried to learn a little Polish before coming to Poland.  I’m feeling helpless even though many people speak English and my husband enjoys brushing up on his Polish.

Tip:  Give coleslaw a new twist this summer.  It can be made with vinegar and a little mustard rather than mayonnaise and with purple cabbage for a more colorful salad.  Loving it in Poland!

Any tips to share for other low calorie summer eating options?

Yours in health and joy,

Kay  

Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Krakow 2011