Dear Sun Spots: I write to ask if there is a store which sells Polish items in Lewiston or Portland? – No Name, Lewiston.

Answer: Sun Spots contacted Bogusha Polish Restaurant at 825 Stevens Ave., Portland, (207) 878-9618. Owner Bogumila Pawlaczyk says she has many Polish items in her shop. Among them are an array of Polish baked goods from the bakery, coffee, tea, cookies, homemade pierogi, kielbasa and sauerkraut. They are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Pawlaczyk kindly shared the following recipe for those cooks that are willing to cook without basic recipe measurements.

Hunter’s stew is a stew whose flavors increase over several days, Pawlaczyk says. Ingredients: Sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onion, sliced pork, sliced bacon (smoked meats such as kielbasa are extra tasty in this old family recipe) and tomato paste. Method: Boil fresh cabbage for about 20 minutes. When soft, mix the sauerkraut and boiled cabbage together in one pot. Fry some onions in a separate pot. Add the sliced pork, bacon or kielbasa and the onions into the cabbage pot and cook for about one hour or so. Pawlaczyk says this is especially tasty if served with a nice rye bread and a nice smoked bacon is also especially good. She also recommends putting this in the fridge and reheating before serving to marry the flavors. She also says not to be discouraged by the grease. She says the sauerkraut and cabbage like it but she recommends not overdoing it. The tomato paste should be added about 20 minutes before the dish is done. Pawlaczyk also says some fresh dill (or other herbs) is great with this also, and she tends to drop some fresh dill in towards the end of cooking.

You and your family might also enjoy the following:

Pierogi z kapusty (pierogi with sauerkraut and mushroom filling). Filling: 1 pound sauerkraut, finely chopped; 150 grams butter; 1 onion, chopped; ¼ pound fresh mushrooms, diced; pepper. Dough: 4 cups flour, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ to 1 cup warm beef stock or beef bouillon, 12 cups salted water.

Method: Sauté the sauerkraut in 1/3 of the butter. Fry the onion in 1/6 of the butter; fry the mushrooms in the remaining butter. Combine these ingredients, season with pepper and refrigerate until ready to assemble pierogi. Combine the ingredients listed under dough and knead until well-blended. (Dough should be somewhat dry and about the consistency of Play-Doh; you can knead in more flour if needed.)

Twist off workable portions of dough and roll out very thin on a floured surface. Using a glass with a thin lip and a diameter of about 3½ inches, dip lip of glass in flour and cut circles out of the dough. Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Moisten outer edges with water and fold dough over to close. Seal edges by pressing gently with the back of a fork or pinching together with your fingers. Cook 12 pierogi at a time in the salted water, reducing heat to a gentle boil; boil, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom, until pierogi float to the surface (about 5 minutes). Rinse in cold water, then drizzle melted butter or vegetable oil over dough to keep from sticking. Repeat with remaining pierogi. At this point, you can serve them warm, freeze them for later use, deep fry them until golden brown or pan fry them in butter with onions over medium heat, lightly browning both sides before serving.

In addition, try contacting Polart Distribution (USA) Inc., 5700 Sarah Ave., Sarasota, FL 34233-3446. They are open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the number for sales is: (800) 278-9393 or, for inquiries: (941) 927-8873. They sell Polish items over the Internet, including Polish books, music and more. Check them out online at www.polandbymail.com.

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