The Pierogi Babcia

Danuta Zielinska

Danuta grew up in a cramped Kraków flat where her grandmother stretched a sack of potatoes and a head of cabbage across a whole week, and pierogi-pinching was a Sunday ritual that pulled three generations to one floured table. After cooking in a Lviv canteen during the years she spent near the Ukrainian border, she settled in Barcelona, where she runs a tiny basement kitchen feeding homesick students borscht and stuffed cabbage. She believes nothing in the kitchen should ever be thrown away, and that a spoonful of soured cream forgives almost any mistake.

PolishUkrainianEastern European

Voice · Warm, frugal, grandmotherly, unhurried, plainspoken

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Danuta's favorites.

45 MIN

Cabbage and Sausage Turnovers with Butter and Dill

Plump, hand-folded turnovers filled with savory cabbage and crumbled sausage, finished with a drizzle of melted butter and a generous shower of fresh dill. Danuta's comfort food at its finest — warm, hearty, and forgiving.

80 MIN

Beet and Dill Yogurt Dip with Rye Crackers

A vibrant, earthy dip of roasted beets swirled with tangy yogurt and fresh dill, served with crisp homemade rye crackers. A cozy Eastern European starter that comes together in one bowl and tastes even better the next day.

60 MIN

Babcia's Mini Pierogi with Butternut Squash and Smoked Paprika

Plump little pierogi pinched with a sweet butternut squash filling, a whisper of smoked paprika, and finished with a pat of butter and a shower of dill. Danuta's granddaughter portions, perfect for smaller bites that disappear fast from the table.

75 MIN

Beet and Pinto Bean Dip with Smoked Paprika and Dill

A velvety, warmly spiced dip combining earthy roasted beets and creamy pinto beans, finished with Danuta's signature dill freshness and a smoky paprika oil swirl.

70 MIN

Cabbage and Beef Mini Rolls with Feta

Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory mixture of ground beef, feta, and rice, baked in a buttery broth until fragrant and served with a dollop of yogurt and fresh dill.

70 MIN

Babcia's Beet and Chocolate Sweet Pierogi with Brown Butter

Plump sweet pierogi filled with earthy roasted beet and bittersweet cocoa, finished with nutty brown butter and a cloud of soured cream and fresh dill. A grandmother's clever way to hide a vegetable in something everyone craves.

48 MIN

Honey-Glazed Beet and Apple Buckwheat Crumble

A warm, earthy crumble where sweet apple and ruby-red beet meld under a coarse buckwheat crumb, finished with a drizzle of honey and a dollop of tangy yogurt.

75 MIN

Beet and Ground Beef Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Dill Cream

Plump cabbage leaves cradling a savory mixture of ground beef and earthy roasted beet, nestled in a bubbling tomato sauce and crowned with a cool, dill-flecked cream. Babcia Danuta would say a spoonful of sour cream forgives almost any mistake — and she would be right.

50 MIN

Baked Beet and Potato Cutlets with Yogurt Dill Dip

Golden-crusted vegetarian cutlets made with earthy roasted beets and tender potatoes, served with a cool tangy yogurt and fresh dill dip. A comforting Eastern European-inspired dish that feels like a warm hug on a plate.

40 MIN

Garlic Butter Cabbage Steaks with Ground Beef and Paprika

Thick-cut cabbage steaks seared in golden butter, topped with savory paprika-spiced ground beef, finished with fresh dill and a dollop of soured cream tang.

65 MIN

Mushroom and Sausage Braised Cabbage

A hearty Eastern European braise where sweet cabbage melds with earthy mushrooms and savory sausage, slowly cooked in butter until tender and fragrant with dill. A cozy dish that fills the kitchen with warmth.

55 MIN

Potato and Sausage Soup with Fried Onions and Dill

A hearty Polish-style soup with chunks of potato and sliced sausage in a rich broth, crowned with sweet fried onions, a generous shower of fresh dill, and a dollop of tangy sour cream.

65 MIN

Sausage and Cabbage Stew with Paprika and Sour Cream

A hearty Eastern European stew of smoked sausage and tender cabbage simmered in a rich paprika-spiced broth, finished with a generous dollop of tangy sour cream. Pure comfort in a bowl.

20 MIN

Beet and Carrot Slaw with Dill and Yogurt

A vibrant, crunchy slaw of grated beets and carrots tossed in a creamy dill yogurt dressing. This is the kind of bright, honest salad Babcia Danuta would pull together in ten minutes for a Sunday table — nothing wasted, everything nourishing.

55 MIN

Cabbage and Beef Rissoles with Sour Cream and Chives

Golden-fried rissoles stuffed with savory cabbage and beef, topped with a dollop of tangy sour cream and snipped chives. Simple, filling, and made with love in the old-fashioned way.

85 MIN

Creamy Potato and Sausage Bake with Butter and Chives

A warm, comforting Eastern European-style bake with layers of tender potatoes and savory sausage bathed in a rich buttery cream sauce, finished with a generous shower of fresh chives. Pure babcia-approved comfort.

35 MIN

Dill Yogurt Sauce over Pan-Seared Ground Beef and Zucchini

A comforting Eastern European-inspired dish where savory pan-seared ground beef and tender zucchini meet a cool, tangy dill yogurt sauce. Simple enough for a weeknight, satisfying enough for a Sunday dinner at Babcia's table.

45 MIN

Sausage and Potato Hash with Butter-Fried Onions

A hearty Eastern European hash of crispy potatoes and savory sausage topped with sweet butter-fried onions and fresh dill. Frugal, comforting, and full of grandmotherly love.

85 MIN

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice

Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory mixture of ground beef and white rice, slow-simmered in a rich buttery tomato sauce. Danuta's version finishes with a generous handful of fresh dill and a dollop of yogurt for that characteristic Eastern European tang.

50 MIN

Babcia's Beet Borscht with Yogurt Swirl

A deeply comforting Eastern European beet soup with buttery onion sweetness, tender vegetables, and a cool yogurt swirl stirred in at the table. Danuta's borscht is the kind that fills a cold kitchen with warmth and makes everyone ask for seconds.

65 MIN

Babcia's Potato and Farmer-Cheese Pierogi

Potatoes boiled and mashed together with cream cheese and ricotta until the filling is smooth and rich, tucked into dough made from flour and pressed together at every edge by hand. Onion fried slowly in butter goes over the top once they're boiled and drained, because that is how it has always been done. Each one is worth the time it takes.

100 MIN

Gołąbki: Beef and Rice Cabbage Rolls

Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of beef and white rice, packed snugly into a pot and blanketed in tomato sauce with soft-cooked onion underneath. They braise low and slow until the leaves are silky and the filling has absorbed every drop of that savory, tomatoey broth. This is Sunday cooking, the kind that takes patience but repays it entirely.

45 MIN

Beef and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

Bell peppers packed with a mixture of ground beef, white rice, and softened onion, then stood upright in a snug pot and covered in tomato sauce that bubbles up around them as they cook. The peppers turn tender and sweet, and the filling inside becomes dense and savory from absorbing the sauce. A dish that has fed families for generations and will continue to do so.

65 MIN

White Bean and Sausage Stew

Sausage sliced and browned first so the fat renders out and flavours the whole pot, then white beans and carrot and softened onion join in to make something thick, hearty, and honest. Parsley scattered over the top at serving adds a touch of colour and a clean, herby note that lifts everything. The kind of stew that is better the day after it is made.

45 MIN

Buttered Soured Cabbage Skillet with Sausage

Cabbage and carrot wilted in butter, then the sausage goes in and the whole skillet gets a pour of apple cider vinegar that sizzles up and turns the cabbage faintly sour and deeply savoury. Everything cooks together until the sausage is browned and the cabbage is tender and glossy. A one-pan supper that needs nothing else beside it.

90 MIN

Creamy Mushroom Stew over Brown Rice

Mushrooms and onion cooked slowly until dark and fragrant, then yogurt stirred through to give a cool, tangy creaminess that thickens the sauce without making it heavy. Dill added at the end brings brightness to what is otherwise a deeply earthy, comforting bowlful. Spoon it over brown rice and there is nothing left to want.

60 MIN

Beef and Beet Borscht Pot

Beef steak simmers with beet, potato, carrot, and onion until the broth turns that deep, jewel-red colour that means the beets have given everything they have. The root vegetables soften completely, drinking in the meaty stock, and the whole pot becomes something warming and deeply satisfying. Serve in wide bowls with nothing fussy alongside.

45 MIN

Hunter's Sausage, Cabbage and Mushroom Stew

Sausage browned with onion before the cabbage and mushrooms are added, and everything braises together until the pot smells deeply of the forest and the farm at once. Black pepper is the seasoning here — not subtle, but not overwhelming, just enough to keep the stew honest and warming. This is what was always made when something substantial was needed.

50 MIN

Beet and Dill Borscht with Yogurt

Beets, carrot, and onion simmered until the broth glows deep red and the vegetables are completely soft and yielding. A spoonful of yogurt stirred through at the end cools and thickens it just slightly, while fresh dill stirred in last keeps things lively and green-smelling. Humble ingredients, nothing wasted, and a colour on the table that makes people stop and look.

82 MIN

Lentil and Smoked Sausage Pottage

Lentils simmer with carrot, onion, and sausage until the pot thickens into something dense and nourishing, with smoked paprika lending a gentle warmth and a faint smokiness that runs through every spoonful. It is filling in the way that only a slowly built pot can be, the kind of food that costs little but gives much. Good for any day that needs steadying.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

potatocabbagedillyogurtall-purpose-flour

Favorite tools

RollingPinDutchOvenWoodenSpoonChefKnife

Reaches for

potatocabbagebeetground-beefsausage

Steers clear of

cayenneanchovysaffroncouscous

Flavor Profile

The Loves

dill-forward freshnesssoured tangdeep beet earthinessbuttery onion sweetnesscomforting starch

The Defaults

a dollop of yogurt stirred in for soured-cream tanga heavy shower of fresh dillonions slowly fried in butter

The Avoids

fiery chili heatfussy platingraw or undercooked vegetablesanything wasteful