Milk Street Television Season 5 Episode 13 Summer Kitchens

In the thirteenth and final episode of season five of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, the team takes us back in time and explores the Polish summer kitchen culture. Summer Kitchens not only provide a different view of cooking and food preparation, but they also depict a deeper connection with nature. Kimball and his team are joined by Chef Aleksandra August, who shares her knowledge and experience of Polish food.

In this episode, the focus is to rediscover traditions using seasonal and local ingredients. The team visits a historic farmstead in western Massachusetts, where local Polish families gather to create a sense of community while cooking together. Here, they learn about the stove, or the "piec," which is the centerpiece of the summer kitchen. It is constructed with firebricks, heated with wood, and used to cook a variety of dishes.

Kimball talks to the Polish community and discovers that summer kitchens are not just for cooking. They serve as a place for family and friends to connect and share their cultural heritage and stories. As he learns more about the importance of summer kitchens in Polish culture, Kimball gains a greater appreciation for the mutual love of food.

With Chef August guiding them, the team prepares a series of dishes that reflect the unique taste of Poland. Among the recipes that they prepare are "kasha," a traditional Polish dish made with roasted buckwheat, and "borscht," which is a beet soup that represents the culture and history of the country.

August then demonstrates how to prepare "sałatka jarzynowa," a popular Polish dish commonly referred to as a "vegetable salad." Featuring boiled potatoes, carrots, and peas, the salad is mixed with mayonnaise to create a creamy and tangy flavor.

The episode has an extensive focus on the beauty of seasonal cooking and the benefits of sourcing food locally. Milk Street's team finds that summer kitchens are almost always surrounded by lush gardens of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. They include the Czarnecki Garden in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where they taste crisp apples straight from the orchard to make a spiced apple cake.

In continuation with the belief that locally-sourced food can be transformed into diverse and delicious dishes, they show how to make "sisymbrium," which is a fermented radish salsa. The dish is said to represent the use of bold flavors while preparing food.

The episode concludes with Kimball joining a family gathering at a summer kitchen in Greenfield, Massachusetts. In an attempt to understand more about the Polish culture and cuisine, he sits down with the members of the community and enjoys the dishes that he and his team created. He gets an insight into this gathering and bonds with the people and their food.

Summer Kitchens, the thirteenth episode of season five of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, is a unique episode that explores the food traditions and culture of Polish cuisine. The episode emphasizes the importance of locally sourced ingredients and seasonal cooking, which supplies us with a taste of the present while also sharing the history of the past. By taking us back in time to the Polish Summer Kitchens, it presents a new perspective on cooking, eating, and living in harmony with nature.