Polish Strawberry Pasta

Hear me out please!

It’s a heatwave week here in London and we are all melting. It’s also the Wimbledon finale this Saturday, as my dad reminded me—he’s been following Iga Świątek’s tennis career from day one, and every Pole is rooting for her. I’m not at all invested in the tournament, but what caught my attention was a New York Times article by Kasia Pilat about Iga’s praise for the beloved summer staple of every Polish household: makaron z truskawkami, aka strawberry pasta.

It’s always really exciting for me to see lesser-known Polish dishes getting the spotlight they deserve. I’ve been on a bit of a mission here to share these more widely. Before I got paywalled by the NYT, I saw a snippet of the recipe and it differed from the one we make in my house. Yogurt or cream, blended or mashed, rest assured, every child in Poland has grown up eating strawberry pasta.

When I posted about the article on my Instagram last night, I got somewhat mixed reactions. A few people responded with intrigue and open hearts; others (Italians) were sceptical. As it usually happens when I look at pictures or videos of food before bed, I woke up with an intense craving for what had preoccupied me the night before. I texted my mum to double-check the recipe and ran to my local Polish shop to gather ingredients. These were: strawberries, sour cream (18% fat), white sugar, semi-fat curd cheese, and of course, pasta (fusilli). These can be easily found in any supermarket, but funnily enough I just happen to live right next to a Polish shop and I love going there.

Before I give you the full recipe, let me tell you why every Polish kid (and adult) loves this pasta. Firstly, strawberries are big in Poland. Between June and July, you can see farmers selling them on every road, usually from the boots of their cars in wooden splint baskets called łubianki. We buy strawberries by the kilogram and make jams, pies, smoothies, ice cream, and indeed this pasta on repeat. That’s what I love so much about cooking with seasonal produce. You want to make sure you indulge in it before it’s too late. The strawberries sold in łubianki are far superior to store-bought ones and miles better than the ones you’d buy off-season. In the summer heat, and this is not an exaggeration, the whole city smells like strawberries (with a slight hint of melting asphalt and cigarettes). Just writing about this smell instantly transports me back to my hometown.

One łubianka please!

My earliest memory of eating strawberry pasta is from primary school and Friday lunches. In Catholic countries like Poland, many observe a light version of Lent on Fridays and abstain from eating animal products, mainly meat. Fish is allowed, go figure. For that reason, Fridays brought respite to all the kids who were picky eaters and meat-haters, myself included. Especially in the summer, instead of a boring chicken cutlet, potatoes and sauerkraut, we would be served pierogi with berries and cream (type of dumpling), knedle with plums (another dumpling), crepes with curd cheese and cream, and of course strawberry pasta. As you can see, a lot of them could cosplay as dessert — and can you think of anything better to have for dinner than dessert as a kid? No wonder we all loved Friday lunches so much, and no wonder we keep returning to those sweet dishes in our kitchens today.

So in honour of that, I just made strawberry pasta for lunch. I’m on my second bowl already and I’m convinced this may be one of the best things you can make for yourself during a heatwave.

Makaron z Truskawkami (Polish Strawberry Pasta)

What I love most about this recipe is the marriage of the sweetness of strawberries and sugar with the sharp, tangy flavours of curd cheese and sour cream.

Feeds 2

Ingredients

• 200 grams of pasta (fusilli or bows would be my preference, the dish is cute so the pasta should be too!)

• About 350–400 g strawberries

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• 1–2 heaped tablespoons sour cream (18% fat, but any sour cream will do)

• 1 tablespoon semi-fat curd cheese, or more to taste

• Mint (optional)

Method

1. Boil salted water for your pasta.

2. Cook the pasta according to instructions and in the meantime proceed with the next steps.

3. Eat a strawberry to check how sweet they are so you know how much sugar you may need.

4. Cut strawberries, transfer them to a bowl and add sugar.

5. Using a fork, mash the strawberries until they become a bright red sauce. Check for desired sugar levels. You can go fully smooth or leave bits of strawberries in. I tend to leave them for extra texture.

6. Add sour cream and mix all together. The best part of doing it in stages like that is seeing how the colour of strawberries transforms with sugar and cream.

7. Drain the pasta and let it cool. You can even shower it with some cold water as you don’t need any starch here. For any Italian having a heart attack reading this right now, think of it as a pasta salad.

8. Place the pasta in the bowls and pour over the strawberry-sugar-cream mixture. Top with some fresh strawberries, curd cheese, and mint leaves if you have them (I meant to add some myself but forgot to buy any in my frenzy).

PS. You could definitely make this a day ahead or use day-old pasta you kept in the fridge. Honestly, the colder the better.

Enjoy!