Zapiekanka - BLENDABELLA Recipe Challenge

Polish Street Food

One of my favorite foods is Zapiekanka, a delicious and comforting Polish Street food.

A zapiekanka (Polish pronunciation: [zapʲɛˈkaŋka]; plural: zapiekanki, pronounced [zapʲɛˈkaŋkʲi]) is an open-face sandwich made of half of a baguette or other long roll of bread, topped with sautéed white mushrooms, cheese and sometimes other ingredients, and toasted until the cheese melts. Served hot with ketchup, it is a popular street food in Poland. With its origin dating back to the 1970s, the zapiekanka is associated with the austere times of Poland’s Communist regime, but it has enjoyed renewed demand in the 21st century, which has also brought a wider range of varieties. SOURCE: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Perfect Fit

I knew this recipe would be the perfect fit for the BLENDABELLA Blogger Recipe Challenge because I could use the BLENDABELLA mushroom mixes. The original recipe calls for a blended mushroom mixture which takes about 25 minutes to cook; plus the amount of time it takes to bake the dish.

However by utilizing the BLENDABELLA products, this recipe is on the table in less than 15 minutes!

A word from this challenge's Sponsor Giorgio Foods:

"We want food bloggers to mix some mushrooms up in the kitchen this season with its Blendabella Summer Blogger Recipe Challenge.
The Temple, Pa.-based company’s Blendabella product is a mushroom blend with portabellas, vegetables and herbs and comes in Zesty Mexican, Coconut Thai and Rustic Tuscan flavors, according to a news release.
The contest runs July 1 through Sept. 30, and the first 50 eligible bloggers to sign up can compete for $500 prizes for appetizers, side dishes and entrees.

The winning recipes from those categories will then compete for a $1,000 grand prize, according to the release.

So Many Options...

Making Zapiekanka is a blast when using the BLENDABELLA mushroom blends. I couldn't decide which flavor to use, so I ended up using all three blends. My recommendation for this specific dish would be the Rustic Tuscan Blend, as it tastes the most like traditional Zapiekanka. While all of the blends are delicious, the other flavors bring more of a perspective in regards to different tastes from around the world.

The recipe is so easy (see below):

Choose you favorite Giorgio BLENDABELLA mushroom flavor mix
Spread Blendabella generously over a sliced baguette
Add your favorite cheese or my suggested cheeses below
Bake on a pizza stone or sheet pan in a 350F. degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until cheeses are melted and bread is crisp
Serve with traditional ketchup or one of my easy to make sauces (recipes below)