For decades, I’ve written about my Polish family kitchen love for fresh dill in my columns and cookbooks.
One of the Chicago Southside restaurants our family loved to eat at over the years when visiting my dad’s older siblings (my city aunts and uncles) was the New Warsaw Inn Polish Buffet on 63rd Street near Midway Airport. During the COVID-19 pandemic, longtime owner Teresa Marcinkowski opted to close the restaurant, which was walking distance from both of the Chicago homes of my late Uncle Joe and Aunt Rose, as well as my late Uncle Bob and Aunt Wanda.
One of the favorite buffet staples on the menu was delicious meatballs in a rich dill gravy.
Even closer to Northwest Indiana readers was the similar “sister restaurant” run by Angie Golom for 50 years, also a popular Polish buffet, called just the Warsaw Inn and located in Lynwood, Ill. This restaurant, which closed in 2022, also featured Polish meatballs in fresh dill gravy as a specialty.
Farm friend Ann Scamerhorn promised to help me track down this wonderful meatball recipe to share with readers. It’s been a recipe search for many years, since I’ve not ever featured it previously in any of my columns or cookbooks. Resourceful Ann recalled that this recipe is also a favorite by the caterers who serve the Salvatorians at Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine, 5755 Pennsylvania St. in Merrillville.
On Sunday, June 9, a special noon Polish mass at the shrine marks the seventh annual Pilgrimage and Blessing of Polish Truckers and RVs.
The Mass and annual blessing of the semi-trucks will be followed by the Fatima Devotion and a picnic on the shrine grounds with favorite menu items, such as this recipe for the dill gravy meatballs and other delectable requests.
The shrine’s gift shop will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be a competition for “the Most Beautiful Truck” at 11:30 a.m. with trophies awarded to the top participants.
“It’s a wonderful event and I attend it annually,” said Ann, who also represents the NWI Polish American Cultural Society.
“This event is held rain or shine. Those who aren’t attending Mass but would like to have their truck or RV blessed should arrive at the shrine before 1 p.m. Due to space and parking limitations, participants are asked to bring only semi-truck tractor units to be blessed; no trailers, please.”
Ann said everyone is welcome and the event coordinators are Stan Czosnyka of the Lava Transport Company sharing co-hosting duties with the Salvatorians of Merrillville. For more information, call 219-884-0714.
This annual trucker pilgrimage was founded in 2018 by Czosnyka, due to his heritage and interests as owner of the transport company in Merrillville since he is a member of the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine community. Having logged more than 3 million miles as a professional truck driver, Czosnyka credits his faith for aiding him in safe travels and easing the loneliness of being separated from his family on long journeys.
Czosnyka hopes that the shrine’s proximity to Interstate 65 and U.S. 30 will attract truck drivers, RV enthusiasts, and their families to the June pilgrimage and provide an opportunity for them to worship and relax in a beautiful setting.
He said the event has attracted guests from throughout Northwest Indiana, Chicagoland, and as far away as Pennsylvania. The highlight is the small “parade” of semi-trucks and RVs that drive around the pathway in front of the church to receive a blessing from Fr. Mikolaj (“Nick”) Markiewicz, who serves as superior of the Salvatorians of Merrillville.
Stasia Podczerwinski of Crown Point and her sister-in-law, Zosia Podczerwinski of Valparaiso — both natives of Poland — have been the caterers at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine’s Millennium Hall in Merrillville since August 2019.
As promised by Ann, and myself, this week’s featured recipe is Klopsy (the term for Polish meatballs) with Dill Gravy, also a favorite Polish delicacy of Ann and the cultural society, whose members often volunteer at special events hosted by the shrine.
Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa @comhs.org or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.
“Klopsy,” aka Polish Meatballs, with Dill Gravy
Makes 8 servings
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 large egg
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup half and half
3 tablespoons flour
Fresh dill weed
Directions:
1. Sauté chopped onion in butter and transfer onion to a bowl.
2. Add in the ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper and mix well with hands and form meatballs.
3. Place meatballs in a pot, cover with chicken stock and then cover with lid and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Once cooked through, remove meatballs and strain the broth through a strainer before returning it to the pot and heat to a simmer.
5. In a bowl, whisk half and half with the flour and slowly add the paste mixture to thicken the gravy sauce, bringing it to a boil. Add fresh dill and season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
6. Return the meatballs to the gravy sauce and serve hot over mashed potatoes.
