Paczki Paczki Paczki

While I've gotten healthier, from avoiding bladder surgery, among other things, after knocking out gluten, I was a little sad last Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras aka "Eat Drink and Be Merry For Tomorrow We Die to Self Day"- when I was offered paczki, and couldn't accept. Then I began a search- what to use to substitute for the basic all-purpose flours... guava and fava bean flours are sweet- sometimes a bit TOO sweet for some recipes, (although great for cookies and breads)- and of course, knowing I had a lot to learn. I missed out on paczki--- look at these...they're so lovely and so beautifully sinful! Stores begin selling these in a basic box a few days before Ash Wednesday... as part of the traditional "One last day for sweets, start cleaning out the larders, forty days of 'death to self' coming!" regimen. (To be honest, the day before the ash and sack-cloth of Lent, that Tuesday is pig out day now.)

For those unfamiliar, it's basically, ja, a jelly doughnut.
It is spelled "paczki", and I used to pronounce it accordingly, stemming from a habit of literally pronouncing what I read- other words included "Tao" and "segue". Pac-ski, or close enough. It's actually "poo-n-ch"-think punch with an "ooh" sound instead of an "uh"- "key". It is, beautifully fatty, sweet, and fried. It is a dieter's worst nighmare or sweetest wet-dream.
If you see them in stores, they'll probably be in a box like this, from places with large Polish populations like Chicago or Detroit (We also are a big part of Buffalo--- call out the last name "Kozlowski" in certain areas, and expect a lot of "Yeah, what"s!- it's our version of "Smith"!)
Oh, and uh-sage advice: STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE PRUNES. Unless you REALLY need them.
Na zadrovie!
Have a safe, fun, and food-filled Mardis Gras!
And my thanks to Gluten-Free Adelaide... I may not have to go without much longer!
Gluten-Free Paczki Recipe