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Christmas celebrations
in Poland
Christmas celebrations
start on Dec 24th. On that day families get together and
wait for the first star to appear in the sky. They break
the wafer and wish one another merry Christmas. Then a
prayer is said and the family sit at the table, which is
traditionally covered with a white tablecloth. There is
usually some hay under the tablecloth and one seat and
plate are reserved for a stranger to come. There’s a
beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the room with
lots of presents under it, brought by Father Christmas.
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Christmas Eve supper
consists of twelve dishes, all of which should be
meat-free. The traditional soup for that occasion is
borsch with small dumplings called ‘uszka’, which are
made of pastry and mushroom or sauerkraut filling or
sauerkraut and mushroom pies, fish soup or mushroom soup
with pasta. There are lots of fish dishes, e.g. fried
carp or cod, herring in oil or vinegar, trout in jelly,
cod in vegetables. Some of the typical Christmas cakes
are gingerbread cake called “piernik”, poppy-seed cake
called “makowiec”, or dried fruit cake called “keks.”
Some families have hot poppy-seeds with pasta and dried
fruit.
After the meal is over,
presents are opened and Christmas carols sung. Most
people go to church for a special midnight service.
Christmas Day and Dec
26th are spent visiting families, enjoying winter walks
and relaxing. Christmas day dinner usually consists of
roast duck, turkey or goose with potatoes, cooked red
cabbage or beetroots.
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Cod in Tomato and
Vegetable Sauce
For the sauce:
1 kilo carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
3 parsnips, peeled and coarsely grated
1 small celeriac, or half a bigger one, peeled and
coarsely grated
a few pimentos
a few bay leaves
about 200 ml tomato puree
salt and pepper
a teaspoon paprika
sugar
a few tablespoons olive oil
The cod:
1,5 kilo cod fillet
salt and pepper
wheat flour
olive oil
1. Heat the oil on a big pan, add the grated vegetables,
add salt and pepper, pimentos and bay leaves. Cover the
pan and simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring from
time to time. The vegetables shouldn’t be too tender.
2. Add the tomato puree so that the sauce is quite red.
Add salt, pepper, paprika and sugar as required.
3. Bone the cod. Cut the fish into smaller pieces.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Coat in flour and fry in
the oil on both sides.
4. Place the fried cod between the layers of the sauce
in a serving bowl. Depending on the height of the bowl,
you may add the second layer of fish and cover it with
the vegetable sauce.
A vegan variation
Instead of cod fillets, use fried or roasted aubergine
slices. Before frying or roasting the aubergine,
sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper, paprika and
granulated garlic. If roasting, brush the aubergine
slices generously with oil.
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Poppy-seed yeast cake
FOR THE DOUGH:
• half a kilo wheat flower
• 125 g butter or margarine
• half a glass sugar
• 3 eggs
• 50 g yeast
• a pinch of salt
FILLING
• 400 g poppy seeds
• 1 l milk
• 150 g butter or maragrine
• ¾ glass honey
• a pinch of vanilla sugar
• 100 g walnuts or almonds, chopped roughly
• 150 g raisins
• ½ glass candied orange peel, chopped finely
• 3 eggs
• 1 glass sugar
• 20 ml rum or brandy
Powdered sugar for coating
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TO MAKE THE FILLING
1. Rinse the poppy seeds, heat the milk. Put the poppy seeds
into a saucepan and add the boiling milk. Simmer over a very low
heat for about 30 minutes.
2. Drain the poppy seeds in a sieve and grind at least three
times.
3. Melt the butter or margarine with the honey and the vanilla
sugar in a big saucepan. Add the walnuts or almonds, raisins,
candied orange peel and the poppy seeds and fry the mixture over
a low heat for 15 minutes, often stirring.
4. Let the filling cool.
5. Separate the eggs from the yolks.
6. Mix the yolks with the sugar and blend until smooth and add
to the poppy seed mixture.
7. Whisk the whites into a froth and add to the poppy seed
mixture.
8. Stir in the alcohol.
TO MAKE THE DOUGH
1. Melt the milk, butter or margarine and sugar in the saucepan.
Cool the mixture.
2. Crumble the yeast into a small bowl and stir in a little
sugar. Put in a warm place and let rise.
3. Put the flour in a mixing bowl, add the milk, butter and
sugar mixture and mix well.
4. Separate 2 yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks and add to
the bowl, saving the whites. Break the third egg into the bowl
and add a pinch of salt. Mix well.
5. Add the yeast, mix the dough and beat it vigorously until the
dough comes off the sides of the bowl.
6. Leave the dough in a warm place and let it rise until it
doubles its size.
TO MAKE THREE LOAVES OF CAKE
1. Divide the dough into three parts.
2. Sprinkle some flour onto the rolling surface. Roll out one
part into a rectangle.
3. Beat the remaining whites and spread one third onto the
rolled-out dough.
4. Spread one third of the poppy seed mixture, leaving 2,5 cm
margins on the left and right side and at the top.
5. Place a sheet of baking paper under the bottom part of the
dough (the sheet should be wider than the rolled-out dough).
6. Roll up the dough, starting at the top towards the bottom.
7. Wrap up loosely in the baking sheet, tucking the edges of the
paper under.
8. Place the roll on a baking tray.
9. Repeat with the second and third part of the dough and the
filling.
10. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place.
11. Bake in a preheated oven (180 ºC) for 35-40 minutes until
the rolls are brown (but not very dark brown).
12. Cover with the powdered sugar before serving. |
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