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Eight 3-Course Wigilia Suppers
Traditionally the five-course Wigilia supper was once the most modest spread, found even in the poorest of homes. Seven, nine and 11-course suppers were standard in better-to-do households, and in some parts of Poland a 12-course meal was typical. However, many Polish-American households nowadays comprise only one or two members and do not do much cooking anymore, so even a three-course supper may be quite a challenge to some. If you feel up to more, there is nothing to stop you from expanding the following trios to include dishes from any of the other combinations given below.
1.
COUNTRY-STYLE MUSHROOM SOUP (zupa grzybowa po wiejsku): In 2 T butter or oil cook 8-12 oz chopped fresh portobello mushrooms and 1 chopped onion until lightly browned. Place in soup pot, drench with 6 c water, add 2 peeled diced potatoes and 1 mushroom bouillon and cook until potatoes are tender. Cream with ¾ c sour cream fork-blended with a heaping T flour. Salt & pepper, sour to taste with sauerkraut juice or cider vinegar and simmer a bit longer.
HERRING IN OIL (śledź w oleju): Drain 12 oz. jar marinated herring, discarding onions and spices. Plunge into cold water, drain and pat dry. Place in clean jar and drench with salad oil of choice to cover. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, remove herring with fork to serving platter. Top each piece with a little very finely chopped onion. Serve with plain boiled potatoes or rye bread.
DRIED-FRUIT COMPOTE (kompot wigilijny z suszu): Soak 2 c. mixed dry fruit, ½ c diced dried figs and ½ c raisins in water to cover water 2 hours. Add a little more water if all has been absorbed and cook about 15 min. A pinch of cinnamon may be added before cooking. Serve chilled in dessert bowls. Note: To serve as a fruit drink, dilute with as much pre-boiled water as you like. Add a bit of lemon juice for added zing.
2.
FRIED BREADED FISH (ryba smażona w panierce): Wash and dry 2 -3 lbs. fresh-water or ocean fish fillets. Sprinkle with lemon juice, intersperse with onion slices, salt well and refrigerate several hours or overnight. When ready to use, dry fillets on absorbent paper, Dredge in flour, dip in egg wash and roll in bread crumbs, pressing breading in so it adheres. Fry on both sides in hot oil until golden brown on the outside and fully cooked on the inside.
EASY SAUERKRAUT AND PEAS (łatwa kapusta z grochem): Drain, rinse if very sour and chop coarsely 1 pt. or more sauerkraut, transfer to pot, add cold water to cover, 1 bayleaf and 1 mushroom bouillon cube and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook 30 min uncovered, adding more water as it evaporates. Add 1/2 t caraway seeds, cover and cook another 30 min or until tender. While it cooks, fry up 3-4 oz washed and diced portobello mushrooms and 1 chopped onion in 2-3 T butter until lightly browned and add to sauerkraut along with 1 c drained, canned chickpeas and 1 t sugar. Simmer another 30 min or longer. Season with pepper and marjoram to
GROATS OR NOODLES & FRUIT (kasza lub kluski z owocami): Place hot cooked buckwheat groats, barley, rice or well-drained egg noodles on serving dish, dot with butter and over them ladle fruit topping of choice: dried-fruit compote (above), home-made or store-bought preserves or even canned apple- or cherry-pie filling.
3.
CLEAR BEETROOT SOUP (czysty barszcz czerwony): In pot combine 3 c beet juice (from canned beets), 2 c apple juice and 3 c vegetable bouillon (home-made, canned or bouillon-cube type). Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer briefly. Add 2 T vinegar and season to taste with a little garlic powder, liquid mushroom extract, pepper, sugar and a pinch of marjoram. Simmer a few min, switch off heat and let stand a few min covered for flavors to blend. Note: This soup can also be made with liquid beet concentrate (koncentrat barszczu), available at Polish delis. There you can also find Krakus and Hortex brand heat-and-eat barszcz in 1-liter cartons. Serve with hot, hand-held pasties (below)
PASTIES (paszteciki): Open a can of refrigerator crescent-roll dough. Place a spoonful of filling on each piece, roll up, pinch sides shut and bake according to package directions. For the filling, combine 1 c cooked rice, 5 chopped hard-cooked eggs, 2 diced onions sautéed in 2 T butter until lightly browned. Combine ingredients with 1 small beaten uncooked egg, 1-2 heaping T. chopped fresh or frozen dill and salt & pepper to taste.
CREAM-BAKED PIKE (szczupak zapiekany w śmietanie): Rinse well and pat and dry 2 lbs. northern pike, walleye or sea pike (hake) fillets, sprinkle with juice of 1 lemon, salt well and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Pat dry. Place 2 T butter in casserole and heat in oven. Place fillets in casserole and roll in the hot butter to coat all sides. Bake in 375° oven uncovered about 15 min. Meanwhile, in saucepan melt 2 T butter, stir in 1 T flour. Remove from heat, stir in ľ c. fork-blended sour cream, add Ľ t salt, return to heat and simmer until bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 t lemon juice. Pour sauce over fish and bake about 15-20 or until fish is fully cooked. Dust with paprika and garnish with chopped parsley just before serving.
NOODLES & POPPYSEEDS (kluski z makiem): In pot combine 2 c poppyseed with plenty of cold water and swish around with hand. Pour off any impurities that float up. Drench with cold water again and drain through fine sieve. Place poppyseeds in pot, scald with boiling water to cover and simmer on low until poppyseeds disintegrate between fingers (about 40 min.). Drain in fine sieve, pressing out moisture. Pass through fine strainer of meat-grinder twice or through special poppyseed-grinder once. Or process them in food-processor several min until puréed. In saucepan melt 3-1/2 T. butter, add poppyseeds, 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 t grated lemon zest and 1/2 c honey and simmer 15 min or on low heat, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 t vanilla extract and/or several drops of almond extract. Optional: 1/3 – 1/2 c plumped raisins may be added. Toss with cooked egg noodles and serve room temp or chilled. Note: A store-bought canned poppyseed pastry filling may be used if you lack the time and/or energy to make it from scratch.
4.
PICKLED HERRING (śledź marynowany): Store-bought pickled or marinated herring is good just as it comes from the jar, and it’s a great time-saver. Drain, discarding onion and spices, and serve with boiled potatoes on the side as a traditional Wigilia entrée.
BATTER-FRIED MUSHROOMS (grzyby smażone w cieście): Soak 12 large dried bolete mushroom caps of roughly equal size in warm water 1 or more hours or overnight. Add 1/2 t salt and cook in same water at a gentle boil until fully cooked but still firm. Carefully remove mushrooms, drain and dry on absorbent paper. (Save water in which mushrooms cooked for other purposes: soups, gravies, sauerkraut dishes, etc.) For the batter, combine 3/4 c flour, 1/2 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt, 1 t oil and several dashes pepper, stir in 1 c milk and 1 beaten egg and whisk until smooth. Let stand 30 min. Dredge cooked mushroom caps flour, shaking off excess, dip in batter to cover and fry in 1/2” hot oil to a nice golden-brown on both sides. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot as a dish in itself or a hand-held go-together with clear red barszcz.
POPPYSEED ROLL (makowiec, strucla z makiem): Sift 3 c flour onto bread board and cut in ⅓ lb. butter, chopping to achieve a groat-like consistency. Add 2 eggs and 3 yolks, lightly beaten, ½ c sour cream, 1 scant c confectioner’s sugar, 1 t grated lemon zest, ½ t vanilla and 1 cake yeast mashed with 1 T sugar. Quickly work ingredients into a dough, adding a bit more sour cream if it is too stiff to handle. Divide in two and roll each half out into a roughly 10” x 14” rectangle. Spread each rectangle with commercial poppyseed filling, leaving a ¾ ” margin round the edges, and roll up jelly-roll fashion. Transfer to baking pan, cover with cloth and leave in warm place to rise. Bake in preheated 390° oven 40-50 min. Drizzle with plain white icing and sprinkle with raisins and/or shaved almonds.
5.
CLEAR MUSHROOM SOUP (czysta zupa grzybowa): Wash well, drain and dice 6 oz. fresh portobello mushrooms, simmer with a small chopped onion in 2 T. butter 10-15 min. or until fully cooked. Place in pot, add 6 c. water and 1 mushroom bouillon cube and simmer covered 10 min. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a dash of vinegar. Garnish with a little fresh chopped parley, if desired, and serve over cooked egg noodles or lasagna cut into 1” squares.
FRIED FISH (ryba smażona): Wash and dry 2 -3 lbs. very fresh or thawed fish fillets (pike, carp, walleye, lake perch, catfish, bass, cod, hake, pollock, haddock, etc.), sprinkle with lemon juice, intersperse with onion slices, salt well and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Rinse and pat dry, salt & pepper, dust with paprika, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, fry on both sides in hot oil until golden brown on the outside and fully cooked on the inside.
HORSERADISH SAUCE (sos chrzanowy): Fork-blend 2/3 c mayonnaise, 1/3 c sour cream and 1-2 heaping T prepared horseradish. Season to taste with lemon juice, sugar and a pinch of salt and serve with fried fish.
NOODLES & PLUM BUTTER (kluski z powidłami): Cook a package of egg noodles in lightly salted water until tender (a while longer than the Italian-style “al dente” time given on the package!). Drain, turn out onto serving platter, dot with butter and spoon some powidła (imported Polish plum butter) over it.
6.
FISH POLONAISE (ryba po polsku): In 4 c vegetable stock containing 2 T cider vinegar cook 2 lbs. lake perch fillets (or similar) until done (only a few min). Carefully transfer cooked fillets with slotted spoon to platter and keep warm in oven. In saucepan melt 3 T butter and switch off heat. Add 4-5 finely-chopped hard-cooked eggs and toss to coat evenly with butter. Add 2 -3 T fresh finely-chopped dill and salt & pepper generously. Toss to blend ingredients. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and cover with hard-boiled-egg topping.
GROATS & MUSHROOMS (kasza z grzybami): Slice thin 1 lb. washed and dried fresh portobello mushrooms. In large skillet sauté 1 finely-chopped onion in 2-3 T butter or margarine until tender and golden. Add the mushrooms, toss with spatula to coat all over, add 3 T water, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until cooked (15-20 min or so), stirring occasionally. Salt & pepper. Fork-blend 2/3 c sour cream with 1 T flour, stir into mushrooms and simmer on low 2-3 min. Garnish with chopped fresh dill and/or parsley (optional). Serve over cooked buckwheat groats, boiled potatoes, noodles or rice. Variation: This dish will be even tastier if made with 2 oz or more rehydrated and cooked dried Polish bolete mushrooms.
POLISH HONEY-SPICE CAKE (piernik): In a large bowl, mix a scant c sugar with 2 t ginger, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t pepper, 1/2 cloves and 1/2 nutmeg or allspice (all spices ground). Stir in 4 slightly beaten eggs, 1/2 c milk, 1/4 c salad oil and 1 t baking soda. Bring 1 c honey to boil in saucepan, set aside to cool slightly and then stir into other ingredients along with 4 c flour. Mix by hand with wooden spoon about 10 min, then cover with cloth and let dough rest 1 hr. Transfer dough, which should not exceed a height of 2 inches, to lightly buttered baking pans and bake in preheated 325° oven about 75 min or until pick inserted at center comes out clean. Serve as is, dusted with confectioner’s sugar or glazed, as preferred.
7.
CHRISTMAS EVE RYEMEAL SOUP (żurek wigilijny): Soak 4-5 dried Bolete mushrooms several hours or overnight in 2 c water and cook in same water until tender. Slice or dice cooked mushrooms and add together with mushroom stock to 3 c vegetable stock. In it cook 2-3 diced potatoes. When potatoes are fully cooked, a 1 c liquid rye sour (żur) or to taste, bring to boil. and remove from heat. Fork-blend 1/2-3/4 c sour cream with 1 T flour until smooth and stir 1 c hot soup into mixture, 1 T at a time so sour cream doesn’t curdle. Slowly stir in sour-cream mixture into soup and heat gently several min but do not boil, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper and several pinches marjoram.
MUSHROOM GOŁĄBKI (gołąbki z grzybami): In 3 T butter, margarine or oil sauté 12 oz fresh wild or store-bought portobello mushrooms (washed and diced) with 2 med chopped onions. Combine with 3-3-1/2 c preferably slightly undercooked rice, barley or buckwheat groats, cooked with 1 mushroom cube. Add 1 raw egg and mix to blend ingredients. Salt & pepper to taste and (optional) garnish with 1 T chopped fresh parsley. Spread pre-wilted cabbage leaves with mixture, tuck in side and roll up as usual. Arrange snugly in no more than 2 layers in roasting pan or casserole drench with 3 c vegetable stock and bake in preheated 350° oven at least 2 hours. Serve drenched with mushroom sauce (made by combining and bringing to boil 3 c water, 1 mushroom bouillon cube and 1 can cream of mushroom soup; after switching off heat, stir in a heaping T sour cream).
WARSAW FRUIT CAKE (keks warszawski): Beat 5 eggs with 1-3/4 c confectioner’s sugar until creamy. Cream 3/4 c butter with 1 t vanilla extract until light and fluffy, then beat in 1/4 c milk and 1/2 t salt. Sift 1-1/2 c flour with 2 t baking powder, add to butter mixture and mix well. Fold in egg mixture and another 1-1/2 c flour. In cornstarch-filled plastic bag place 1 c chopped prunes and figs, 1/2 c raisins and 3/4 c chopped walnuts and shake to coat thoroughly. Fold into dough and mix to distribute evenly. Transfer dough to well-greased, bread-crumb-sprinkled loaf pan(s) and bake in preheated 350° about 50 min.
8.
HERRING SALAD (sałatka śledziowa): Drain 8 oz jar marinated herring and discard onions and spices. Dice herring and place in salad bowl. Add 2 c cold, cooked diced potatoes, 2 peeled, diced cooking apples, 2 chopped onions, 2 chopped dill pickles and 1 t. chopped fresh parsley. Toss gently and fold in sauce: fork-blend 1˝ c. mayonnaise with ˝ c. sour cream and 1- 2 T. brown prepared mustard. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Optional: for a gourmet twist add 1 heaping t. capers.
CHEESE & POTATO-FILLED PIEROGI (pierogi z kartoflami i serem., “ruskie”): For pierogi dough, sift 2½ c. flour onto board, sprinkle with ½ t salt, deposit whole egg and 1 T salad oil at center and blend ingredients. Add about ½ c. water a little at a time, working the dough constantly to absorb it. Knead dough until smooth, roll it into a ball and let is rest beneath a warm inverted bowl 10 min. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: cook 1 lb. potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Drain and cool. Add ½ lb. crumbed farmer cheese and mash together with the potatoes until mixture is uniform. (If you like, you can whirl ½ lb. dried cottage cheese in food-processor to a fine powder and use it instead of the farmer cheese.) In 2 T oil lightly brown 2 chopped onions and add to mixture. Mix well and salt & pepper to taste. Roll out dough thin on floured board, cut into rounds with glass or biscuit-cutter, place a spoonful of filling at center of each round, fold in half, pinch edges together to seal. Cook in batches in a large pot of boiling salted water. Cooking time is roughly 10 min, but test one for doneness just to be sure. Serve with melted butter, sour cream or butter-fried bread crumbs (Polonaise topping). Note: If you can’t make them from scratch, use store-bought pierogi.
CRANBERRY JELLY DESSERT (kisiel żurawinowy): In pot combine 2 c raw cranberries, 2 cloves and 1 c water, bring to boil and cook until the skins of the cranberries pop. Discard cloves. With wooden pestle or spoon force cranberries through metal sieve (a plastic one may melt!), using rubber spatula to scrape scrapings from bottom of sieve into a clean pot. Add 1 c sugar and a pinch of cinnamon (optional) and simmer until sugar dissolves. Dissolve 3 T + 1 t potato starch (or cornstarch) in 1 c cold water and add to cranberries. Simmer a few min, stirring constantly, and transfer to bowl, cover and let stand until cooled to room temp. Serve at room temp or chilled, topped with super-easy vanilla sauce: beat 2 T instant vanilla-pudding mix powder (more or less) with 3/4 c cold milk to get a nice, pourable sauce.
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