Cecylia Klobukowska, from Poland, shows how to make traditional Polish Christmas fare: barszcz with uszka (clear beetroot soup with mushroom dumplings), honey cakes and honey cookies.
Cecylia Klobukowska, Wojciech Klobukowski and their small children came to New Zealand from Poland 25 years ago and first lived in Oamaru before moving to Dunedin. They brought some of their traditions from the other side of the world and still like to revive Polish customs at Christmas and Easter.
It was a meatless meal and in well-off homes 12 dishes were served including soup, fish and sauerkraut, and clear red barszcz (beetroot soup) with uszka (mushroom dumplings made with wild mushrooms from the forest). Honey cakes and poppyseed cakes, and crisp honey biscuits could be used to decorate the Christmas tree.
Christmas Eve barszcz with uszka (beetroot soup with dumplings)
For the soup
4 red beetroot
about 500g vegetables (carrot, parsnip, celery, leek)
a small bunch parsley with stalks1-2 tsp
whole allspice
1-2 tsp whole peppercorns
6-7 bayleaves
1-2 cups beet sour (see recipe at right)
2-4 cloves garlic, optional
lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar
For the dumplings
1 onion
400g mushrooms
2 Tbsp dry breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups flour
2 eggs
Salt to taste
About cup lukewarm water
Beet sour (fermented beetroot juice)
Beet sour needs to ferment for 3-4 days before using.
About 1kg beetroot
Boiled water, cooled to lukewarm
Some rye bread (crusts will do)
Peel, rinse and slice the beetroot.
Place in a glass or crockery jar with a slice or two of rye bread.
Cover with cooled boiled water.
Leave in a warm place for 3-4 days, then strain through cheesecloth. Pour the bright ruby-coloured liquid into a bottle and seal it. Store in a cool place.
Peel, rinse and thinly slice the beetroot. Wash the other vegetables, chop, put them all in a large pot and cover with cold salted water (about 2 litres).
Simmer for an hour to an hour and a-half.
Drain the stock and use the vegetables for something else.
(Parsnip and carrot can be mashed with butter and served as a side vegetable.)Add 1-2 cups beet sour (see recipe at right). The colour of the soup should be a clear, rich ruby.
You can lift the colour by adding a slice of raw peeled beetroot.
Add finely chopped raw garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and sugar to taste.
Serve with mushroom-filled uszka.
To make the dumplings, chop onion and mushrooms and cook slowly in oil until softened and light golden, but not browned.
Process to a paste with breadcrumbs and seasoning to taste.
To make the dough, add eggs to the flour and salt and mix with water to a firm dough. Knead for about 5-10 minutes until elastic.
Divide into two portions. Dust bench with flour and roll out dough thinly. Cut into squares of about 5cm. Put a teaspoonful of filling in each square. Fold over into a triangle and press the edges together to seal, then bring the two ends together to make little hat shapes.
To cook, bring a pot of salted water to the boil.
Drop in the uszka. When they float to the top they are done. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
You can cook these the day before, refrigerate them, then reheat in boiling water before serving. They also freeze well.
To serve, place 6-8 uszka in each soup bowl and pour the ruby-coloured soup over. Serve garnished with chopped parsley or marjoram.
Piernik (Christmas honey cake)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp mixed spice
2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 cups honey
200g butter
4 eggs, separated
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups mixed chopped walnuts, figs cut into strips, raisins and chopped candied orange peel
1 cup ground almonds
Preheat oven to 180degC. Grease and line a square cake tin with baking paper.
Put dry ingredients into a bowl and mix. Melt butter and honey until lukewarm (2 minutes in a microwave, then stir together). Mix into dry ingredients. Stir in egg yolks and lemon juice, fruit, nuts and ground almonds. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and stir in gently.
Pour batter into a prepared tin and bake at 180degC for 50 minutes to one hour.
You can make it as two loaves, which will cook more quickly. When cooked, spread with melted chocolate flavoured with a little lemon juice and almond essence, or icing, and sprinkle with chopped almonds if desired. This cake will last well.
Pierniczski (Christmas honey cookies)
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp mixed spice
1 tsp baking soda
100g butter
1 cup honey
2 eggs
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt honey and butter, but do not allow to become too hot (1 minute in a microwave, then stir the softened butter and honey together). Mix into the dry ingredients then mix in the eggs until a soft dough is formed.
Turn on to a floured surface and knead until smooth.
Cut in two, roll out and cut with a decorative cookie cutter. If the mixture is too soft, put in the fridge for half an hour to firm up.
Place cookies on a baking paper-lined oven tray, brush with beaten egg yolk mixed with a little water if desired, and top with an almond. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 180degC.
If you wish to use them as Christmas tree decorations, make a small hole in the top using a straw, and when cooked, decorate with icing and hang on the tree with ribbon.
• Thanks to Afife Harris and Taste Nature.
