Nothing puts you in a Christmas mood better than the aroma of Christmas Eve dishes wafting through the house. During this special time, no one complains about the smell of fried fish or boiling cabbage with peas. Christmas without a bustle in the kitchen? We don't even consider such an option. The holiday atmosphere has settled in for good, and on this occasion, we propose a whole collection of recipes for Christmas. This time, we focused on sweeter flavors that will certainly tempt the youngest, though we are sure adults will find them hard to resist as well.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Christmas Eve pierogi with prunes
- Christmas racuchy (pancakes) with raisins
- Christmas Eve poppy seed finger-noodles (paluchy)
Christmas Eve pierogi with prunes
Pierogi are a mandatory item on the Christmas Eve table. Everyone probably knows and loves traditional pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, but sometimes a change is needed to try something new. This time we propose a sweet version - pierogi with a dried prune filling. This Old Polish holiday dish will make you remember the tastes of childhood and the Christmas Eve dinner prepared by your grandmother. After all, the older we get, the harder it is to feel childlike joy, so it's worth using every way possible.
INGREDIENTS:
- Wheat flour - 400 g
- 1 egg
- Butter
- Salt
- California dried prunes
- Water
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon stick
- Walnuts
PREPARATION:
Place about 200 g of dried prunes in a pot and cover them with water. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a grated cinnamon stick. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the fruit becomes soft. Then drain the water and leave the prunes to cool.
To prepare the dough, pour the sifted flour into a bowl, add a tablespoon of butter, the egg, and salt to taste (we recommend 1 teaspoon). Next, slowly adding water, mix the ingredients and knead the dough until a smooth, soft mass is obtained.
Divide the dough in half and roll out both parts into thin sheets. Then, using a glass, cut out circles and reach for the previously prepared filling.
Place prunes in the center of each cut-out circle, fold in half, and seal the edges thoroughly so the pierogi do not fall apart during cooking.
Drop the prepared pierogi in batches into a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. When the pierogi float to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a platter.
Before serving on the Christmas Eve table, drizzle the pierogi with a walnut topping. To do this, melt butter in a pan and add finely chopped (but not ground) walnuts. Toast for a moment until golden brown and pour over the pierogi. Delicious!
CHRISTMAS RACUCHY WITH RAISINS
In our store, you will likely find everything needed to prepare a delicious Christmas Eve. Well, maybe except for the carp ;) But man does not live by fish alone, and besides, not everyone likes it. For the picky eaters and those who prefer something sweet, we have a proposal for Christmas Eve racuchy full of dried fruits and nuts, without which Christmas wouldn't be the same. This Christmas Eve dish is very popular among children, so if you have trouble convincing them to try any of the 12 traditional dishes, definitely try this recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
- Kurpiowska flour
- Salt
- Yeast
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla sugar
- Cinnamon
- 8 egg yolks
- Sultana or Malayer raisins or dried cranberries
- Water
- Unrefined rapeseed oil
- Optional: apples
PREPARATION:
Sift about 800 g of flour into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt, 4 teaspoons of sugar, and 80 g of yeast. We recommend instant yeast, which is available in our store. It is much more practical than preparing a starter.
Add the egg yolks and about 2 cups of water to the mixed dry ingredients and stir until a smooth mass with the consistency of thick cream is obtained.
Add the raisins or dried cranberries to the mass and mix until the fruit is evenly distributed in the dough. Set aside for 60 minutes to rise, covering the bowl with a linen cloth.
Then heat oil in a pan and spoon the dough out to form pancakes of any size. During frying, you can press apple wedges into the racuchy, but it is not necessary.
After frying on both sides, remove to a paper towel to get rid of excess fat. Once cooled, sprinkle the racuchy with vanilla sugar mixed with cinnamon and serve on the Christmas Eve table. The aroma of the spices is wonderful! Enjoy! :)
CHRISTMAS EVE POPPY SEED FINGER-NOODLES
Poppy seed finger-noodles (paluchy) are an incredibly simple Christmas Eve dish to prepare, which we know, of course, thanks to our grandmothers. Once you try this Old Polish recipe, you won't be able to wait for the next Christmas to have an excuse to make them. Intrigued? Then let's go to the kitchen!
INGREDIENTS:
- Wheat flour (e.g., cake flour)
- Water
- Salt
- Unrefined rapeseed oil
- Poppy seeds
- Honey
- Milk
- Nuts for serving
PREPARATION:
Start by preparing the poppy seed mass. Cover the poppy seeds with water and cook until they soften. Drain if the water hasn't been fully absorbed and then pass through a grinder twice. You can also find such indestructible grinding equipment in our assortment. Add honey for sweetness and grind the mass once more. Boil a cup of milk and add to the poppy seeds, stirring until a mousse is formed.
Pour about ½ kg of flour, half a cup of water, and half a shot glass of unrefined rapeseed oil into a bowl and mix all ingredients until they combine into a smooth dough. Form thin rollers and tear off pieces, then roll them in your hands so that something shaped like fingers is created :)
Drop the prepared noodles into salted boiling water and wait until they float.
Collect them with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl. Then mix the still-hot noodles with the poppy seed mass, and it's ready.
Serve the paluchy sprinkled with dried fruits and nuts; we particularly recommend walnuts and almonds.
Sweet versions of Christmas Eve dishes are nothing new on Polish tables. Many of us have long given up several traditional savory dishes in favor of children's and our own preferences. In the next part of the Proposal for 12 dishes for the Christmas Eve table, we return to classic Polish meals worth checking out.
