Crepes With Sauerkraut & Mushrooms for Wigilia

Wesolych Swiat!

Our traditional Christmas Eve supper (Wigilia) is in a few days. This year we are having some friends join us for Wigilia who are not Polish and Laura has been thinking about the menu.  But we are determined to stay true to our family traditions. That’s important!

 

When Peter was young, his family faithfully followed most of the big traditions...starting Wigilia at the light of the first star, sharing the wafer (oplatek), setting an extra place at the table for the wayfaring stranger, and so on. This year, with our young granddaughter at the table, the practicality of maintaining regularly scheduled meal and bed times is more important than waiting for the first star to come out. Not everyone at our table eats fish so we just deal with it. But no one will be wearing jeans or flip flops, because after all Wigilia is special and only comes once a year. We still make our wishes for each other with the sharing of a wafer from Poland. We’ve gotten away from some of the traditional dishes that are more time consuming, but we each have something on the menu that is special and beloved. Each of these traditional dishes is in our book:

 

• Crepes with Sauerkraut & Mushrooms

• Classic Beet Soup

• Fish With Mushrooms & Cheese

• Vegetables Polonaise
• Holiday Nut Roll
• Platters of goodies from friends and 
    neighbors

 

As Peter & Laura travel the east coast to book signings, they are often asked about their favorite foods. For Christmas, everyone in our family agrees that there is one absolute beloved and favorite dish that must be prepared above all – the Crepes with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms. Here is the recipe for our perfect Christmas Eve starter - so that you can enjoy it with your family.

Crepes with Sauerkraut & Mushrooms (Yields 8 to 10)
 The Crepes:

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Mix the milk with the eggs, flour, water and salt in a blender or hand mixer at low speed.   Heat a small non-stick skillet which measures 6 to 7 inches across the base (crepe pans are great) and brush or lightly spray the bottom with cooking oil.   Pour a small amount of batter into the medium hot skillet.   (For a 6 inch pan use a just under 1/3 cup of batter per crepe.)   Immediately start swirling the pan around so the batter will evenly cover the bottom and put back on the burner.   When the crepe becomes firm on top, maybe 30 to 60 seconds, and just starts to lightly brown on the bottom, flip it over and cook the other side for another 15 seconds or so. (Tips - use a wide spatula with a thin edge; if you’ve never made crepes or pancakes before, try your hand at flipping by making a practice batch. The imperfect ones are very tasty with your favorite fruit jam). Remove the crepe from the pan and stack on a plate with a sheet of wax paper between crepes to prevent sticking. Continue this process until all the batter is used – you should get 8 to10 crepes from one batch. Note: The crepes can be made 4 or 5 days ahead of time, wrapped in plastic or foil; and stored in the fridge.

The Filling

• ½ pound sauerkrau
• 2 tablespoons butter or rendered bacon fat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper
• 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter

 Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly in a colander and squeeze heartily to remove the excess water. Do it again. Then, place the sauerkraut in a small amount of boiling water. Cook for 20 minutes and drain well. Heat the butter or bacon fat in a skillet; add the onions and sauté until golden. Add the mushrooms and sauté an additional 3 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and sauté until golden. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and add the egg and sour cream. Mix well. Spoon a small amount of the filling into the center of a crepe. Fold the crepe in envelope fashion to completely encase the filling. Roll the stuffed crepe in egg and then in bread crumbs. Gently fry crepes in butter until golden on both sides. Serve either hot or warm. Clear Barszcz (Classic Beet Soup on page 29 of our book) is the absolute perfect accompaniment.

Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku (Happy New Year)!

Polish Comfort Food - Sauerkraut With Mushrooms

Witamy!  Sauerkraut and mushrooms go together like...a horse and carriage...or Mom and apple pie...or baseball and hot dogs...or cookies and milk...or pierogi and anything!

We use sauerkraut that comes right from the nearest grocery store and we’re not picky.  I suppose making your own from scratch can be rewarding but we never seem to have time.  Besides, by the time we get done re-flavoring and stewing the kraut, any decent brand in the grocery stores is a great starting point.

Poles love to use dried forest mushrooms in their cooking.  They are like a gift times two - you get to use one of the richest, most savory, most complex foods there is, but you also get their “likker” which is a marvelous flavoring agent.  Their flavors are much stronger than the farm-raised fresh mushrooms common to large grocery stores.  And where they come from makes a big difference - always better from the forests of Eastern Europe...it’s something about the soil.

Dried mushrooms are available in many gourmet food stores or on line.  In fact Peter’s last batch was from Bulgaria purchased on eBay – about $25 for a one-pound bag, which was very reasonable considering that a pound of dried mushrooms fills a 3-quart cereal container and that a little 4-ounce bag of mushrooms imported from Poland can cost three or four bucks. 

This classic recipe is remarkable for its hearty flavors and adaptability because it pairs really well with just about any meat.  We like it best with braised pork or kielbasa, and of course with a glass or hearty red wine, Polish beer or glass of ice-cold Polish vodka. 

• 1 ounce dried mushrooms, washed  (or 4 ounces fresh mushrooms)
• ½ cup water
• 2 pounds sauerkraut, drained, well rinsed and drained again
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 6 slices bacon, partially cooked, and the bacon drippings
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for 45 minutes.  Drain but keep the mushroom water because it has all that good flavor.  Rinse the rehydrated mushrooms in fresh water to make sure no sand is left.  Drain well and slice thinly.  Note:  if using fresh mushrooms, they should be washed, quartered and sautéed in butter or oil.  A little mushroom bullion, available in Polish or Russian delis, can also intensify the mushroom flavor.

Bring the sauerkraut to a low boil and then simmer.  Sauté the sliced onions in butter or oil until they are just golden and add to the pot.  Cut the partially cooked bacon slices into one-inch pieces and add to the pot along with the bacon drippings.  Mix in the flour and sugar and simmer some more.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Let the mix stew for another 30 minutes or so, just making sure the pot does not go dry.  Add water or stock as needed.

This sauerkraut can be served after an hour of stewing but the flavors will be more pronounced if made a day early, cooled and reheated for at least 30 minutes.  One variation which we like a lot, is to add well browned pork chops or a small pork roast to the pot and let the meat braise until fork-tender. One-inch pork chops take about 45 minutes and a small pork roast can take up to two hours.  In either case, as the sauerkraut stews, the flavor actually becomes a bit milder.  And there’s no need to wait until tomorrow.

Consider making a double batch, freezing the left over sauerkraut for quick supper when time is short.  Defrost in the morning, add whatever meat you have handy and simmer for 30 minutes.  Wow!    Smacznego!

Thanksgiving Dinner - It'll Be a "Cheat Day"

Witamy! 

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Poland and is not really celebrated, except by American ex-pats, but many of the same foods typically associated with this Western holiday are enjoyed year-round.  Laura has already started planning our Thanksgiving feast.  This year it’s our turn to host “the kids” for Thanksgiving since they’ll be going to our son-in-law’s parents for Christmas.  Next year we’ll switch and I’m sure that’s similar to many families in the interest of fairness.  We’re not sure yet how many chairs will be occupied around the table since we always cast a net out among our friends and our kids’ friends for anyone who is facing the prospect of spending this holiday alone...”stray cats” as we call them affectionately. 

Most of our Thanksgiving dinners were spent with Peter’s parents.  Laura took over the lead for preparing the feasts very soon after we got married.  So she was in control of the menu.  The early years featured dishes that she grew up with, prepared by her Mom and Grandmothers.  But as she gained more experience and as our taste preferences changed, our menu slowly evolved.  Several decades later we have pretty much established our own traditional Thanksgiving menu.  But our list of delicacies can vary as she has been adding new dishes and new recipes to the “groaning board” - most of the time with enthusiastic acceptance. 

This year we’ve decided to cut back a bit on the number of dishes.  It’s just getting to be too much work and since most of our family seems to be on a carb-free diet this year,  Thanksgiving Day will be a designated “cheat day,”  but we want to minimize the left overs so that we’re not tempted by a week’s worth of stuffing and pumpkin pie.  In the theme of the recent Presidential election, Laura created a “ballot” of dishes we’ve prepared in past years, and everyone got to vote for their favorite versions of sides, relishes, vegetables and desserts – one each.  Of course, the turkey and stuffing were non-negotiable. 

The turkey has already been procured and is resting in the freezer.  Laura’s brand of choice is the Butterball since 35+ years of experience has established a comfort level that’s impossible to argue with.  Last week several days were spent pouring over the food ads from the newspaper searching for the best price.  I’m not sure why we put so much effort into trying to save ten cents a pound, but it is what it is.

One of Peter’s tasks is to choose the wine...and every year it’s a big debate – with himself!  There will be hours of research on line, multiple visits to his favorite wine store, tastings, discussions and more tastings.  More often than not we end up with a light and fruity Pinot Noir from Oregon, but this year he is leaning to one of the new and dry Rose’s from France.  But then there was this slight sweet Pinot Gris a few years back from Austria that was truly memorable, but then again...

However you celebrate Thanksgiving in your family, it seems that there’s no real one traditional menu any more...culinary traditions vary from family to family as each cook’s version has evolved over the years.  Each family’s Thanksgiving table usually showcases one or more family favorites...some beloved by all and some favored by just one or two.  It’s all about compromise.  For instance, Peter is not a fan of green beans sauced with cream of mushroom soup, or lime green jello with cream cheese, but if the others don’t mind my jellied cranberry sauce - right out of the can, then everyone is a winner. 

In any event, here is one of Peter’s Mom’s turkey recipes.  We published it in this space last year but it’s good enough to share again.  Frankly, we’re not sure if it is Polish or not, but we can keep that secret among ourselves.  And besides, you could always add a little fresh dill to the stuffing mix, and voila – it immediately becomes a Polish-style stuffing! 

Turkey Stuffed with Almonds and Raisins

One 14 to 16 pound turkey
½ cup butter, melted
6 slices white bread
¾ cup milk
Your turkey’s liver, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs separated
½ cup raisins
3 tablespoons almonds, peeled and slivered
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon sugar
One dash Allspice
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 cup of breadcrumbs

Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze out the liquid well.   butter, egg yolks raisins, almonds and spices.  Beat the egg whites with salt until stiff.  Fold into the stuffing mix a scoop at a time, alternating with the bread crumbs. Mix lightly.

Stuff the neck and body cavities and close with skewers. Brush with butter.  Place in the oven which has been preheated to 450 degrees.  Drop the thermostat to 325 degrees and roast about 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Baste skin frequently with the drippings.  Sprinkle skin with salt about half way.  Be sure to use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness (160 degrees) making sure the probe is set in the meat and not in the stuffing.   There are a ton of recipes out there for roasting turkey ...your favorite method will be great, as long as you use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. 
Smacznego!