The Virtual Supper Club – April 2004 Edition
Much like the Christmas celebration of the Polish Wigilia, food is at the heart of the Pole’s Easter celebration. The Polish people, being deeply religious, are grateful to God fo all His gifts of both nature and grace. As a token of this gratitude, the food of their table is sanctified with the hope that spring, the season of the Resurrection, will also be blessed by God’s goodness and mercy.
The usual fare on the Easter table includes ham and kielbasa, babkas (cakes) and eggs (some shelled, some decorated). There is usually a Paschal Lamb (molded of butter holding a flag with a cross on it), some cheese, horseradish, salt, vinegar and oil. This food, placed in a basket, covered with linen, and taken to Church on Holy Saturday is blessed. After the blessing, the food is set aside until Easter morning, when the head of the house shares the blessed egg, a symbol of life, with family and friends. After everyone has exchanged wishes, a hearty meal is enjoyed.
The treasured Polish custom – the Swieconka – is centuries old, and richly symbolic and beautiful. The butter (shaped into the lamb) reminds us of the good will of Christ that we shold haave towards all things. The Babka is symbolic of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life. The Horseradish is symbolic of the Passion of Christ, while the eggs symbolize new life and Christ’s Resurrection from the tomb.
The Kielbasa and Ham are symbolic of God’ favor and generosity and great joy and abundance. Salt, a necessary eleent in our physical life, it symbolizes prosperity and justice and reminds us that people are the flavor of the earth.
With leftover kielbasa and Poker Night on the horizon, I started thinking about a menu that might do double duty. What better way to welcome spring, than to extend the blessings of the Easter Swieconka to a meal for friends. For good measure, the dessert is specially selected for the Blog Burning event on April 18th (not to mention it is Luke Approved!).
And so, won’t you join me in preparing the April Edition of The Virtual Supper Club:
Cucumber Salad
Sweet and Tangy Kielbasa
Hummingbird Cake
I found a recipe for a kielbasa starter – Kielbasa with Honey Mustard – that is, well… interesting. If you don’t have enough kielbasa to prepare the meal, use whatever leftovers you have to make this starter or serve as a snack.
For a beverage selection, it seems to me that the only thing that’s gonna go with this is good ale or dark beer.
The Recipes:
Cucumber Salad (Mizeria – Cucumbers with Sour Cream Dressing)
From Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans, ©1948 Copyright, Polanie Publishing Company
Salting cucumbres to wilt them, makes them indigestible. Scalding will wilt them and remove the bitterness.
2 large cucumbers
Boiling water to cover
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Dash of pepper
1 teaspoon chopped dill (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped chives (optional)
1 hard-cooked egg (optional)
Lemon juice or vinegar
Wash cucumbers. If they are young with a tender skin and from your garden, do not peel them. Otherwise, peel cucumbers and run a fork lengthwise down the cucumber to a depth of 1/8 ince to make a scallop on each slice. Slice the cucumbers very thin. Cover with boiling water and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and plunge cucumbers into cold water. Drain and set in refrigerator for half hour. Mix sour cream with sugar, pepper and any of the optional ingredients. Salt cucumbers well and combine with sour cream mixture. Correct tartness with lemon juice or vinegar. Serve cold.
Sweet and Tangy Kielbasa
Recipe by: CZERWS’ Polish Food Products, www.kielbasaboys.com
5 lbs. CZERWS’ Homemade Smoked Kielbasa
8 oz. can tomato sauce or 1 cup of tomato ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon red hot sauce
1 tablespoon horseradish (optional)
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in reserved pineapple juice from canned pineapple chunks
Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce is thickened. Cut up five pounds of Czerws’ Homemade Smoked Kielbasa and place in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Pour the sauce over the kielbasa and bake at 350 for one hour. You can also simmer in a crockpot on low for 5-6 hours. The longer it simmers, the better!
Kielbasa with Honey Mustard
Printed from www.Allrecipes.com
The best type of honey mustard for this recipe is a mustard with more honey texture than mustard.
Prep Time: approx. 10 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 5 Minutes.
Ready in: approx. 15 Minutes. Makes 5 to 6 servings.
1 pound kielbasa sausage
1 1/2 cups ginger ale
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 small sweet onion, sliced
5 or 6 large white mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces honey mustard
Directions
Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice kielbasa diagonally into 1/4 inch pieces.
In a medium-size skillet saute kielbasa in ginger ale until they are heated through. Using a slotted spoon, remove kielbasa from skillet, draining liquid back into skillet. Transfer kielbasa slices to a plate. Add the onions and mushrooms to the ginger ale (after removing the sausage) and let them cook down until the ginger ale turned into a nice, carmely glaze.
Arrange the kielbasa on the prepared baking sheet, then sprinkle them with brown sugar.
Broil the kielbasa until the brown sugar melts and begins to crystallize, check after 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the kielbasa with honey mustard for dipping, and pita bread.
Luke Approved! Hummingbird Cake with Dried Pineapple Flowers
Adapted from Martha Steward Living, ©2002 copyright, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
All vegetable shortening to grease pans and wire racks
3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 can (8ounces) crushed pineapple drained
1 cup chopped dried figs
1 cup unsweetened coconut
Posie Frosting (recipe follows)
Dried Pineapple Flowers (optional) (recipe follows)
Makes 1 nine-inch layer cake.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line the bottom of pans with parchment paper. Grease the paper and dust pans with flour, tapping out any excess; set pans aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat oil, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at a medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, mix together, banana, figs, pineapple, and coconut. Add to egg mixture; stir until well combined. Add flour mixture; blend well.
- Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until golden brown, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Transfer pans to a greased wire rack. Let pans cool 15 minutes. Run a knife around edges t loosen. Invert onto racks; reinvert, top side up. Cool completely. Assemble cake, or wrap each layer well and freeze (thaw before using).
- With a serrated knife, trim and discard rounded top off one layer (It is ok if the second layer is a bit rounded, for it becomes the top of the cake). Place trimmed layer on serving platter. Using an off-set spatula, spread the top of layer with 1/4-inch of frosting. Top with the untrimmed layer. Lightly coat the assembled cake with a thin layer of frosting to protect against crumbs in the frosting. Finish with remaining frosting. Decorate with dried pineapple flowers, if desired. Serve at room temperature. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Luke Approved! Posie Cream Fosting
From What’s to Eat?, © 2002 Copyright By Linda Marienhoff Coss
This is especially good for use in a decorating bag, for cake decorating. Please note that it is essential that you use electric beaters for this recipe – the consistencey will be terrible if you mix it by hand.
2 cups dairy-free 100% vegetable shortening
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups sifted powdered sugar, divided use
¼ cup dairy-free margarine, room temperature
1-12/ teaspoons vanilla extract
Food color, optional
Place shortening, salt, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, margarine and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat with electric beaters at medium speed until mixture is smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar until of spreading consistency. If desired, tint with food color.
Makes enough frosting to frost a 9-inch double-layer cake or a 9" x 13" single layer sheet cake, with enough left over for decorating.
Dried Pineapple Flowers
Makes about 2 dozen
2 large pineapples or 4 small pineapples
1. Preheat oven to 225°. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper.
2. Peel pineapples and remove "eyes" using a very tiny melonballer. Cut crosswise into very thin slices and place in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake until tops look dry, about 4 hours. Using tongs, flip slices over and continue to cook until completely dried out, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
(Note: baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the slices; for an added decorative touch, remove from oven and allow to cool draped over a popover tin or muffin pan. This will give the "flower" added dimension.).
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