Life in Poland

Christmas Dishes: Kutia and Herring – Potrawy Świąteczne: Kutia i Śledź

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Kutia. Here’s the recipe according to my mother-in-law. And she knows her stuff!

Nie byłoby Świąt bez kutii. Oto przepis według mojej teściowej. A ona się zna!

Kutia

“kutia” wheatautumn 2010 096 -whole grains

raisins

honey

nuts of your choice

poppy seeds

candied orange peel

cream at least 18%

pszenica na kutię – całe ziarna

rodzynki

miód

orzechy – do wyboru

mak

kandyzowana skórka z pomarańczy

śmietanka – co najmniej 18%

Soak the wheat overnight. Boil in a large pot until the wheat softens. Depending on the brand of wheat, it can take from 1 hour to as long as 3. Drain and rinse the wheat.

Mix the cooked wheat, honey (to taste – I use about 6 teaspoons for one bag of wheat), raisins, chopped nuts (I use walnuts and sometimes almonds), poppy and candied orange peel (I used canned and prepared poppy seeds) and a couple of tablespoons of cream.

Mocz pszenicę w wodzie przez noc. Gotuj w dużym garnku aż zmięknie. W zależności od rodzaju ziarna może to zająć od 1 do 3 godzin. Odcedź i wypłucz pszenicę.

Wymieszaj ugotowaną pszenicę, miód (żeby był smak ja używam około 6 łyżeczek na jeden woreczek pszenicy), rodzynki, posiekane orzechy (ja używam włoskie a czasami migdały), mak i skórkę pomarańczy (używam maku gotowego z puszki) i kilka łyżek stołowych śmietanki .

Here’s the finished product.

Oto gotowy produkt!

Smacznego!

autumn 2010 102

This is the first time I have made herrings myself at home. It required a phone call to my friend to make sure I was on the right path.

Pierwszy raz robiłam sama śledzie w domu. Wymagało to telefonu do koleżanki, aby upewnić się, że jestem na dobrej drodze.

Herrings with onions

8-10 herring filets matias (as we call them “majtasy”) If they are salted they need to be rinsed or even soaked and rinsed in water or milk. Drain and pat dry. Set aside.

Slice an onion or two very thinly. Place on a plate and sprinkle with sugar. Allow the onions to sit until they start to get soft and release some juice (at least an hour). Layer the fish and onions in a bowl. Sprinkle each layer with a little white wine vinegar and drizzle with some olive oil. Allow to sit at least 12 hours. Decorate with parsley and lime.

Śledzie z cebulą

8-10 filetów śledziowych tzw. MATJASY (my mówimy na nie MAJTASY). Jeśli są posolone trzeba je wypłukać lub nawet namoczyć w wodzie lub w mleku i wypłukać. Odcedzić i wysuszyć. Odłożyć na bok.

Potnij w cienkie plasterki 1 lub 2 cebule. Połóż na talerzu i posyp cukrem. Pozostaw cebulę aż zmięknie i puści sok (co najmniej 1 godzina). Ułóż warstwami rybę i cebulę na półmisku. Pokrop każdą warstwę odrobiną octu winnego i polej odrobiną oliwy z oliwek. Pozostaw na co najmniej 12 godzin. Udekoruj natką pietruszki i limonką.

autumn 2010 090

Herrings with dill in sour cream Prepare herring filets as above.

Sour cream sauce – Mix together sour cream, chopped pickles, chopped dill, a little bit of chopped onion and one clove of garlic. Mix with herring filets and allow to sit at least 12 hours. Decorate with dill.

Śledzie z koperkiem w śmietanie

Przygotuj filety śledziowe jak wyżej.

Sos śmietanowy: Zmieszaj śmietanę, posiekane ogórki kiszone, posiekany koperek, odrobinę posiekanej cebuli i jeden ząbek czosnku. Zmieszaj ze śledziami i odstaw na co najmniej 12 godzin. Udekoruj koperkiem.

Smacznego!

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  • Reply
    Kasia
    December 27, 2010 at 11:15 pm

    Wow – all those Polish dishes! Do you like herring or do you make it for the family?My (American) husband will not touch fish, so my Wigilia here is mixed: fish and meat.I am from Poznan and my mother never made kutia – I have never eaten it. I think this dish is from the eastern regions of Poland.Happy New Year!

  • Reply
    Chris
    December 28, 2010 at 7:01 am

    Greetings Kasia! I have learned to like herring but I will only eat it when I know it is \”homemade\”. I don't like those prepared herring salads. Yuck! We used to prepare meat too but for the last couple of years we have replaced carp for salmon so we have stopped making meat for Christmas Eve. You are right about kutia. I think it is a Lwow thing. My mother-in-law of course doesn't remember the move from east to west – she was only a baby – but she learned to cook from her mother who brought the traditions along to the west. What do you have in Poznan? Poppy cake or maybe noodles with poppy?I must confess that we are making kutia again today. Yum!Happy New Year to you too!

  • Reply
    Kasia
    December 28, 2010 at 2:01 pm

    I don't like carp either. I like cod fillet – don't have to worry about the bones and it does not have the fishy smell. Here carp is cheap and not popular at all.Yes, in Poznan we have poppy cake and the noodles with poppy (which I don't like). I love the poppy cake but I don't attempt to make it because the American family never ate it when we had it here in the past (when my parents visited and my mom made it).

  • Reply
    Chris
    December 30, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    I like cod too. We make a filling with spinach and cream cheese and roll up each piece and secure with a toothpick. Yummy.American people are paranoid about poppy dishes. The last time we were in America for Christmas, we bought poppy seed cake from a Polish deli in NYC and my mother didn't want to eat it. She has random drug testing at her work and she was afraid the poppy would make any test come up positive. Oh, the shame!

  • Reply
    Kasia
    December 30, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    The first time my parents were here for Christmas we had a hard time finding poppy seeds. Most of the stores had them in small bottles with other \”spices\”. Finally I found them in bulk at Whole Foods.

  • Reply
    Chris
    January 1, 2011 at 7:17 am

    As you know, poppy seeds are super easy to find here. However, I bought the prepared poppy seeds in a can. I am not even sure what you should do to prepare the seeds…something with soaking and running through a grinder?

  • Reply
    Paddy
    January 7, 2011 at 8:38 pm

    Mniam, bardzo lubie sledz na oleju, oj oj. Patrick

  • Reply
    Chris
    January 8, 2011 at 7:20 am

    My neighbors told me a good recipe for herring salad with beets and mayo. Have you ever eaten that? It is next on my list to try. 🙂

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