The Cross and the Cleaver: Holy Week Dichotomy
Easter, like Christmas, is an opportunity to engage in a religious observance. Doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or not since both festivals became very much a cultural component of our times. If you are a person of faith, it is often a time for deeper reflection, for undertaking spiritual readings or exercises, such as prayer, meditation etc.
Those, and many other, pivotal holy days in various religions are also associated with food, often some very special dishes. I already wrote about Lent. Let me take it a little further … make it a little tastier😉.
Holy Week is a time of contrast, time of conflicting emotions, time of so many dramas. The joyful “Hosannas” of Palm Sunday, the camaraderie of Jesus and disciples at the Maundy Thursday table, the many facets of Good Friday pain, crowned with disbelief-turned-into-joy of Easter morning.
I still remember that contrast of the look and taste of dishes at Good Friday, then Easter table. The former was simplicity itself, while the latter was opulence of cold cuts, bread, salads, eggs, condiments with everything crowned by a breathtaking cake – “Easter Mazurek” (look it up!!!). The central place of the Easter brunch spread is taken by a small, woven, linen lined basket with some bread, hard-boiled eggs, sausage, salt, and pepper in it. We would have taken it to the church a day before to be blessed. I shared with you before that Christmas Eve dinner begins with exchange of well wishes and sharing of small wafer called “oplatek.” The Easter meal also begins with well wishing. Then we share wedges of hard-boiled eggs.
So, what shall we eat out of that abundance of dishes? Good Friday fare is a no-brainer. To pick something from the plenty of Easter table I found help in a saying from British cookery, that: “the point of the roast chicken IS the bread sauce.” We can explore English cooking some other time. Thinking like this I must say that, in my opinion: “the point of Easter brunch IS ćwikła.” Not just any ćwikła, but the one my father would make every year. Mine is but inadequate attempt. Still … let go to the kitchen….
GOOD FRIDAY:
Get some herring. It’s a fish. The best are fresh or salted ones. Most Polish or Ukrainian stores carry them. But then you must clean them, so you might want to skip it if you are squeamish. So, find herring filets or pieces, in oil or water, no flavouring. If all you can find is pickled herring that’s fine too. Just empty the jar into colander to drain the brine, put herring in a bowl and drizzle generously with oil to coat evenly.
Bake several large, unpeeled potatoes. Or microwave them – easier, quicker, cheaper.
When potatoes are hot, serve them half open with bowls of herring, sour cream and chopped chives or red onion so everyone can take whatever they like and however much they like.
EASTER ĆWIKŁA
Boil 3 med-sized peeled beets. Use as little water as possible to keep the sweetness in. Or buy ready cooked – easier, cleaner, faster. Shred them finely.
Add 3-4 yolks of hard-boiled eggs.
Add 3-5 tablespoons of horseradish, depending on how hot you like it. If using fresh root, grate it finely. Otherwise, like me, just scoop out the jar! 😊.
Thoroughly mix all the ingredients, then adjust the taste. Too hot? Add an egg yolk or splash of heavy cream. To sweet? Splash of lemon juice or more horseradish.
Goes with almost EVERYTHING you might find on an average cold cut spread. ENJOY!
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
