Wigilia

Wigilia (pronounced Vigilia) is a Polish festival or feast held on Christmas Eve. I don't know the origins but I do know what my late MIL used to do each year I had with her. Slowly she taught me how to make the beetrrot soup and I helped her a few days before the 24th make the little 'ears' that went in the soup. These are called uszka (pronounced ooshki) and traditionally have a mushroom filling in them. They aren't dissimilar to tortellini and during the year MIL used to 'cheat' and use a veal store bought fresh tortellini instead. But for Wigilia they have to be vegetarian. The year she died was the Christmas we planned on video-ing the process, one of my very few regrets in life.

On the table each year there was the soup (barzscz), herrings (sledz), hard boiled egg, sliced tomato, white onion that has been soaked in vinegar, black bread, prawns, smoked salmon, pan fried fish and a potato dish (usually potato salad).

I can't bring myself to make the Christmas barszcz in the Thermomix but I really wanted to give the bread a try, I mean, how hard could it be right?! Right! I found a recipe that had the 'flavours' in it that I remember (being gluten free I can read a bread recipe and taste it, as bread, proper bread, is something I dearly miss!) and sent the link to my thermi consultant as I wasn't sure about the melting, kneading and rising aspect as I have never converted a convential recipe to a thermomix recipe. Sarah is amazing!

Thankfully the day was warm so rising the dough in a warm place, I was spoilt for choice. It certainly rose well!

Here is the link to the original recipe and if you would like the themomix conversion just send me an email and I will put it together for you. I cooked it for quite a bit longer than the recipe said because as it turned our I didn't have any wheat flour so used what GF I had mixed with some slightly out of date GF bread mix. It got the vote last night as really, really good bread which pleased me as I wasn't sure and was ready to toss it in the bin.

In the thermomix I also made, a seafood dipping sauce (which was great!), I boiled the eggs, made the royal icing for the gingerbread house decorations, a cabbage coleslaw and I am sure I did something else but I can't remember!

Here is our non GF decorated gingerbread house, not bad for a first ever effort.