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Christmas Eve and Christmas are fast approaching, so it’s the perfect time to suggest something delicious with carp in the leading role. And for everyone who for various reasons isn’t fond of carp or would like to taste another fish as well, we have a recipe for bream.
In the next installment of our series we once again present recipes written down over several generations and kept in the family sideboard of Mr. Piotr Rydzewski. Many of these handwritten recipes (especially the oldest) are a real challenge for anyone trying to read and test them, but the effort always pays off – it’s worth diving into the richly varied world of dishes that appeared on our parents’, grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ tables. These notes sometimes have “blank spots” – not all include the exact composition or quantities of ingredients, and some omit steps that today are no longer always obvious. But that’s what culinary intuition, inventiveness and imagination are for! You can fill the gaps with your own ideas, use the experience you already have, and treat ambiguities as a touch of mystery – the seasoning of this tasty adventure. So perhaps this time we will inspire you, dear Gourmets, to prepare your own version of a holiday carp or bream…
Thanks to Mr. Piotr’s kindness, let’s once again look not only into the culinary notes but, as always, also into his unique album. To begin with, a bit of history that speaks very vividly through archival family photographs.
We dedicate the photos below above all to those who often make long flights to spend Christmas and the New Year with their loved ones, especially here, in Poland, where, as we know, this time is the most beautiful, the tastiest and the most heartwarming. Here are unique photos taken in the 1930s at Łódź’s Lublinek airport.
© Piotr Rydzewski
Photograph taken during the christening ceremony of two airplanes –
Lublinek, May 1934
© Piotr Rydzewski
Lublinek Airport – 1937
And now, the recipes…
In the recipes we generally keep the original spelling, introducing only the necessary linguistic and editorial changes.
CARP, POLISH STYLE
Clean the carp, salt it, and arrange onion rings over it in a bowl. In a saucepan, cook in enough water to cover the fish the vegetables: parsley root, celery root (celeriac), leek, carrot, onion, bay leaf [laurel], allspice, a few cloves, pepper, salt, a fried mushroom. Strain the stock, let it cool, pour it over the carp, and simmer over low heat. When tender – remove from the broth [stock].
Sauce:
To the broth [stock], add a piece of gingerbread; squeeze in half a lemon, [add] some lemon zest, bring to a boil, pouring in a glass of red wine, [add] a handful of raisins, a few chopped sweet almonds, a tablespoon of caramel, because the sauce should be slightly sweet.
Return the fish to the sauce to warm through, place on a platter, pour over with the sauce, and garnish with lemon slices.
© Piotr Rydzewski / photo: BROWIN
BREAM OR CARP IN A FLUFFY SAUCE
1 kg bream [or carp], 1 portion of soup vegetables (without cabbage), 2 onions, allspice, salt, lemon juice and sugar to taste.
Sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup whipped cream, juice of ½ lemon, ½ cup white wine, salt, sugar to taste, 1 cup drained green peas, 1–2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.
Cook the bream [or carp]. Remove the skin from the portions of fish; you can also [remove] the backbone. Arrange on a platter and pour over the sauce mixed with green peas and parsley.
Decorate the edges of the platter.
© Piotr Rydzewski / photo: BROWIN
...because homemade is better!
