We created this festive Christmas menu for you together with our partner Ostblockweine.de .
We hope you enjoy it and wish you a Merry Christmas!
Starters: Polish Barszcz (beetroot soup) with small pierogi
Ingredients (for 4 people)
For the soup:
- 800 g beetroot (fresh or pre-cooked, not pickled)
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 liter of vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter or oil
For the small pierogi (approx. 16 pieces):
- 200 g flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp oil
- approx. 50 ml of warmed water
- Price of salt
Filling:
- 150 g sauerkraut (finely chopped, well squeezed)
- 100 g mushrooms (finely chopped)
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt & pepper
preparation
1. Prepare the soup:
Coarsely dice the beetroot, onion, carrot, and garlic. Sauté them in a pot with a little butter, then add the stock, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Simmer for about 30–40 minutes , until everything is soft. Then strain everything through a fine sieve or cheesecloth (the soup should remain clear!). Season to taste with vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Prepare the pierogi:
Knead flour, egg, oil, water and salt into a smooth dough. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
For the filling, sauté onions and mushrooms in butter, add sauerkraut, fry for 5 minutes, season and let cool.
Roll out the dough thinly, cut out circles (approx. 7 cm Ø), add some filling, shape into semicircles and seal well.
Cook in lightly salted water for 3-4 minutes , until they float to the top.
3. Arrange:
Pour hot soup into bowls, add 3-4 pierogi to each, and garnish with some parsley or dill.
Preparation time: approx. 1 hour
Tip: The soup and filling can be prepared the day before – just reheat them shortly before serving and cook the pierogi fresh.
Main course: Hungarian pork fillet with paprika cream sauce and potato-celery puree
Ingredients (for 4 people)
For the pork tenderloin:
- 800g pork tenderloin (in one piece)
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
- Salt, pepper
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 tbsp butter
For the sauce:
- 1 onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 100 ml white wine or broth
- 200 ml cream
- 1 tsp mustard
- Salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar
For the purée:
- 600 g potatoes (floury)
- 300 g celeriac
- 50 g butter
- 100 ml milk
- Salt, nutmeg
preparation
1. Prepare the fillet:
Pat the meat dry, season with salt, pepper and paprika powder.
Sear in a hot pan with oil on all sides (approx. 6–8 min.), then pour over butter and finish cooking in a preheated oven at 160 °C (top/bottom heat) for approx. 15 minutes . Then let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Sauce:
Finely chop the onion and bell pepper, and sauté them in the pan (the one used for the meat). Briefly sauté the tomato paste as well, then deglaze with white wine or broth.
Add cream and mustard, simmer for 5-10 minutes, season with salt, pepper and sugar.
Optional: Blend the sauce for a creamy consistency.
3. Puree:
Peel the potatoes and celery, cut them into pieces, and cook in salted water for 20 minutes until tender. Drain, mash with butter and milk, and season.
4. Serving:
Spread the purée onto a plate, slice the fillet, and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with some fresh parsley.
Preparation time: approx. 1 hour
Tip: The meat can be kept warm in the oven briefly before serving while the sauce is being prepared.
Dessert: Polish poppy seed cake (Makowiec) with vanilla sauce
Ingredients (for 1 cake – enough for 4–6 servings)
For the dough:
- 250 g flour
- 1 packet of dry yeast
- 100 ml milk (lukewarm)
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 50 g butter (softened)
- Price of salt
For the filling:
- 200 g ground poppy seeds
- 150 ml milk
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 50 g sugar
- 50 g rosin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Zest of half an orange
For the vanilla sauce:
- 250 ml milk
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 30 g sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
preparation
1. Yeast dough:
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk, add the sugar, and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Then knead together with flour, egg, butter, and salt to form a smooth dough. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
2. Poppy seed filling:
Bring the milk to a boil, stir in the poppy seeds, sugar, and honey, and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the raisins, cinnamon, and orange zest, and let cool.
3. Rolling & Baking:
Roll out the dough into a rectangle (approx. 30×40 cm), spread the filling on it, and roll it up.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rest for 20 minutes.
Bake at 180 °C (top/bottom heat) for approximately 30–35 minutes .
4. Vanilla sauce:
Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, slowly stir in the hot milk, return to the pot, and thicken over low heat while stirring.
Preparation time: approx. 1.5 hours (including rising time)
Tip: The cake tastes even better the next day – perfect for preparing in advance!
Wine recommendation to complement the menu
For this festive menu, we have selected four very special wines from Eastern Europe that perfectly complement the flavors of each course:
To toast: Lazar's Pearl Sparkling Brut – delicately sparkling, festive. Perfect for starting your Christmas dinner with loved ones.
The Perlé Rosé from Poland opens the meal fresh and elegant – ideal with the aromatic beetroot soup Barszcz .
For the main course, the Aplauz Mavrud Reserve from Bulgaria shines with depth and spicy power, which goes wonderfully with the paprika cream sauce.
The Budureasca Premium Tămâioasă Românească from Romania entices with its fragrant fruitiness and harmoniously complements the sweet poppy seed cake Makowiec .
Discover this Eastern European wine specialty in the Christmas package I from Ostblockweine.de .
