The traditional Christmas Eve supper consists of twelve dishes representing the twelve months of the year. No meat is served during the supper, only fish, usually herring, carp or pike. Other traditional dishes appearing on the table include red borscht, mushroom or fish soup, sauerkraut with wild mushrooms or peas, dried fruit compote and kutia, a dessert especially popular in eastern Poland. Boiled or fried pierogis, Polish dumplings with a wide variety of fillings, are among the most popular Polish dishes. For the Christmas Eve supper, pierogis are usually made with sauerkraut and mushrooms.

Additional recipes and information about the Christmas Eve meal:

• Fish in Horseradish Sauce - the first dish of Wigilia from E. Chrzanowski.
• Polish Recipes - 49 recipes; variations of bigos, pierogies, etc.

Knead a dough from 14 oz. of flour, a pinch of salt and a whole egg, adding some warm water to soften the dough. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Divide it into four parts and cover three with the bowl. Roll the remaining piece out thin and cut out two-inch circles with a glass or cup. For the sauerkraut filling, take a pound and a half of sauerkraut, boil it for 30 minutes in little water, allowing the water to evaporate. Mince the cooked sauerkraut. Chop one big onion finely saute till golden. Mix with the sauerkraut. To complete the filling, take two pounds of mushrooms, slice and cook them with 2-3 spoons of water until it evaporates. Chop one onion and saute till golden, add mushrooms and season the mixture with salt on pepper before you mince it and mix it with the sauerkraut.

Place a spoonful of the filling in the middle of each circle and fold over pressing the edges firmly so that the pierogis do not open during cooking. Boil the pierogis in salted water for about 3 minutes (until they surface). The may be served immediately or chilled and then fried in vegetable oil.