Family is Forever

Chapter 49-pierogi

When Zosia and Ollie got home from work Ali wasn't home yet. Zosia went into the kitchen. Zosia had thoughts she'd made Barszcz last night but she couldn't be sure. She wasn't sure about anything these days. Ollie came in "Zosh, I cleared up your soup thing this morning." He put his arms around her waist. "Barszcz, I was practicing for Wigilia, it's a beetroot soup."Zosia went out to the car and started to unload the few bags of polish food. "I put these in the car earlier. I got them on the way to work. So I could practice for Wigilia. It needs to be brilliant for Natalia."
"Ok, that's a lot of food." Ollie looked
"I need to practice, you know I can't cook." Zosia looked at Ollie. "Ok, do you have any recipes? We can try and do something together?"
"I'll get them" Zosia came back into the kitchen with a big old notebook. "Babcia wrote these recipes for my mother, then mama added some too. What shall we make?" Zosia smiled at Ollie.
"What's on the first page?" Ollie asked.
"Pierogi, their like dumplings. We need flour, salt and oil for the dough." Zosia said pulling things out of cupboards and her bags of polish foods. "And the recipe is for beef ones we need beef, carrots, parsley," Ollie looked at the recipe before realising it was all in Polish. "Onions, eggs." Zosia continued.
"Wow, calm down." Ollie laughed what does the top of the page say.
"It doesn't matter"
"Zosh please, it's not like I can read it?" Ollie asked
"Babcia wrote it." She translated it for Ollie. "Ania-that's my mum- pierogi are the staple of many a polish dinner. I used to make them at all special occasions for Maciej." Zosia looked up."that's my dziadek- my grandfather" she continued to read. "They are cheap and quite easy- plus they are your fathers." Zosia looked up again. "My grandfathers" she continued to read "favourites, every Polish woman should know how to make all sorts of pierogi you can make them sweet and savoury. These beef ones are his favourite, and perfect for winter life. Pierogi are needed for any Wigilia feast but be sure not to fill them with beef. Sometimes when we were younger we used to worry we didn't have enough to eat which I why I would make cheap pierogi sometimes barely filled but we would cling to Matthew6 25-27 therefore I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Zosia sighed "babcia is very religious, Roman Catholic, a lot of Poland is."
"Does Ali know that verse?" Ollie asked Zosia
"Probably. Babcia used to take her to mass and had a bible verse for every occasion. At any time there was a problem she would say Bóg zapewni- God will provide then utter some Hail Marys and the Lord's Prayer."
"Aww your Babcia sounds wonderful," Ollie smiled. "She is.." Zosia smiled.
They started working on the pierogi together Zosia was less stressed and Ollie started teasing her throwing flour in her hair so she retaliated by throwing some towards Ollie. At that point Ali had returned from her shopping trip "Cześć." Hello she smiled "You having a food fight or something?"
"Making Pierogi actually" Ollie gave Ali a hug. "I put my shopping in my room- so no looking ok?"
"Ok," Zosia answered "here Natalia rolling pin." She gave Ali the rolling pin and moved aside to allow Ali to roll the pastry. "We're using Babcia's recipe, in that notebook she gave my mother. She wrote a bible verse in it, you might know it Matthew6 25-27." Zosia smiled
"Urmm Matthew6 25-27" Ali was trying to remember the verse "Matthew6 25-27.....Dlatego mówię, że nie martwisz się o swoje życie, o co będziesz jeść, pić, czy o ciele, co nosisz. Życie to nie tylko jedzenie, a ciało bardziej niż ubranie?" Ali smiled at Zosia "do not worry about what you will eat or drink, or about your body. Thanks for reminding me." She stood on her toes so she could put her arms around Zosia's shoulders. Then continued rolling out the pierogi. "I used to make these with Babcia all the time, can i make the ones for Wigilia? I used to be pretty good at them."
They had a fun family evening making pierogi "Can we take some to mama tomorrow? She loves them too."
"Sure, it must be a family thing, you better like them Ollie" Zosia smiled.
A few hours later once the pierogi were made and cooked they all sat down to dinner. "Ollie you have to go first." Zosia and Ali looked at Ollie as he took a bite "wow, they're really good." He laughed with his mouth full. Ali took a photo on her phone.