The holiday span of November and December is a time of celebration but peppered with the memories of loved ones who have passed while precious memories remain. This fall, Oct. 12 marked the one-year passing of our dear farm friend from down the road, Joann Scamerhorn. She loved all of the holidays, but Christmas was extra special because she loved baking and cooking paired with the opportunity to entertain family and friends. Joann and her parents lived in Chicago until she was 5 years old, and then her family moved to a rural farm in North Judson, bringing their Polish traditions and recipes with their packed pantries. “The Christmas Eve meal is probably the most important of the Polish year,” Joann said when she kindly agreed to be interviewed in December 1992. “It’s very family-oriented and has a lot of religious significance. It was also a day of fasting on Christmas Eve before everyone gathered around the dining room table for the big evening feast.” The multi-course, meatless Christmas Eve traditional meal is called “the Willia,” which is from the Latin word “vigilare,” meaning “to watch.” Joann would remind that the menu might extend from seven courses to as many as nine or even 11. Selections passed around the table include a broth-based soup with dried mushrooms, flat wafers called “oplatek,” pickled herring, assorted filled pierogi, cauliflower cooked with butter and breadcrumbs, a fried fish course, sauerkraut, and for dessert, poppyseed cake roll. “I can still recall as a little girl that salted herring would be sold in wooden kegs,” Joann explained. “After much anticipation, the Christmas Eve dinner would be served when night arrived and the first star of the evening could be seen.” Joann’s daughter Ann Scamerhorn continues her mother’s legacy, spreading traditions of a Polish family. Last week, Ann reminded me of a previous column I published in May 2024 featuring cooks Stasia Podczerwinski and her sister-in-law Zosia Podczerwinski, based in Merrillville as the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine caterers. They previously shared their delicious recipe for “klopsy,” which are Polish meatballs with dill gravy. These kitchen angels are busy preparing to host an early version of this Polish dinner, which they are calling “Oplatek with the Salvatorian Fathers” on Sunday, Dec. 14, in the gathering hall of Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine at 5755 Pennsylvania St. in Merrillville. I’m told Polish mass will be celebrated at noon, followed by the opportunity to sample the traditional Polish Christmas menu selections such as mushroom soup, cabbage rolls aka golabki stuffed with barley and mushrooms, breaded fried fish, sauerkraut with yellow peas and assorted desserts. The incredible “Panorama of the Millennium of Christianity in Poland,” comprised of nearly 50 life-size animated figures, will also be open in the church sanctuary following mass. The “Polskie Kwiaty,” or “Little Polish Flowers” children’s dance group will entertain guests in the hall after the meal. Fr. Ireneusz "Irek" Bem, SDS, the superior of the Salvatorian Fathers who ministers to the Polish-American diaspora at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville, likes to cook, including a delicious appetizer of peeled avocado wedges wrapped in prosciutto. (Photo courtesy of Fr. Irek Bern) The church service and dinner are both open to all. Reservations are $60 per person and are due by Dec.10 by calling Zosia at 708-267-5603 or Stasia at 708-205-8324. Zosia and Stasia also take orders for holiday to-go dinners for orders placed by Dec. 22. The food items are packaged “warm” and then reheated at home. Available menu items include “devolaj,” which is a Polish version of the classic chicken Kiev, pork loins stuffed with prunes, beef roulades, mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, sauerkraut, apple-beet salad and broccoli-cauliflower salad. Order pick-up time will be from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Dec. 25 in Millennium Hall, located on the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine grounds, 5755 Pennsylvania St. in Merrillville. The cost is $20 per meal, with a minimum order of 10 required by calling the same telephone contacts above. This week’s recipe is from Fr. Ireneusz “Irek” Bem, SDS, the superior of the Salvatorian Fathers who ministers to the Polish-American diaspora at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville. Born and raised in Silesia, a southwest region of Poland known for its coal mining and heavy industry, Fr. Irek performed four years of pastoral work in Poland following his priestly ordination in 1987 before transferring to Canada, where he served the Catholic community for more than 30 years from the east to west coasts. His assignment to Merrillville began this past August as his first ministry in the U.S. Next to playing golf, Fr. Irek’s favorite hobby is cooking. An appetizer of peeled avocado wedges wrapped in prosciutto is a light yet satisfying snack or party prelude menu pick. (Photo courtesy of Fr. Irek Bern) “I considered becoming a professional chef until I received the calling to the priesthood,” he said. “I learned this particular recipe for these elegant appetizers I’m sharing today from some Italian members of my former parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada. Serve with your favorite French or sourdough bread and perhaps a glass of good red wine.” Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is a radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at [email protected] or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374. Fr. Irek’s Avocado-Wrapped Prosciutto Appetizers Makes 8 appetizers 1 large ripe avocado 8 thin slices of prosciutto 1 or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped Olive oil, approximately 2 tablespoons or to taste Juice of 1/2 lemon Black pepper, to taste Directions: 1. Peel avocado and remove pit; cut into 8 even vertical wedges. 2. Wrap the center of each avocado wedge with a slice of prosciutto. Arrange each wedge on a serving plate and evenly sprinkle parsley and chopped garlic over them. 3. Drizzle wedges with olive oil and a generous amount of lemon juice; sprinkle with black pepper to taste and allow ingredients to “blend” for a short while before serving. ...read more read less