Growing up in a Polish family, Good Friday was a pretty significant holiday. My grandmother would make homemade Pączki. From what I remember, they were the most decadent thing I EVER tasted, and I waited all year to get to have one. The memory is so engrained in my mind that I can’t bring myself to try to make them. What if they don’t compare? Sometimes it’s best to let things live perfectly untouched in your memory. The men in my family, they were another story. They would get together and spend the ENTIRE day making horseradish. This would involve lots of gregarious laughter, copious amounts of vodka and rides home at the end of the day from their wives. My parents didn’t often host this “party”, but I have two clear memories: 1. my eyes watering beyond belief from the potent heat permeating the air from the horseradish, and 2. the intense desire to participate in this day of debauchery. Well, my time has come, and it turns out, making horseradish is like stupid easy (put the stuff in a food processor with some vinegar and voila, you’re done!). It takes literally minutes to make. But now I feel as if I’ve been let in on a huge family secret…..the day of horseradish making was all about the tradition, the family bonding and the camaraderie. So cheers to you dads, uncles and grandfathers, this is a kick ass tradition and I’m thrilled to carry it on. This year Lance and I decided to make our own pierogis as well. What a simple recipe that I plan on replicating in the future with all sorts of various sweet and savory fillings.
Beer Pairing
I did not put a ton of thought into this one. Seeing as Good Friday is a reilgious holiday, we went with Chimay. The brewery is located in the Scourmont Abbey, a Trappist monastery, and is one of the eleven breweries worldwide that produce Trappist beer. Easter weekend, beer brewed at a monastery, sounds like a match made in……wait for it….heaven. (sorry!)
Music Pairing
Nirvana, a religious term, the wrong religion for this particular holiday, but absolutely religious nonetheless. And the band that derives it’s name from the Buddhist term popped up multiple times today, so here is my suggested pairing, the “In Bloom” cover by Sturgill Simpson. Who knew that Kurt Cobain wrote country songs? It’s lovely, like family traditions.
Happy Easter from Beer Journal.
