polish borscht

Polish Borscht is a traditional soup served with mushroom dumplings (uszka) on Christmas Eve in Poland. It&#39;s slightly acidic and sweet, earthy, peppery, with a hint of garlic and wild mushrooms.

Traditional Polish Borscht (Barszcz)

beets (peeled,

beets

celery celery root, peeled)

onion (peeled)

garlic (peeled,

porcini mushrooms (rinsed, *see Notes below)

allspice berries

white wine vinegar

soy sauce (or

water

coarse sea salt (plus pepper to taste)

butter (or vegan spread)

Prepare mushrooms.

Prepare mushrooms: Rinse the porcini mushrooms (if using) under cold water and rub briefly with your fingertips to remove any grit.

Combine ingredients.

Combine ingredients: Place the beets, pickled beets, onion, garlic, celery stalk, allspice berries and mushrooms (or use 1-2 quarters of a cup of mushroom water from making the uszka dumplings) in a large pot.

Cook soup.

Cook: Pour in the water and beet brine, add the allspice, salt and pepper, cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for about 50 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat.

Serve.

Remove vegetables and serve: Using a slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the pot. Add the vinegar and butter, adjust the seasoning as needed and serve the broth only.

This delicious Ukrainian soup is loaded with veggies and flavor. The striking red color is achieved with beets, which not only make this dish gorgeous, but also loaded with nutrition!

Traditional Ukrainian Borscht Recipe

beef

bay leaves

onion

carrots

celery

½ medium green cabbage

potatoes

bacon

tsp sea salt

tsp black pepper

tomato paste

Tbsp white vinegar ((or pickled beet juice))

Italian parsley

dill

garlic

jalapeno ((optional))

sour cream ((optional))

cook beef

Cube meat into 1-2&quot; pieces. Add to a large soup pot or Dutch oven along with soup bones and bay leaves. Cover with 10 cups of cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour.

chop veggies

While the meat is cooking, prepare your vegetables by dicing the onion, and chopping the carrots and celery. Next, slice (or shred) the cabbage, peel and cube the potatoes, and peel and julienne the beets.

fry bacon and sear meat

Remove the meat from the Dutch oven and strain the broth. Wipe or wash the pot then add the bacon. Fry the bacon over medium-high heat then remove from the pot. Sear the meat on all sides in the bacon grease.

add veggies

Add onions, carrots, celery, and chopped bacon to the pot. Sauté for a few minutes then season with salt and pepper. Add tomato paste and sauté for a few more minutes.

add broth, simmer

Pour strained broth back into the pot. Mix to dissolve the tomato paste. Add potatoes, beets, and cabbage, then cover and simmer over low heat, for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

add vinegar, garlic, and herbs

Add vinegar (or beet sour), chopped parsley, dill, and minced garlic. Mix to combine the soup ingredients. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes then taste to see if the seasoning needs to be adjusted. I added a teaspoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon citric acid.

serve

Serve the borscht topped with a dollop of sour cream and chopped dill. For those who like it spicy, I also add sliced jalapeños (optional).

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Ou6URakz.mp4

Ukrainian Borscht Recipe - SD 480p.mov

This Christmas Eve Red Borscht - served in teacups or with little &#x27;Uszka&#x27; dumplings - is one of the most Polish soups. It’s a shining star on the Christmas Eve dinner table.

Polish Red Borscht Soup for Christmas Eve (Wigilijny Barszcz Czerwony)

0.9 lb (400 g) beetroots

carrots (5.5 oz, 160 g)

parsley roots (5.5 oz, 160 g), can substitute for celery root

0.5 lb (220 g) white mushrooms

leek

celery root (3 oz, 85 g)

onion, any colour

apple

thyme

olive oil

3-4 tbsp white wine, can substitute for water

juniper berries

cloves

prunes, can substitute for regular prunes

wild mushrooms (e.g. porcinis)

lq qt (1 litre) water

(roughly 500-600 ml) beet kvass/fermented beet juice, 1 portion from this recipe

marjoram

Black pepper,

Salt,

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

Thoroughly scrub the vegetables (beetroots, carrots, parsley roots,...

Thoroughly scrub the vegetables (beetroots, carrots, parsley roots, mushrooms, leek). Peel the celery root and the onion, leave the rest of the vegetables (and a half an apple) in the peel. Chop the veggies into chunks.

Grab a large roasting pan, pour a tablespoon...

Grab a large roasting pan, pour a tablespoon of oil in. Toss all the mushrooms, veggies, herb sprigs and garlic together into the roasting pan. 

Roast in the middle of the oven for...

Roast in the middle of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until vegetables turn golden brown.

Move the roasting pan onto the stove burner,...

Move the roasting pan onto the stove burner, over a medium heat. Add a few glugs of white wine to deglaze the pan (stirring and scraping up the brown bits for 2-3 minutes).

Transfer everything into a cooking pot. Pour in...

Transfer everything into a cooking pot. Pour in 1 quart / 1 litre of water in, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to “low”.

Add bay leaves, allspice &amp; juniper berries, cloves,...

Add bay leaves, allspice &amp; juniper berries, cloves, smoked prunes and dried wild mushrooms.

Cover the pot with a lid (I’m leaving...

Cover the pot with a lid (I’m leaving a small gap) and cook for at least an hour.

Pour the stock through a large fine sieve...

Pour the stock through a large fine sieve into another pot (or a large bowl), firmly pressing on to push out as much stock as possible. Skim off the fat.

The soup is supposed to be clear, therefore...

The soup is supposed to be clear, therefore we won’t need the remaining vegetables. You can reuse them in another dish, but there won’t be much flavour left in them. I usually sneak out one or two of those ultra soft carrots and beetroot pieces before discarding the rest.

Pour in 2 cups of beet kvass /...

Pour in 2 cups of beet kvass / zakwas into a large cooking pot. You can skip the fermented beets, but I add them in. Pour in 3 cups (¾ litre) of the stock we just cooked.

Add in one teaspoon of dried marjoram and...

Add in one teaspoon of dried marjoram and generously season with black pepper. Cook together on the lowest heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Have a taste - if it’s too strong, add a little bit more stock.

Cook together for another 30 minutes on a...

Cook together for another 30 minutes on a very low heat, making sure the soup doesn’t boil at any point. 

Remove beetroots (if you added any with your...

Remove beetroots (if you added any with your beet zakwas), season with salt and pepper if necessary. If the flavour is too sour, add a little bit of sugar. You can use the remaining beetroot pieces as a garnish (optionally).

Serve warm, on its own or with 'Uszka'...

Serve warm, on its own or with 'Uszka' dumplings.

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