Polish Recipes

Barszcz

A delicious recipe for beetroot soup. This is a traditional dish served on Christmas Eve. (One of 12 courses!)

A few weeks ahead of time, prepare fermented beetroot juice, as follows:

Ingredients:
2¼ pounds (1kg.) fresh, sweet beetroots,
2 quarts (2l) boiled water,
1 piece of rye bread crust

Directions:
Wash and scrape the beetroots, cut them into thin slices, and then place them into a large jar. Pour boiled water into the jar, throw in rye bread crust and then leave the jar open or covered only with thin gauze. Store it in a warm place.

On Christmas Eve (or a few weeks later), prepare the soup as follows:

Ingredients:
2 large sweet beetroots,
1 celery cut in small pieces,
1 onion cut into small pieces,
1 lb (450g) mushrooms,
1 lb (450g). butter,
1 teaspoon salt,
1 piece garlic,
some parsley,

Directions:
Boil together in water until the beetroots just becomes soft.
Then pour into another saucepan through sieve. Retrieve beetroots and mushrooms. Beetroots are grated fine and returned to the soup.

Shortly before serving, Add 1 pint (½l) of fermented beetroot juice.
Keep hot, but do not allow to boil as this will destroy clear red color,
serve in plates over tortelinni.

NOTE. On other occasions than Christmas Eve, Barszcz may be served with cream as follows:
Take 2 tablespoons of Beetroot soup, mix completely with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, then add to soup and stir thoroughly.