Lenten Christmas Eve soup made of beetroot is an obligatory dish for Christmas. In Poland, this truly amazing and mouth-watering soup is called ‘barszcz.’
Some call it barszcz, others call it Polish borscht, but some do not tell a difference. The name differs, but the recipe is crucial. Try our traditional recipe for ‘barszcz’ which is a must-have on the Christmas table.
Ingredients:
- 3 l / 101.442 fl oz water
- 50 g / 1.8 oz dried mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 3 kg / 105.8 oz beetroot
- 1 large carrot
- 1 parsley (root)
- 1 celery (root)
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 allspice grains
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 350 ml / 12 fl oz beetroot leavening
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or citric acid
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Preparation:
1. Put the dried mushrooms in a small pot.
2. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over them and place them on the stove.
3. Add the following spices: bay leaves (6 pieces), and allspice (6 pieces) and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Peel and fry the onion on each side.
5. Peel the beetroot, parsley (1 large piece), carrot (1 large piece) and celery (medium size) and cut into larger cubes.
6. Pour water (approx. 4 litres) into a large pot. Add the mushrooms, mushroom stock (1 cup of water from the previously cooked mushrooms), beetroot, celery, carrot, parsley, crushed garlic (4 cloves), lemon juice (1 tbsp) and onion.
7. Cook on low heat for about an hour.*
8. After this time, add the beetroot leavening (approx. 350 ml), dried thyme (1 teaspoon), salt and pepper.
9. Stir, take off the heat and season to taste with salt (1 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon).
10. Drain the cooled barszcz.
If you want a more distinctive taste, you can add more beetroot leavening.
*You can take out some beetroot and make later the so-called “hot beets.” We will prepare the recipe in the following days.
Serve with ‘uszka’ and enjoy it 😊