Barszcz
by
Luclare Cuisine
Christmas time has a special significance in Poland and Christmas Eve in particular is steeped in tradition. The Christmas Eve Wigilia, or Vigil, marks the anticipation of Christmas with a special evening meal consisting of a number of fish dishes and Barszcz otherwise known as Borscht. Barszcz is a Beet Soup well known in Eastern Europe - it's part of many Slavic cultures and every one has it's own version. A classic Polish Barszcz is a sweet and sour dish - the beets with a little added sugar provide the sweetness - vinegar or dry wine provides the sourness. The Christmas Eve version also typically includes Uszka ("little ears"in Polish) that are small peirogi-like dumplings in the soup. Our family usually stuffs the Uszka with wild forest mushrooms. Also the soup can be made either vegetarian (our version) or it can be made with meat such as pork or beef stock.
So let's get on with the cooking...
Ingredients:
6 medium to large fresh beets, baked, cut into julienne strips
2 large carrots, cut into large pieces
3 celery sticks, cut into large pieces, include the leafy parts
1 large onion, cut into large pieces
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
1 teaspoon salt
10 to 12 peppercorns
5 cups water
3 tablespoons vinegar or dry wine
Step 1:
Prepare the beets - if beets have leaves, cut them off, leaving approximately 1 inch of the leaf stem. Do not cut into the beet. Clean the beets thoroughly, wrap each beet loosely in foil, bake in preheated oven at 375 F until the beets are soft when pierced with a fork. Depending on the size of the beets it could take 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Once the beets are done, take them out of the oven, unwrap the foil and let them cool.
Next peel the beets. You will want to wear rubber or disposable surgical gloves unless you want red hands. Trim both ends of the beet and peel off the skin, the skin should easily slide off.
Slice the beets and cut into julienne strips.
In a large pot combine the beets, carrots, celery sticks, onion, salt, peppercorns, water and vinegar. Over high heat bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Strain the soup through a colander, taste and adjust seasoning as needed, adding either salt, pepper, sugar or vinegar.
Serving suggestion: serve by itself, add back some of the beets, or add Uszka, pierogi stuffed with wild mushrooms with tucked ends. For the Uszka recipe go to our YouTube channel Luclare Cuisine at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SNJv_SV5qo
For a video of Barszcz recipe go to our YouTube channel Luclare Cuisine at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZXdoKbTHu8
Smaczngo! Enjoy!
Luclare Cuisine
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