For the Love of Barszcz

This article makes my heart stir. Hooray for Barszcz!! I've been homesick for the sweet slightly tart flavor of this traditional Polish soup for years and at last decided to take it upon myself to master the seemingly simple recipes I found online.  After many attempts with mediocre results I decided to bring in the big guns, a Polish cookbook and a Russian friend skilled in the arts of soup-making, and at last created a version that tasted somewhat like the Christmas Eve tradition of my childhood.  It was clear and sweet, light on sauerkraut and topped with a dollop of tangy sour cream. Years later I've adapted this recipe with chunks of pork, thick slices of potato, skipped the sour cream all together and mastered a richer, fattier consistency that's become my own Christmas meal staple.
This article perfectly captures my love affair with the soups I grew up with.  Buy a good loaf of dry rye bread, spread it with a little butter and dill, savour and enjoy.

Ukrainian Barszcz with Caraway Seed Dumplings

Note: Garnish each serving of the soup with a little sour cream and a sprinkling of dill. Kvass, a fermented beverage, is usually available at Central and Eastern European markets.


2 pounds beef short ribs
Salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
8 cups water, more if needed
2 turnips, cut to ½-inch cubes
2 carrots, diced
1/3 cup tomato juice
3/4 cup kvass
2 cups shredded red cabbage
3 beets, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
Pepper


1. Season the short ribs with a teaspoon of salt.
2. Heat a 5-quart heavy-bottom pot over high heat until hot. Add the olive oil, then add the short ribs, in batches, and heat until browned on each side, about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs from the pot and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onions are soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the ribs back to the pot, along with the peppercorns and bay leaves. Add the water to cover and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, loosely cover and cook until the ribs start to become tender, about 11/2 hours.
5. Skim any foam or fat from the surface of the pot and stir in the turnips and carrots. Continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and the ribs are very tender and falling off the bone, 30 to 45 minutes more.
6. Remove the ribs from the pot and discard the bones. Slice or pull the meat into coarse, medium chunks. Return the meat to the pot.
7. Stir in the tomato juice, kvass and cabbage and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Using a box grater or food processor, shred the beets into fine strips and add to the pot. Add the vinegar.
8. While the soup is simmering, prepare the dumplings: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and caraway seeds. In a separate small bowl, beat together the milk and egg. Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour and stir with a fork until it forms a stiff, sticky batter.
9. Taste the soup and season as desired with salt and pepper, then make the dumplings: Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of the caraway dumpling batter into the simmering soup. Cover the pot and steam the dumplings until they are set and firm and the cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Spoon the borscht into bowls, making sure each serving gets at least 1 dumpling.

Stay tuned for the outcome of the variations on the classic recipe from the article.
"Beet Poetry with Borscht" from the LA Times

Favorite Potato Leek Soup

One of my all-time favorites!  I've found that leaving the skin on the potatoes really adds something special, just make sure to scrub them well before slicing.   I also substituted corn starch mixed with warmed unsweetened soy milk for the heavy cream since lactose intolerance doesn't allow me the fatty goodness of dairy. Make sure to whisk the corn starch into gently warming soy milk, then add to the soup. Thank you Pinch my Salt!!

K’s Potato Leek Soup
3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced*
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 – 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced**
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.
2) Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom.
3) Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.


Notes: *Make sure to clean leeks thoroughly and slice only the white and light green part of the leeks.


Came across this similar Vegetarian Recipe from Lou Restaurant in Hollywood:

DJ Olsen’s Potato and Leek Soup
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb trimmed leeks, use whites only, sliced into half moons
squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
High-quality olive oil for garnish
3 Tablespoons butter
Saute leeks in melted butter until softened.
Add potatoes and about 3 inches of water. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, until potatoes and leek are soft.

Puree soup in a blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add squeeze of fresh lemon and drizzle olive to serve.

Mushroom Farro Soup

OK, this is just soup porn. I adore mushrooms and had a nearly disastrous experience with my last attempt at a Polish style dried Boletus stew.  Seems they weren't as free of dirt as I thought they were and being an inexperienced mushroom cleaner I merely gave them a dry-cloth brushing when they were in need of a good, long soaking.  The end result was gritty and bland, such a disappointment since I used up an entire bag of imported mushrooms delivered to me from an out-of-state Polish deli.
But I feel confident, this looks fairly straightforward and I'm salivating just after reading the recipe.

Thanks for sharing Smitten Kitchen, I'll let you know how it turns out!


Mushroom Farro Soup
Adapted from Marian Burros’ mama, via The New York Times


Makes about 7 cups
1/3 cup dried mushrooms like porcini
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mushrooms (white, cremini, shiitake or a mixture thereof; I used 100% brown/creminis)
1/2 cup farro, pearled barley, or spelt, rinsed
6 cups low sodium or salt-free beef broth or stock (vegetable, mushroom or chicken stock can be swapped)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar


Cover dried mushrooms with 1 cup boiling water, and set aside for 20 minutes, or while you prepare the rest of the soup. 
Trim and slice mushrooms, then give them a rough chop to your desired texture.
Heat oil in heavy-bottomed deep pot. 
Sauté onions and carrots over medium heat until onions begin to color, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
Add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. 
Add fresh mushrooms, and cook until they begin to release liquid, about 5 to 10 minutes. Raise heat and add barley; sauté until it begins to color (this didn’t really happen for me, because the mushroom liquid was still sloshing about).
Add broth, sherry and tomato paste.
Drain porcinis and finely chop; strain mushroom-soaking liquid to remove any grit and add to pot along with the reconstituted mushrooms. 
Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 40 minutes, until barley is tender. 
Stir in sherry vinegar; adjust seasonings and serve.

California Winter Sausage Fennel and Lentil Stew

Photo from Simply Recipes

The entire process of making this soup took about 6 hours, including making the beef broth from scratch, but was well worth the effort.  The soup turned out hearty and delicious with a hint of minestrone-like sweetness and nice, earthy smokiness from the sausage.  Dip a thick slice of a peasant style bread and freeze the leftovers - this recipe makes enough to feed a village.

• 8 1/2 cups beef stock or canned broth
• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
• 1/2 cup soaked barley
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (or 1 1/2 cup freshly chopped Roma tomatoes)
• 4 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fennel bulb
• 6 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2-5 teaspoons Creole seasoning to taste (or combine Smoked Paprika, 3 cloves chopped garlic, cayenne pepper, marjoram)
• dash or two of rich Italian Balsamic Vinegar

Combine stock, barley and lentils in large pot over high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add fennel; sauté until seeds are light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove seeds from skillet.

Heat oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add celery, carrot and onion; sauté until onion is translucent and celery and carrot are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add toasted fennel seeds, sautéed vegetables, sausage, thyme and Creole seasoning to soup. Cover and simmer until lentils are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)

Indian Style Cauliflower Soup with English Peas

photo from The English Kitchen

Indian-style Cauliflower Soup with English Peas
by Ameila Saltsman
Makes 6-8 servings
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 head cauliflower, cleaned and trimmed into florets
4-6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock for a non-veg meal)

1 cup shelled English peas
Fresh lime
2 Tablespoons each chopped mint, chives, and cilantro
In a wide pot, heat oil or ghee over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, stir and cook until brown, 1-2 minutes. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, red pepper and salt and cook until fragrant 30-60 seconds. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
Stir in cauliflower and about 1/4 cup water and cover pot to par-cook the cauliflower.
After 5 minutes add the broth. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer soup until cauliflower is very tender, 15-20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Puree the soup, adding a little water if it seems too thick, and season to taste with salt.
Return soup to medium-low heat, add the peas, and simmer just until they are tender but still bright green.
Give the soup a squeeze of lime and serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of chives, mint, and cilantro.

Thanks Good Food!

The Perfect Egg

This is a slight deviation from the usual soup content but a perfectly cooked slightly runny egg makes a lovely topping for ramen or even a thick bowl of chicken noodle soup.  It's also the first step of Momofuku's Ramen , otherwise known as Food of the Gods.

From Epicurean Debauchery 

Here is how it goes:


1. Place cold eggs in a pan or pot with apx 1 cm of cold water. Yup, that's right, the eggs will not be fully immersed in the water. One cm deep of water is plenty for this method. Put the lid on the pan/pot and don't take it off until the very last step.
2. Bring water to a boil on High Heat.
3. As soon as the water boils, turn heat down to Medium.
4. Cook at Medium Heat for 4 min.
5. Immediately after these 4 min, remove from heat and let eggs sit in hot water, 3 min.
6. Quickly chill eggs in cold water briefly to cool down the eggs for easy peeling.
7. Peel and enjoy!


I swear by this recipe. As long as the timing is followed carefully, the eggs come out extremely consistently. The decadent creaminess of the soft boiled yolk is beautifully maintained while the outside white is firm enough to contain the goodness.

Carrot Parsnip Barley Puree

This puree turned out so much better than I'd thought! An overabundance of carrots in the fridge inspired some creative mixing and magically turned into the perfect cold weather soup.  All you need is a good blender, a Kyocera Adjustable Mandoline also comes in handy to slice the carrots paper-thin .
4-8 cups chicken broth
6-10 carrots, peeled and grated or thinly sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
2 cups Mother's Instant Barley
salt/pepper/parsley for taste 


Combine carrots, potato, parsnip, onion, garlic with boiling broth (homemade is always best).  Cook slowly over 1-2 hours.  Let soup cool then transfer to blender and mix in small batches to your desired consistency.  Return to pot and add barley, cook 20 minutes.  Finish with salt, pepper, chopped parsley and maybe even top it off with a little parmesan.  Serve with crusty Sourdough bread spread with garlic butter, yum.

photograph by Bozena Barton.