Mum's Polish kitchen -Barszcz Buraczkowy (Beetroot Soup)

Stan Krawczyk • 14 January 2020

Mum's Barszcz Buraczkowy - Beetroot Borscht

Mum's version of Beetroot Soup. You've heard of the 'London Look' this is the 'Purple Fingers look!'

A few notes before we begin.

Most Polish cooking is a faff and takes a fair bit of effort, its not difficult just a lot of preparation and messing such as peeling, chopping so its not worth making just a small amount for 1 person. All mums portion sizes are suitable for a family of 3 or 4 people and will last 3 to 4 days without going off. They are quite filling, healthy and wholesome you wont leave hungry trust me.
Please ensure you buy good ingredients don't skimp on meat or cheap veg.
Only buy fresh loose beetroot not precooked or packaged in a bag.

Note to meat eaters: I have made this soup for a vegetarian friend but normally you throw in a chicken leg, breast or even slice of pork and chicken stock cube. In this case none of the above just a vege stock cube otherwise everything stays the same.

Ok shall we begin?

Ingredients:

1 Large bunch of fresh loose Beetroot, please don't buy ready cooked or that pickled stuff!

1 Small chicken breast or leg, whatever you like. Its just for the stock. FOR NONE VEGGIES ONLY

1 Chicken stock cube or Vegetable stock cube for veggies

2-3 Peeled carrots and chopped in half

1 Large onion

8+ Salad potatoes like Charlotte, peeled. See method for more information.

1 Large single cream (can be double but tends to split)

1 Small bunch of fresh Parsley , dried is fine also.

1 Small sour cream.

Dusting of Mixed herbs,

Dill

Seasoning

Water

Lemon juice

Method:

Wash your hands often.

Select a large saucepan 2.5 ltr in this case.

Peel the carrots leave them quite large because you need to fish them out later, then drop in the pan.

Peel the onion cut in half then drop in the bottom of the pan.

Potatoes, take only a few, peel and drop in the pan. They turn a lovely shade of purple but I prefer them to be cooked in another pan for 20 mins with a hint of salt and dill then added at the time of serving.

Beetroot. Find a plastic or similar chopping board that can be easily cleaned. Wear rubber gloves to avoid Beetroot fingers, although you can pretend you smoke 50 Beets per day or have recently buried the neighbour under your patio, either way its not a good look for work the next day? Peel, top and tail the Beetroot.

A usual sized bunch of 4 or 5 in the supermarket is fine. Cut them roughly into 1 cm cubes, then add to the pan.

Pop in a handful of fresh parsley if you have it (don't chop it because it will be removed later).

Throw in a bit of fresh dill too. I tend to buy it fresh in the supermarket (Asda always have it reduced in the herbs section just freeze it in a bag).

Add water about 1 inch from the top of the pan, then throw in dried herbs and the stock cube (chicken or vege) bit of pepper.

That's it, lid on and let it simmer for about 30-40 mins, stir a few times.

Check once in a while to ensure it does not evaporate.

If you put a teaspoon into the side of one of the carrots and its soft enough you are done.

Heat off, discard the Parsley and the onion.

Go fishing for the carrots and the few potatoes, place them on a side plate.

Now use a large sieve and pour the contents into another saucepan of a similar size, the idea is to leave the Beetroot cubes behind. Shame to waste them so put them under your plants.

Pop the carrots and potatoes back in then stir in the full pot of single cream. Double cream gives a fuller flavour but as I keep saying in these blogs it always separates for me.

Taste it you may need to add a little bit of sugar to taste or salt or lemon juice squirt to give it some zing because it needs to have a little bit of acidity.

There you go Mrs Krawczyk's Polish Beetroot Borscht......................simplesville.

Serve:

Serve in a wide rather than a small soup bowl. A splash of sour cream in the middle and sprinkle some fresh chopped Dill.

If you followed my advice to cook a selection of new potatoes in the other pan, drain them, knob of butter, fresh or frozen dill on top and either pop them into the soup bowl also or leave on a side plate? Go on live dangerously.

This is good as a starter but can also be a main if you added in the chicken or lot of potatoes and carrots with it.

Let it cool down overnight, it will taste better the next day. It should last 2 days outside of the fridge but I recommend you put it in the fridge overnight after the first day.

Transfer the amount you need for that day and warm it up in another saucepan and eat like that, don't reheat the original pan.

Great for cold autumn, winter nights. I seem to be doing a lot of food blogs recently?

Smacznego (Bon appetite)

More recipes to come keep an eye and nose out for them.