Traditional Barszcz Soup (Polish Borscht)
Polish barszcz soup is a clear beet broth, tangy, sweet and earthy, with a hint of wild mushrooms and garlic. Traditionally served at Christmas with Polish uszka dumplings, this easy soup is ready in just over an hour!
Servings 6 -8 servings
Calories 92kcal
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 1⅔ pounds beets
- ¾ cup pickled beet brine see *Notes
- ¾ cup fermented beet brine zakwas, see **Notes
- ¼ small celery root peeled
- 1 medium parsley root peeled, can be omitted if you can't get it
- 1 medium onion peeled
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 10 pieces dried porcini mushrooms small handful, see ***Notes
- 10 black peppercorns
- 4 allspice berries
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 9 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter dairy or plant butter
Instructions
- Prepare mushrooms: Place the dried mushrooms (if using) in cold water and rub briefly with your fingertips to remove any grit. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Prepare beets: Peel then rinse the beets. Halve or quarter (larger) beets and place in a large pot.
- Combine ingredients: Add the onion, garlic, celery root, parsley root, allspice berries, black peppercorns, salt and mushrooms (if using). Pour in the water and cover.
- Cook barszcz : Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Add flavour: Using a slotted spoon remove all the vegetables and spices from the pot (or strain the soup). Add the zakwas (if using), pickled beet brine, mushroom water (if using, add about ¾ cup/180ml) and butter. Taste, adjust the flavour if needed then serve with uszka dumplings.
Notes
-
- *Buy a jar of pickled beets and use just the brine. See substitutions in Ingredients in the post.
- **Zakwas is fermented beet brine (made without vinegar), sold in Polish stores, usually in bottles. See Ingredients for alternatives.
- ***Use either dried porcini/mixed mushrooms or about ¾ cup/180ml mushroom water (used for making mushroom uszka dumplings).
- Add the beet brine and mushroom water after you've cooked the soup.
- Adjust the amount of zakwas and pickled beet brine to your preference.
- You can cook this dish up to 3 days ahead (and keep refrigerated).
- Serve hot. If the soup gets cold reheat it but do not let it boil.
- Yields 6-8 servings.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Use rubber gloves when handling the beets.
- The nutritional information was calculated without the zakwas.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 1918mg | Potassium: 502mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg