Polish tastes #004 - Red [Beetroot] Borsch

 As promised another Polish classic for Christmas and beyond, because if something is this good why to reserve it only for special occasions? 

I mean, yes, it is very nice to have something for a special occasion only, but Polish Wigilia [read as: veegheelyia = Christmas Eve dinner] is special enough because of having 12 special dishes together on the table, right? OK, enough of the "special". My mouth is watering even when I only think about well cooked, tasty Red Borsch with wild mushroom uszka [---> here all about it].

Red Borsch or Borscht [Polish spelling barszcz], whichever spelling you prefer, is basically a clear beetroot soup, almost like a vegan beetroot stock or broth.  A classic for Christmas, but also can be cooked all year round. I must say though that all year round in Poland are consumed heavier and different variations of beetroot soup. With more vegetables, with broad beans,  added cream or potatoes, which I all like.

And if you are stying home this year, not visiting parents, or in-laws, who know how to cook it, want to impress some Poles or simply fancy to try this, here, without further ado, it is:

Before we start - few words of wisdom:

1. don't be afraid of cooking it from the scratch. It really does not take that much time or effort, because you can do other things while it's cooking. But yes, you can buy clear borsch in jars or bottles from Polish shops around the world now. 

2. vegetables for the stock/base are in rough quantities. If you have few grams more or less it is fine, as long as you do not add any other vegetables like potatoes or broccoli, because it would change the taste dramatically. 

3. the soup is way better the next day when all the flavours are linked together to the point there is no space between them 😂 or even a day after, so it is good to cook it and then keep it in the fridge or outside, if it is cold enough. Alternatively I transfer it to large jars when still hot and close them tightly. The jars should seal with that hot content and that would easily keep for few days or weeks even until Christmas. So it can be made in advance. 

What do you need?

Makes about 3.5 -4 l, so you would need 5 l pot with lid to start with.

part 1

3-4 carrots

500 fresh beetroot [bunch of fresh beetroot from Asda is a good one for this. Do NOT use cooked beetroot, as it will not give away enough flavour]

1 large onion

3-5 celery sticks

200g celeriac [about this much. Celeriac is a rather large vegetable so just use a big chunk of it]

1-2 parsnips

1 small apple like spartan [sweet/sour]

3 - 4  large cloves of garlic

3 bay leaves [fresh, if they grow around you]

3 cloves [they are intensive in taste so do not try to add more of them]

3 Tbsp olive oil [or sunflower, rapeseed...]

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

5 juniper berries

1/4 tsp chilly flakes

1/4 tsp ground peppercorns with mustard seeds mix [I crush them together in a mortar and pestle each time I cook, to have them fresh and fragrant]

3.5 - 4 l of water

part 2

1.5 -2 tsp salt [taste, you may need more or less then that]

5 -7 Tbsp lemon juice [or more if you like it really sour]

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

How to?

The preparation is rather simple.

part 1

1. wash and chop roughly vegetables. Just in quarters will do. Not too fine. 

2. heat up oil in the pan and chuck all vegetables in. On medium heat, stirring occasionally cook vegetables for about 10 minutes. At some point add all spices from part 1 ONLY.

3. after 10-15 minutes add water, put on the lid, bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer for about 2-3 hours. Yes that long you do not have to do much more. Just read you favourite magazine or do uszka to go with your borsch :-)

part 2

4. add vinegar, some lemon juice and, to start with, 1.5 tsp of salt. You can always add more salt and lemon juice, but it is harder to undo when it is too much. If you think it is too sour or salty, add more water, to your taste. You could add more spices [chilly?] but the soup will develop more flavour the next day, or after few more hours. 

5. before serving strain borsch through the sieve. It should be clear red broth, without any bits. But I must say that I and J like these cooked vegetables, so we eat them anyway. Especially beetroot, which still will be rather crunchy. So do not throw away any cooked veggies. Try them first. 

5. serve borsch with uszka [ or any other tortellini or dumplings, but it will have less authentic feel]. 

Enjoy :-)