Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas Barszcz

In case you're interested, I (finally) added a search tool on the right side of the blog if you want to find anything you'd seen one time or another. I'm trying to come up with a better way to tag my posts, and create some sort of archive for the recipes I've featured. From the Christmas Eats, some of the dishes (the ones that weren't mine) have the recipe linked by name.

First up for the family meals is a polish soup that's present at most holidays. This is the mushroom-based Christmas version, likely the Easter one will follow around then :) Alot of this is "to taste," as you see in the recipe that mom had from my grandmother (click to enlarge)...


Umm, yeah :) Do you see any amounts or measurements?? I wondered if it was invisible ink, but no such luck. Mom guided me a bit, and I guesstimated the amounts I put in... and after some tasting and adjusting, it came out JUST like my great grandmother and grandmother used to make it, I was thrilled!!!


Christmas Barszcz
Reczek family recipe


~1/2c dried mushrooms
4c boiling water
scant 1T oil (I think i used smart balance oil, for a mild-flavored fat)
1/2c minced celery
1/4c minced onion
4c "kielbasa water" (water used to cook kielbasa, with the fat skimmed off- can be kept in the freezer)
3/4c evaporated milk
1 bay leaf
3 mushroom bouillon cubes
~1/4t dried dill
barley (?? we forgot about this until afterwards... but i think it's supposed to go in ;) )


Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms (or drop them in), cover with lid or saran wrap, and let sit for ~30min. Once they are reconstituted, roughly chop mushrooms (I ran my knife through 3 or 4 times). Reserve some of this liquid (I probably kept 1/4c or so out, but the exact volume isn't important) and mix well with 3T flour.

Add oil to large pot over medium-low heat. Saute onions and celery until softened, but don't brown them! Add remaining ingredients (the water-flour mix last) and adjust to taste. Be careful adding the mushroom liquid, as there may be some sediment at the bottom from the mushrooms that doesn't need to go into the soup. We also added one bouillon at a time, as the amount needed may vary depending on the mushrooms and broth (or water) that are used. I prepared this ahead of time and just kept it on low heat until the rest of dinner was ready! The flavor will deepen as everything comes together. Enjoy!

16 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I LOVE Polish cuisine!! Fun soup.

Meg said...

That soup looks delicious!

HangryPants said...

All of my mom's and grandma's recipes are like that. They always come out amazing!

Anonymous said...

mmmmm im sure i love just about anything that involves kielbasa :)

Reeni said...

You did a great job! It looks so yummy, comforting and delicious!

Anonymous said...

Great post - thanks for sharing! It looks oh-so delicious, and I have never tried it before. So, I'm definitely interested!

Anonymous said...

POLISH POWER! Yeah, Rob's family says that all the time. Those crazy Poles don't need no stinkin' measuring cups!

Esi said...

Looks (and sounds) like you had a good Christmas!

lauren said...

my grandfather is polish, so my grandmother makes keilbasa and sauerkraut alot - will have to get her to save the water next time. But actually - she probably has it in her freezer - she is good like that. the soup sound great!

Every Gym's Nightmare said...

i love polish food! anything with kielbasa is good in my book

Kelly Turner
www.everygymsnightmare.com

Meghann said...

Yay for blog search tools!

vanillasugarblog said...

that's funny, no measurements! my great-gran used to do that with her handwritten cookie recipes.
I'll have to try this soup as hubby loves mushroom soup, a lot. And now that you mentioned kielbasa I'm craving some with yellow mustard, lol.

Maria said...

I love family recipes, they are usually the best!

Elizabeth said...

Neat!! I love the way it came out great despite not having the complete recipe! :)

test it comm said...

This Polish mushroom soup sounds really good!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this special family recipe! It sounds fantastic!!

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