Authentic Polish Beet Soup Recipe
BORSCHT (Beet Soup) – AUTHENTIC POLISH RECIPE
Borscht – is one of my favorite and most popular Polish soups, known as Barszcz Czerwony. It’s a traditional dish that is served on Christmas Eve. It’s made from beets, and it has a clean, almost see-through consistency; and it is served in small bowls or mugs with small mushrooms dumplings called uszka.
We always had Borscht on Christmas Eve, but other families might have a different tradition of serving a beet soup. I brought this tradition with me to America, and my friends and family love it when I make it for Christmas Eve.
INGREDIENTS IN POLISH RED BORSCHT
The ingredients needed for the borscht are straightforward and can be found in any grocery store. Here’s your shopping list:
- Beets
- Broth
- Carrots
- Celery Root
- Parsnip
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Spices
- Oil
WHAT SPICES TO USE IN POLISH BORSCHT
I use a few critical spices to make the borscht (although different cooks might use other spices). I also use some pantry staple condiments to make it very flavorful and gratifying. Here’s your list:
- Dill
- Dry marjoram
- Salt
- Bay leaves
- Pepper
- Apple cider vinegar
HOW DO YOU MAKE AUTHENTIC BEETROOT BORSCHT
Make a broth:
1: Peel, wash and dice your vegetables (beets, celery, carrots, parsnip, celery root, and parsley)
2: Put your vegetables in the large pot, cover with water, add the spices. Bring it to the boil, reduce the heat, and cook it on medium until the vegetables are soft.
3: When the soup is ready, add apple cider vinegar to preserve the beautiful color from the beets. Adjust seasoning and strain the vegetables into another large pot. Serve with mushroom pierogi.
OTHER METHODS TO MAKE POLISH RED BORSCHT
This recipe uses ingredients that can you can easily find in any grocery store. However, if you live close to any Polish grocery store, you can get something called Beet Concentrate.
BORSCHT WITH BEET CONCENTRATE
Basically, the beet concentrate is concentrated borscht. It adds a lot of flavor to the soup, and when I have it on hand, I do add it to my recipe.
When you use the concentrate, remember that it is already salted, so you won’t need to add that much salt. Also, hold off the vinegar.
Experiment and see how much concentrate do you want to use. Start small and increase the amount to your liking and until the right amount of acidity and sweetness suits you. If needed, add vinegar, salt & pepper.
USING BEET KVASS
Using beet kavas is one of my favorite way of making borscht. I make beat kavass myself and buy it at the Polish store. Use the kavas instead of vinegar. Basically, beet kavas is a fermented beet juice, which is exceptionally yummy and a great probiotic.
If you want to use this method:
Make beet kvass from my recipe (that can be found here) 4 days prior to making your borscht.
Use the beet kavas instead of vinegar after the soup is all cooked (you dont want to cook the soup with the kavass because you are killing the probiotics; hence you add it at the end)
Remember that beet kvass can be salty, so be careful with your salt until the end of the process.
You can also buy pickled beets at the grocery store and add the juice from it to the soup in the end, which works just fine for many.
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Ingredients
- 6 medium beets
- 1 1/2 onion
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 Pacific Veggie Broth
- 4 carrots
- 3 parsnips
- 1 celery root
- 3 tbsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp marjoram dry
- 3 tbsp basil dried
- 3 tbsp dill dried
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Wash all vegetables.
- Cut all vegetables into small pieces
- Brown onion with 2 T avocado oil
- Add other vegetables and spices
- Add water and bullion
- Cook for 2 hours
- 10 min before the soup is done, add and 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Strain all vegetables for a clear beet soup.