Barszcz wigilijny aka Christmas Beets Soup​

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Barszcz wigilijny Christmas Beets Soup

Barszcz wigilijny aka Christmas Beets Soup

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This soup is traditionally made using beet concentrate (a liquid left from fermenting beets). Completely clear and vegetarian. I used both, roasted beets and kwas (concentrate). I added a bit of heavy cream, but on a Christmas Eve we skip it!

Cooking Time: 20min + 1h oven

Serving: 4-6 serving

INGREDIENTS:

  • A handful of dried mushrooms, preferably porcini (or a mix with boletus)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 4 medium-sized beets
  • 2 liters of vegetable stock
  • Dried herbs: 2 bay leaves, 2 tablespoons of marjoram, 6 black peppercorns, 4 grains of allspice
  • 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or 2 tablespoons of vinegar
  • 200ml of beet kwas (concentrate)
  • 4 tablespoons of heavy cream (skip if you want to keep vegan)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Rinse the mushrooms, place them in a saucepan, cover with 2 cups of cold water, and leave to soak overnight. The next day, cook the mushrooms until tender, which may take about 20 minutes, in the water they soaked in, with the addition of bay leaves and garlic.

  2. Wash the beets, wrap each in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until tender for about 1 hour at 190 C. Unwrap from the foil, peel, and grate using a coarse grater.

  3. To the boiling vegetable broth, add marjoram, pepper, allspice, and parsley. Add the grated beets, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 3-4 minutes, remove from heat, and add lemon juice or vinegar and beet kwas.

  4. Strain the vegetable broth (it’s best to let it sit for a day if you have time; the borscht will be more intense) and combine it with the mushroom broth. Add heavy cream for the soup to become a bit sweeter and more pink.