Barszcz means "sour" in Polish and refers to any sour soup. Sour soups are sometimes made with a kwas or sour starter and are usually red (made with beets) or white (made with white kielbasa cooking water, potatoes and sour cream, or other ingredients).
This clear red barszcz or barszcz czysty czerwony gets a desired hint of sourness from lemon juice or vinegar and is great eaten hot with boiled potatoes or cold with rye bread.
This meatless soup is often served with mushroom uszka for Polish Christmas Eve dinner known as wigilia
. Makes about 4 servings of Easy Polish Beet BarszczPrep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 beets, washed, or 2 cups sliced canned or jarred beets
- 4 cups meat or vegetable stock
- 1 minced clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
- Chopped fresh dill for garnish
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 30-45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice into strips or julienne.
- In a medium pot, bring stock to boil, add beets, garlic, sugar, lemon juice or vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with boiled potatoes and chopped dill for garnish, or cool quickly in an ice-water bath and refrigerate to serve cold garnished with dill and sour cream.
