Before refrigeration, pickling was a common way of preserving fruits, vegetables, meats and eggs in Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe. Pickled baby cucumbers, what we call just plain pickles, in hot broth was the winter counterpart to the summer offering of cold cucumber soup.
In my family, we made dill pickle soup with a ketchup base. This more widely known variation uses sour cream and, if you substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock, it is completely vegetarian.
Today, thanks to refrigeration and the availability of year-round produce, this soup can be enjoyed winter or summer.
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 large garlic dill pickles, about 3 cups chopped
- 2/3 cup liquid from pickle jar or water
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream
- Salt and black pepper
- Sugar to taste, if desired
- Chopped fresh dill for garnish, if desired
Preparation:
- Melt butter in a large pot. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add broth, pickles, pickle liquid and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Blend flour with sour cream. Temper sour cream mixture with a little hot soup. Pour tempered sour cream into hot soup, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning, adding sugar if desired. Note:At this point, the soup can be left chunky or pureed to the velvety consistency of vichyssoise.
- Serve in heated bowls garnished with chopped fresh dill, if desired.
