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Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

Polish Soups

Zupa Chrzanowa (Horseradish Soup)

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Zupa Chrzanowa (Horseradish Soup)

We often walked by Cymes (the Polish spelling of a Yiddish wording meaning something delicious, exquisite and unique), a Jewish restaurant in Poznan, and thought that we should eat there.  We finally did a few weeks ago on our anniversary.  Our meal had a sense of adventure to it – trying many tasty things we’d never had before – from Zupa Chrzanowa (Horseradish Soup) to buckwheat.

We decided to try our hand with the horseradish soup as part of our Christmas dinner.  Despite its many medicinal qualities, I must confess that before I moved to Poland, I’d only used horseradish in two ways: with Prime Rib and mixed with ketchup to make shrimp cocktail.  Now, we’re mixing it with beets and putting massive quantities in soup.  We made our version vegetarian; you could certainly use chicken broth if you prefer.

I’ve made Zupa Chrzanowa (Horseradish Soup)in Poland and in the United States, and I noticed a huge difference in the heat of the horseradish root between the two places. My Polish horseradish was milder. When I made this soup in Tucson, I had to use much less, so use your judgement. It’s always better to start with less, and add to it to get the taste and heat level that suits you as the soup is cooking.

Smacznego!

Lois

horseradish root and grated horseradish
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Horseradish soup

Horseradish Soup

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A flavorful soup using freshly grated horseradish

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 8 cups vegetable stock
  • 8 inch piece horseradish root, peeled & finely grated (use less if your horseradish is very hot)
  • 1 large potato, peeled, and diced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Add olive oil to a stock pot and saute carrot, celery, and onion until tender
  2. Add stock, horseradish (a generous cup full), and potato
  3. Simmer one to two hours
  4. Process in blender, food processor, or with immersion blender
  5. Season with salt and pepper

Kapuśniak Sauerkraut Soup

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Kapusniak Sauerkraut Soup
Kapuśniak Sauerkraut Soup

This recipe comes from Nela’s Cookbook.  As I’ve said before, soups are very popular in Poland, and this one caught my eye because I’ve never thrown a slab of ribs into a soup pot before.  It worked out well.  Polish sauerkraut or kapusta kiszona is naturally fermented, soured by bacteria in the air. If you’re using American sauerkraut which has been soured with vinegar, you’ll want to drain and rinse the kraut. If you’re using a naturally fermented sauerkraut, there’s no need to rinse, just drain and use.

My friend, Sally, tells me her Czech grandmother used to make this soup, so I’m curious about how Nela’s recipe differs.  Comment and let us know, Sally.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Kapuśniak Sauerkraut Soup

★★★★ 4 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A traditional soup of preserved cabbage (sauerkraut), mushrooms, and rib meat!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sauerkraut
  • 4 cups beef broth or 4 cups water and 2 Knorr beef bullion cubes
  • 2 pounds pork spareribs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 peppercorns
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 ounces dried mushrooms (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain the sauerkraut
  2. In a large pot, add the broth, spareribs, bay leaves, peppercorns, carrots, and dried mushrooms (fresh chanterelles were in the market so I sliced 2 cups and used them instead. I think this was also easier than retrieving the dried, cooked mushrooms for slicing)
  3. Cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours
  4. Remove the mushrooms and cut them into strips. Return them to the pot and add 4 more cups of water
  5. Melt sugar over medium heat until it colors and caramelizes. Add the sauerkraut and the caramelized sugar to the pot, cover and cook for 30 minutes
  6. Remove the ribs from the pot, pull the meat off the bones and slice into bite-sized strips; return to soup.
  7. It’s ready to serve

Next time:  Roladka Drobiowa (Polish Chicken Roulade)

chanterelles

Zupa Pomidorowa — Tomato Soup

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Zupa Pomidorowa Tomato Soup, a delicious hot soup with many layers of flavor!

Polska piątek (Polish Friday) #3

Some rules are pretty strict. Every dinner in Poland begins with soup. Order a salad as a starter and nine times out of ten, the waiter will try to talk you out of it. Seriously, it’s happened to me! Soup is the norm. If you’d like adhere to tradition, here’s a hot tomato soup that you’re sure to enjoy. My inspiration for this Zupa Pomidorowa Tomato Soup is the soup served at Filigando, a popular restaurant with a shabby chic decor in Stary Browar mall. Their tomato soup has such a complex taste, rich with layers of flavor from the many ingredients. I can see why our friends Princesa and Donald recommend it so highly.
Zupa Pomidorowa -- Tomato Soup
Our friend, Jacek, one of the Polish F-16 pilots warned me about Poland’s fascination with soup. As I was asking about typical meals in Poland, wondering what I needed to try on my first visit, he emphasized that I would want to start my meals with soup, something we don’t do all that often in Tucson, Arizona.

There is such a difference between a homemade tomato soup and what you buy in a can. I don’t mean to sound like a soup snob because I am a huge fan of Campbell’s tomato soup and Fritos, but homemade tomato soup is a totally different taste, a richer more interesting taste.

I’ve used canned tomatoes here – making it a year round possibility. If you can find fire roasted tomatoes in a tin, you can eliminate the process of roasting the tomatoes, a step that really adds to the flavor. If you’re lucky enough to have an abundance of fresh tomatoes, that would be even better.  You’ll want to peel fresh tomatoes, great tips at this site and add a little tomato juice to replace the liquid from the can.

Smacznego!

Lois

(Amazon pays me a few cents for purchases via these links)
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Zupa Pomidorowa (Tomato Soup)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: Soup
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Description

A wonderful hot soup with many layers of flavor!

Ingredients

  • 3 14-ounce cans of whole tomatoes (1200 g, total)
  • 3/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 onion or leek (white and light green parts only), diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 stalk celery or 1/2 cup celery root, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced (optional)
  • 2 – 4 tablespoons brandy (or sherry)
  • 2 tablespoons basil and or parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 – 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Drain the tomatoes, reserving liquid, using your hands, open the tomatoes, removing the seeds
  2. Laying the tomatoes out flat on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1/4 olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake at 400 F until the edges begin to brown, about 20 minute
  3. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to a large sauce pan, add onion, carrot, celery, and parsnip, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes
  4. Add brandy, and flame (You may not have enough alcohol to get a flame with sherry)
  5. Add the herbs, reserved tomato juice and the stock, simmer until the veggies are tender
  6. Process the soup using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor (You may want to let it cool a little bit so you don’t get splashed with hot soup)
  7. Add cream, using enough to get the desired texture, heat
  8. Garnish with a bit of cream and or herbs

 

 

soup fixings

Next week:  placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes)