This week 1 recipe:
Traditional Barszcz
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| Traditional Barszcz – a popular soup throughout Central and Eastern Europe |
This winter soup which is rumored to have healing properties is spicy and tart. Not spicy as in heat, but lots of garlic. The tartness comes from lemon juice and offsets the natural sweetness of the beets. I’ve found the flavors are even better after a day or two. It makes great sipping in the evening. The recipe calls for meaty soup bones. My market didn’t have any, so I bought some very meaty beef short ribs.
I’m happy to say that this recipe has been reprinted on Serious Eats if you’d like to give it a try.
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| After a good long simmer, everything is strained out and the broth is served |
I used the meat from the ribs to make krokiety or croquettes, a common side to accompany barszcz. I mixed the meat with sauerkraut, onion, and mushroom – all finely diced, and bound it together with a cup of bechamel sauce. This filing went into herb crepes; the rolled up little bundles were browned in oil. In hindsight, I should have dipped them in beaten egg and bread crumbs to get a crunchier finish.
1 down – 68 to go
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| Cooking my way through From a Polish Country House Kitchen |
Like bake-alongs I’ve done in the past, I’m not posting the recipes in From a Polish Country House Kitchen, but if you’d like your own copy, it’s available on Amazon
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An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Chris
This combo is one of my favorite from Polish cuisine and one that I just cannot conquer in the kitchen.
Bravo to you, Super Chef!
Anula
Now I have a craving for barszcz and krokiety! You made me hungry! 🙂 And I have to admit that as a child I hated barszcz or krokiety! Thankfully our taste buds change a little as we grow up 😉
Pozdrawiam, Anula.
Lois B
Chris – it’s good to have a reason to go out, isn’t it?
Anula – I’m glad I can remind you of home. I, too, have been thinking about how tastes change. I didn’t like onions as a child, but now. . . sauteed onions are like candy!