Barszcz recipe (according to my father)

Quoting: sapphire

thanks for this. I love that soup and would love to have a go... Im not sure where I would leave beetroot to ferment for 10 days though.. maybe an airing cupboard? Can you still make it the same way without the fermenting or is this absolutely vital?

peterwegThreads: 35 Posts: 1,978 Joined: Feb 16, 07	Feb 27, 07, 09:46 / #
This is how my father made Barszcz. Get fresh beetroot. Peel, dice. Place in a large jar, add sugar yeast and cover with water. Leave in a warm place for 10 days to ferment. Pour clear purple liquid into a separate container, avoiding sediment. Filter if nessessary (usually not required). Heat chicken stock and add Barszcz concentrate to taste. Do not boil - it loses colour. Server with fresh cream. If you are me and its Christmas, add vodka as well. I've never see any recipe like this elsewhere. Has anyone else heard of fermenting the beetroot?

Grzegorz_Threads: 81 Posts: 6,213 Joined: Nov 16, 06	Feb 27, 07, 09:54 / #
Cool.

sapphireThreads: 28 Posts: 1,418 Joined: Dec 7, 06	Feb 27, 07, 10:04 / #
thanks for this. I love that soup and would love to have a go... Im not sure where I would leave beetroot to ferment for 10 days though.. maybe an airing cupboard? Can you still make it the same way without the fermenting or is this absolutely vital?

Grzegorz_Threads: 81 Posts: 6,213 Joined: Nov 16, 06	Feb 27, 07, 10:07 / #
Quoting: sapphire Can you still make it the same way without the fermenting I think so.

sapphireThreads: 28 Posts: 1,418 Joined: Dec 7, 06	Feb 27, 07, 10:12 / #
you wouldnt put yeast in it though would you? do you use fresh chicken stock? guess i should just look up the recipe.

peterwegThreads: 35 Posts: 1,978 Joined: Feb 16, 07	Feb 27, 07, 10:18 / #
Quoting: sapphire thanks for this. I love that soup and would love to have a go... Im not sure where I would leave beetroot to ferment for 10 days though.. maybe an airing cupboard? Can you still make it the same way without the fermenting or is this absolutely vital? I don't know if the fermenting is necessary. I've had Barszcz in Poland and even out of a jar bought in a local shop (yipee for all the Polish food now being sold) and I find it a bit bland and sweet. I better warn you - the yeast and sugar ferment violently and it will overflow easily. Staining everything so put it in capturing container. I just wanted to post my fathers method because its quite different.

Grzegorz_Threads: 81 Posts: 6,213 Joined: Nov 16, 06	Feb 27, 07, 10:18 / #
Foxy, sorry, but 1st - I can't cook at all, 2nd I am after 5 beers, so can't help much

szarlotkaThreads: 14 Posts: 3,349 Joined: Feb 20, 07	Feb 27, 07, 10:20 / #
Quoting: Grzegorz_ 2nd I am after 5 beers It's not even 5.30 in Poland yet Mr G. You are in danger of reinforcing some messages from another thread. Oh what the hell, have another one on me

sapphireThreads: 28 Posts: 1,418 Joined: Dec 7, 06	Feb 27, 07, 10:44 / #
Peterweg.. your fathers method sounds like it would taste great, but Im thinking it sounds a bit messy and may seek another option. Thanks though, youve got me thinking about trying it out this weekend. Worried about cooking Polish food though.. as a non Pole it is never gonna match up to his (my partner) mothers is it.. could be a recipe for disaster My dad used to make great Mulligatawny, but its not exactly Polish.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Jan 10, 08, 00:45 / #
That is quite a complex recipe so here is my mom's. This is pretty good for when you want to have barszcz the same day ;) Prep time from start to finish is about 1 hour or less. 5 medium size beetroots 1 small cellery root 3 parlsey roots 1/3 pound of fresh carrots 6 bay leaves 10 pimiento seeds (ziele angielskie) 1 generous teaspoon of table salt a pinch or two og ground black pepper 1/2 cup of saurekraut juice Thinly peel and slice or dice. The smaller the slices or dice the faster it will all cook. Peel and slice cellery root and parsley. Bring about 2 quarts (2 liters) of water to a rolling boil and place all ingredients (except sauerkraut juice and black pepper) in the pot with boiling water. Bring the mixture to a boil again and turn the cooking temperature so a little more than a simmer. Add some of the ground pepper and some of the sauerkraut juice. This part is more an art and personal preference than hard rule. Add ground pepper and saurekraut as needed. Each time you add some more, stirr give it a minute and taste again. If you think you added too much of some ingredient then add a little more water and try again. Serve with or without the vegetables used to make barszcz and with your choice of: potatoes, sauerkraut and mushrooms pierogi, cottage cheese pierogi, or uszka aka tortellini with mushrooms. Some people settle for bread, toasted or not. Reheating is OK.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	Mar 7, 09, 16:32 / #
Making zakwas buraczany (beetroot sour) is a normal Polish culinary procedure but usually a slice or crust of whole-rye bread is added to the fermenation solution instead of the yeast.

gumishu	Mar 7, 09, 17:52 / #
Koziołek - don't bother wiht sauerkraut juice; go for vinegar, but don't use too much of it. Vinegar (usually clear/white) is added at the end of cooking otherwise the vegs won't cook properly. But i am not sure now if it is added before or after 'whitening' 'zabielanie' of the soup (i.e. mixing some sour cream into the soup) 'whitening' is optional though i'm not that much of a cook anyway

jimluvscol1Threads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Aug 12, 09	Aug 12, 09, 16:45 / #
Aug 13, 09, 03:22 - Thread attached on merging: Borscht recipe I'm looking for a authentic borscht recipe. I used to eat borscht at my Aunt Yanna's house when I was little and It was so good. Can anyone help me?

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER	Aug 22, 09, 09:19 / #
sapphire: anyone know how to make the beetroot soup with cream in it.. cant remember what its called.. but sometimes has potatoes and beetroot leaves. barszcz czerwony zabielany...?

koziolekThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Nov 16, 08	Nov 16, 08, 19:14 / #
Yeast? Will any yeast do the trick? Is ten days really necessary? If it can be a little volatile, I suppose a large container may be a good idea. z_darius: 1 small cellery root A very ugly, but a very good and underrated vegetable. z_darius: saurekraut juice Juice?

koziolekThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Nov 16, 08	Mar 3, 09, 21:26 / #
z_darius: 5 medium size beetroots 1 small cellery root 3 parlsey roots 1/3 pound of fresh carrots 6 bay leaves 10 pimiento seeds (ziele angielskie) 1 generous teaspoon of table salt a pinch or two og ground black pepper 1/2 cup of saurekraut juice All I need is some carrots, some parsley root and some sauerkraut juice. The only troubles are that I don't think the parsley I see in the greengrocer's has roots attached (or should I look in the herbs and spices section?) and that, although I have an unopened jar of sauerkraut knocking around somewhere, I'm not sure what the juice is supposed to be. Will this be obvious when I open the jar or will I be even more confused. Stupid goat will probably try to eat the lid off the sauerkraut jar.

sapphireThreads: 28 Posts: 1,418 Joined: Dec 7, 06	Aug 22, 09, 09:01 / #
anyone know how to make the beetroot soup with cream in it.. cant remember what its called.. but sometimes has potatoes and beetroot leaves.