Polish Summer Barshch Borscht Food

SUMMER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets with a small paring knife or rub the skins off with your hands. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.

BOBCHA'S POLISH BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large pot combine the spare ribs, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns, vinegar and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meat is tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. In another pot, cover the scrubbed beets with water and bring to a boil. Simmer the beets for 45 To 1 hour or until the beets are tender. Drain and rinse the beets under cold water until they are cool. Peel and grate the beets.
• When the meat is tender, Remove the bones and strip off the meat in bite size pieces. Return the meat to the broth and stir in the grated beets. Season the soup with salt and pepper. In a large bowl stir together the sour cream, milk and flour. Add two cups of the hot stock to the sour cream mixture and stir to combine. Pour this mixture through a strainer into the soup. Heat the soup over medium heat at a gentle simmer, but do not allow it to boil. Boiling will cause the sour cream to curdle. Serve immediately with boiled potatoes and pumpernickel or rye bread

POLISH SUMMER BARSHCH (BORSCHT)

Steps:

• Combine beef broth, beets and beet liquid in a large pot and heat.
• Mix flour and water, add to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Chill, add remaining ingredients except eggs and refrigerate.
• Serve very cold topped with chopped eggs.

POLISH BORSCHT - UNCLE BILL'S STYLE

Steps:

• In a large cooking pot, add spareribs, onion, bay leaf, allspice, black peppercorns, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, carrots, celery and cover with 6 cups of water or more if required to cover.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the spareribs are tender.
• In large saucepan, add scrubbed beets and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until beets are fork tender.
• Drain well and cover with cold water and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Peel and grate beets and set aside.
• In the meantime in a large saucepan, add potatoes and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain well, mash and set aside.
• When the spareribs are tender, remove from cooking pot and strip the meat off the bones and return meat to the cooking pot. Add the grated beets to pot.
• Remove bay leaf and discard.
• Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender and return to cooking pot.
• Strain the soup through a sieve and return to cooking pot, discarding any solids.
• In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, whole milk and flour until blended.
• Add 2 cups of hot broth to the sour cream mixture slowly, and whisk continuously until well blended. Strain the mixture through a sieve into the cooking pot, stirring continuously; discard any solids.
• Heat the broth over medium heat to a gentle simmer, but do not allow to boil. Boiling could cause the sour cream mixture to curdle.
• Immediately remove from heat.
• Add some mashed potatoes into serving bowls, pour broth over and serve.
• Refrigerate any unused portions.

UKRANIAN PEASANT BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, brown bacon and render fat.
• Add beef and brown.
• Cut the onion, carrot and celery in half cross-wise and add to pot with beef.
• Also add beets whole with skin, shredded cabbage and water.
• Add pepper corns and bay leaves.
• Bring to boil, then turn heat to medium low, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
• After an hour of cooking start boiling potatoes whole (skin on or off your choice) in a separate pot until soft (45 minutes).
• When soup is ready turn off heat, with a slotted spoon remove the celery carrot and beets.
• Discard celery and carrots or use for something else.
• Leave beets on a separate plate or bowl until cool enough to handle (10 min).
• Peel and grate beets back into the soup pot.
• Add grated carrot.
• Bring soup back to boil.
• Add vinegar and lemon juice.
• Cook 5 minutes longer.
• To serve place a boiled potato in bowl and ladle soup on top.
• Add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl.
• Enjoy.

BARSZCZ (CLASSIC POLISH BORSCHT)

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the beets, bones, carrots, parsnip, onion, leek, celery, garlic and bay leaves, plus the mushrooms, peppercorns and marjoram, if using. Top with 14 cups water. (There should be enough water to cover all the ingredients.) Bring to a boil over high.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As it cooks, use a small ladle to periodically skim off and discard any foam, impurities and fat that have risen to the top of the pot.
• Transfer the 3 whole beets to a cutting board to cool. Strain the soup through a colander set over a large bowl. Remove the bones and press the solids to extract all the liquids, then strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean medium saucepan.
• Once they're cool enough to handle, chop the reserved whole beets into small 1/2-inch cubes. Stir the diced beets into the soup and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat soup over medium until warmed, then stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve very hot in small bowls or even large teacups, which you can pick up and drink. If desired, serve with a spoonful of sour cream. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

COLD BLENDER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Put all of the above except the sour cream in a blender and blend for 1/2 minute until smooth.
• Chill and then serve in chilled bowls and top each bowl with 1 TBS of sour cream.

EASTER WHITE BORSCHT

Steps:

• Bring water, kielbasa, and 2 whole cloves garlic to boil in a large pot; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove sausage and pour liquid into a separate bowl. Cut sausage into cubes.
• Melt butter over medium heat in the pot used to boil sausage; cook and stir leeks, onion, and minced garlic until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a blender; add about 1/2 cup reserved sausage water and blend until smooth, adding more water as needed.
• Pour vegetable puree and remaining sausage water back into the original pot. Add bay leaves and bring borscht to a simmer over medium heat; remove and discard leaves. Whisk sour cream and flour in a bowl until smooth; gradually whisk into borscht until thickened. Stir dill and vinegar into soup and season with salt and black pepper.
• Divide cubed sausage and chopped eggs into bowls; ladle borscht over sausage and egg.