Barszcz

Otherwise known as borscht, borsch, borṡ, barščiai etc, the brilliantly red beetroot soup, largely associated with Eastern Europe, is said to ward off hangovers. In my family, like many Polish households it is traditionally made during the holidays such as Christmas and Easter and enjoyed as a first course during seasons of lent as the soup itself is vegetarian. The polish version is also usually made with an inclusion of what we call uszka, (ooshkah) which are small ravioli type dumplings with a mushroom or a meat filling.

Because this soup is made throughout many households there are obviously many variations. Traditionally, it used to be made several days before, and left to allow the natural acidity of the soup to develop the sour taste, but again I will present you with the “Cheated way” my mum has taught me. All you will need is some chicken stock, a handful of vegetables and herbs and a can of beets. Store brought ravioli, such as Leggo’s fresh ravioli work well as a substitute for uszka.

Ingredients:

6 cups of chicken broth OR 6 cups of water and 2 chicken stock cubes

2 carrots (peeled and trimmed)

1 parsnip (peeled and trimmed)

2 stalks of celery (trimmed)

A handful of fresh parsley

½ a leek (cut lengthways)

800gm can of sliced beetroot

Marjoram (dried)

2 tsp sugar

Lemon juice or vinegar (optional)

500gm Ravioli

Method:

Place the carrots, parsnip, celery, leek and parsley into a large stock pot, cover with chicken stock or water and stock cubes and place over a high heat. Bring this to the boil and then lower the heat to medium and cook for around 20 minutes until the veggies have cooked.

Meanwhile, boil some salted water in another pot and cook your ravioli according to packet directions. Once they are cooked, drain and set aside.

Once your veggies have softened, add the can of beetroot (beets and juice). Add a sprinkling of marjoram and sugar and cook for a further few minutes. Once the soup begins to boil, promptly turn of the heat, (you need to be careful not to overcook the soup or you beetroot will lose its colour and look really dull in your soup). Remove all vegetables except for the beetroot from the soup.

At this point you can taste your barszcz to determine whether it needs anymore sugar, salt or pepper. (Some people like to also add a splash of vinegar but I find that the can of beets already has enough acidity so it shouldn’t be needed, although if you like a slightly more sour flavour, you can squeeze a little bit of lemon juice).

Place a handful of ravioli into your serving bowl and ladle the barszch on top. (You can also add a few slices of beetroot into your bowl, this is optional). And there you have it. Bon appétit.