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Christmas eve borscht
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5 from 1 vote

Polish Christmas Eve Borscht Recipe (Barszcz Wigilijny) - VIDEO

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the base of the soup:

  • soup vegetables: 2 carrots, a piece of leek (white part), a piece of celeriac/or 1/2 celery stalk, ½ parsley root, 2 sprigs parsley leaves
  • 2.2 lbs beets (1kg)
  • ½ apple sweet variety
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 3 allspice berries
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 clove
  • ½ star anise
  • 2 qt water (2 liters)

additionally (if using beet kvass):

  • 2 cups (480ml) beet kvass
  • 1 cup mushroom cooking water from the uszka recipe
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

First day:

  • Wash all the soup vegetables and beets. Peel carrots, celeriac/celery, parsley roots and beets (use gloves!), cut into 3-4 cm / 1-½ inch pieces. Cut the leek in half, rinse thoroughly. Fire roast the onion on a gas burner or cut in half, put the cut-side down in a small pot, heat over high heat until it's dark in color.
  • Add all the vegetables into a large pot, add half an apple (with peel), peeled garlic cloves, pour in 2 quarts (8 cups or 2liters) cold water.
  • Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over very low heat, it should take about 20-30 minutes.
  • When the broth is boiling, add the peppercorns, bay leaves, allspice, clove, star anise and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer over a very low heat, covered, for about 2 hours.
  • Leave to cool, then put in the fridge overnight, don’t strain the vegetables!

On the second day:

  • Strain and discard the vegetables and spices.
  • Add the beet kvass and mushroom cooking water to the pot. Don't add it all at once. Your beet kvass can be more sour than mine (mine beet kvass was fermented for 6 days, if you have left your beet kvass for longer it will have a stronger flavor and will be more sour).
  • Heat the borscht until very warm.
  • Season with apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar and lemon juice (a little at a time) until nicely sweet and sour. Try to season it to your taste. If you overdo it with vinegar or the soup is not sweet enough, you can add some powdered sugar. Add the marjoram and at the end, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with uszka dumplings.
  • Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If you´re using sauerkraut and mushroom cooking water, use the same ingredients for the base of the soup and then add:
    • 1 cup sauerkraut and mushroom cooking water (leftover from the sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi recipe)
    • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Method:
    • Add the sauerkraut and mushroom cooking water, but not all of it at first. Add a little and make sure that the aroma is not too strong, then you can add more.
    • Heat the borscht until very warm.
      Season with apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar and lemon juice (a little at a time) until nicely sweet and sour. If you overdo it with the vinegar or the soup is not sweet enough, you can add some powdered sugar. Try to season the soup with vinegar to your taste. Your sauerkraut and mushroom cooking water can be less or more sour than mine. Add the marjoram and at the end, season with salt and pepper to taste.
    • Serve warm with uszka dumplings and enjoy!
  • Please only use the sauerkraut and mushroom cooking water to make this recipe if you´ve used real sauerkraut to make it (meaning: sauerkraut that is naturally fermented with salt and not just mixed with vinegar).

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal