Polish Recipes-Soups

Soup are very important part of the Polish cuisine. Typical soups are Barszcz or red beet soup, served with stuffed dumplings; Żurek - a fermented rye soup; or Chłodnik, a soup made of cold beets and vegetables in sour milk. Some other soups include grzybowa (wild mushroom), ogуrkowa (pickle) and kapuśniak (cabbage). All varieties are delicious and satisfying.

Polish Almond Soup (Zupa Migdalowa)

1/2 lb almonds, blanched and finely ground
5 cups milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups rice, cooked
3-4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup raisins or currants

Heat milk just to simmering in a large saucepan. Add butter, almonds, raisins and almond extract. Cook over low heat 3 to 5 minutes - stirring. Ladle into bowls and serve with rice.

Polish Wild Mushroom Soup (Zupa Grzybowa)

1/4 lb dried wild mushrooms
9 cups beef stock or canned reduced-sodium beef broth
1 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon cornstarch
salt
white pepper
sour cream
chopped fresh parsley

Cover mushrooms with cold water and soak overnight.
Drain the mushrooms reserving the soaking liquid, strain the liquid through a fine cloth. Rinse the mushrooms in cold water to remove any remaining sand then slice into strips. Add the mushrooms, 8 cups of of the beef stock and the soaking liquid to a 3 quart saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 4 hours. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet, add the onion, saute until golden brown then add to the soup. Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining cup of beef stock, add to the soup, stir and simmer until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, ladle into individual bowls, top each with 1 tablespoons of sour cream and sprinkle with parsley.

Polish Sour Cucumber Soup (Zupa Ogorkowa)

2 large cans chicken or vegetable broth
5 medium potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 carrots (diced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
1 pint sour cream
4 dill pickles
salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1 bay leaf

Peel and dice potatoes. Place broth into a crock pot, bring to quick boil, add potatoes and boil them in the broth until soft. Meanwhile peel the pickles and grate them coarsely. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add onions, pickles, carrots and garlic and let them cook until onions are soft and clear. Put the mixture into a pot, add bay leaf, salt, pepper and pickle juice. Taste and add a little dill pickle juice if necessary- the soup should have a pleasantly sour taste. Mix the sour cream with the flour and slowly stir into the soup. Allow to simmer until soup is lightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and with thick, crusty bread.