Category: Soup

Courgette & Spinach Soup

  • This is a lovely Spring soup – although I used vegetables from Spain for my first try.
  • This soup has a delicate flavour.
  • I do not usually use garlic in my soups but this worked well.
  • The recipe is based on one from a Polish magazine that I bought in Poland recently.

INGEDIENTS

  • 2 – 3 medium sized courgettes – cut into slices
  • A bag of baby spinach – (or 3 balls of  frozen spinach – not tried)
  • 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
  • 1 small onion – cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock – can be from cube or powder – hot
  • *
  • 120ml of soured cream
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
  • Chopped dill to garnish when serving
  • *
  • Serve with rye bread and cream cheese

METHOD

  • Gently melt the butter in a large saucepan.
  • Stir in the garlic and onion and cook gently for a few minutes.
  • Add the courgettes and spinach and stir gently.
  • Add the hot stock and stir well.
  • Simmer gently for around 20 minutes until the courgettes are soft.
  • Remove from the heat and blend with an electric stick blender.
  • Make sure all the vegetables are well blended.
  • Add the grated nutmeg and season to taste.
  • Bring the soup back to just below boiling point and take off from the heat.
  • Stir the soured cream well in.
  • Serve each portion with chopped dill on the top.
  • *
  • I served this with rye bread & cream cheese.

All my testers said this was delicious.

 

Royal Stafford Blossom Time soup plate

Żurek – Sour Rye Soup Starter

  • This is not a soup my mama ever made.
  • I have always used bottled starters for making my  żurek – sour rye soup in the past.
  • One of my Polish friend came over and taught me how to make my own starter.
  • You have to leave the mix for at least 3 days before using.
  • The żurek was lovely and I will be making this starter from now on.
  • I will be using it for my earlier recipes for sour rye soup and I will be trying out new ones soon.
  • *
  • This is in time for Easter this year.
  • You add the starter at the end of making the soup after making the stock and cooking the vegetables etc

INGREDIENTS

  • 6-8 tablespoons of rye flour
  • 750ml of boiled and then cooled water
  • 5 peeled cloves of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 grains of allspice

METHOD

  • In a large 1 litre jar put in all the ingredients.
  • Stir well.
  • Put the lid on the jar.
  • Leave as room temperature for at least 3 days.
  • *
  • Use all the contents of the jar for the base of your soups instead of the bought bottles that I have used before.
  • *
  • You add this at the end, once you have cooked the stock and vegetables etc.
  • Stir it in well before serving.

Fish Soup – Gdański Bowke

Gdański Bowkie

  • This fish soup was inspired by one I had in Gdański Bowke restaurant on my recent trip to Gdańsk
  • It is a secret family recipe so I have had to improvise from what I could taste and see.
  • The original serving had long shreds of carrot and ginger but I found these hard to eat so I have used them coarse grated instead.
  • They should only be cooked for a short time to still be crisp

Ingredients

  • 350g of salmon tails
  • Passata or puréed tinned tomatoes
  • 1½ to 2 litres of vegetable stock (can be from powder or cubes)
  • 2 medium carrots
  • Piece of fresh ginger
  • 3 allspice grains
  • Juice of half a lemon 
  • Salt & Pepper – might not be needed
  • Chopped fresh herbs such as chives, marjoram or finely chopped rosemary.

    Method

  • Simmer the passata, the vegetable stock and the allspice grains for around 10 minutes.
  • Add the bay leaf.
  • Coarse grate the carrots and the ginger.
  • Add these to the soup and simmer for around 3 minutes – you do not want them to be too soft.
  • Cut the salmon into bite sized chunks.
  • Cover the salmon with the lemon juice for a minute.
  • Add the salmon to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Season to taste if needed
  • Sprinkle fresh herbs to each serving.

Buckwheat – Not Roasted

  • I love buckwheat but have always used the roasted variety.
  • This I think has a nutty taste.
  • I have just been introduced to the non roasted variety which you can buy in the local Polish shop.
  • My friend called what she cooked a soup but I think it is more like a kasza – as most of the liquid was used up
  • The buckwheat is cooked in a beef or chicken stock with an assortment of vegetables.
  • Here we used broccoli, leeks, brussel sprouts, potatoes and carrots.
  • It is much milder than the roasted buckwheat.

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of buckwheat
  • 2 litres of beef or chicken stock (homemade is best)
  • 2 leeks – chopped fine
  • Some broccoli – chopped
  • 2 large potatoes – cubed
  • A few brussel sprouts – sliced.
  • 2 carrots – sliced or cubed
  • 2-3 allspice grains
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Sprig of Rosemary and Thyme
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

  • In a large pan bring the stock to a simmer.
  • Add the buckwheat and the other vegetables.
  • Add the bay leaves, herbs and allspice grains.
  • Cook until the buckwheat is soft and so are the other vegetables.
  • If you want a soup you may have to add more stock.
  • If you want kasza – heat until most of the liquid is reduced.
  • Remove the sprigs of herbs.
  • Season to taste.

Serve on its own or with roasted meats or gulasz.

Royal Stafford – Blossom Time – Soup Plate

Basrszcz Ukraiński

  • My mama only made barszcz the clear beetroot soup, which was served at Wigilia – Christmas Eve
  • This is a much more hefty, filling beetroot soup.
  • I got this recipe from one of my Polish friends.
  • With all the different vegetables I would say make this with 2 litres of stock.
  • A fatty chicken stock is good – home made is best.
  • But if you are using stock cubes add some butter to the mix.
  • Use a large stock pot or saucepan.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3-4 Beetroots – coarse grated – include the stems and leaves if you have them
  • ½ a sweetheart cabbage – finely shredded and chopped.
  • 3-4 medium starchy potatoes – peeled and chopped into small cubes
  • 2 parsnips – coarse grated or chopped into small cubes
  • 2 carrots – coarse grated or choped into small cubes
  • ¼ of a celeriac – cut into small cubes
  • 1 leeks – chopped into small circles
  • 2 litres of chicken stock
  • 4-5 grains of allspice
  • 5-6 peppercorns
  • 2-3 dried juniper berries
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • *
  • 1 tin of white beans – cannellini or haricot beans – drained
  • ½ bottle of beetroot concentrate
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • *
  • Hard boiled eggs for serving – 1 per person – chopped or cut into quarters

METHOD

  • Bring the chicken stock to the boil and then turn down to simmer.
  • Add all the chopped vegetables and the allspice, peppercorns, juniper berries and the bay leaves.
  • Gently simmer till the vegetables are nearly soft.
  • Add the beans and simmer till they are soft.
  • Season to taste.
  • *
  • Add the beetroot concentrate and stir.
  • *
  • Serve in deep bowls and add the eggs on top to serve.

 

Royal Stafford Blossom Time – Soup plates.

Option – not tested – some people add a few tablespoons of soured cream before serving.

Squash & Apple Soup

  • Having a bumper crop of apples this year, I have been looking for new apple recipes.
  • I came across this one and it turned out so delicious – a lovely slightly sour taste.
  • I think you could use pumpkin instead of squash but I have not tried this out.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 onion – chopped
  • 2 medium to large cooking apples
  • 1½ litres of vegetable stock (I used Marigold powder)
  • A little butter to fry the onions
  • Salt & Pepper to taste.
  • *
  • Soured cream or yoghurt – optional

METHOD

  • Slice the butternut squash into large pieces.
  • Place on a baking tray and put in an warm oven and roast till the flesh is soft.
  • Leave to cool and then remove the flesh from the skin.
  • Fry the onion in the butter till golden.
  • Peel and core the apples.
  • Chop the apples into small chunks.
  • Put everything into the vegetable stock.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer till everything is soft.
  • Use a stick blender to make thick liquid.
  • Season to taste
  • *
  • OPTIONAL
  • Add a tablespoon of soured cream or yoghurt to each serving.
  • *
  • Good served with toasted sourdough toast.

Chicken & Beer Soup

  • This is my second Polish soup which uses beer.
  • It is quite different from my first recipe – more savoury.

INGREDIENTS 

  • 4 rashers of smoked bacon
  • 250g of cooked chicken (roast or poached) – shredded
  • 500ml of chicken/vegetable stock (from powder or cube is fine)
  • 400ml of light larger type Polish beer (I used Tyskie)
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 tablespoon of plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon of hot paprika or cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of paprika
  • 125ml of Greek style yoghurt
  • I doubt if any extra salt will be needed

METHOD

  • Cook the bacon in a frying pan or grill.
  • Chop the bacon into small pieces.
  • Add this to the stock.
  • Melt butter and add the flour and the 2 types of paprika.
  • Stir well till combined.
  • Add this to the stock.
  • Bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes,
  • Add the beer
  • Bring back to the boil and simmer for another 10 minutes.
  • Add yoghurt
  • *
  • Serve with rye bread croutons.

Zupa Piwna – Beer Soup

  • I have seen this in several books – thought I should give it a try.
  • Beer soups are very early soups found in many old recipe books and notes.
  • You need a light lager type beer.
  • I used ‘Tiskie’.
  • A bottle is 750ml.
  • *
  • I thought it needed some sweetness and added sugar lumps to taste when it was served.
  • *
  • I have added this for completeness – Polish soups  – but I must admit it was not my favourite 

Ingredients

  • 750ml of beer (1 bottle)
  • 2 whole cloves
  • Small piece of cinnamon bark
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon of milk or soured cream
  • *
  • Several sugar lumps to taste
  • *
  • To serve – fingers of toasted sour dough bread with cream cheese or similar 

Method

  • Heat the beer with the cloves and cinnamon – stirring to keep the froth down. 
  • Leave to simmer for around 3 minutes.
  • Remove the cloves and cinnamon.
  • *
  • Whisk together the milk/soured cream and the egg yolk.
  • Whisk this into the soup.
  • Serve straight away with the toasted sour dough bread and cream cheese.
  • *
  • Not Tested – sponge fingers or sponge cakes could go well with this.

Royal Doulton Burgundy soup plate

I am going to look at other soup recipes that use beer in them – keep a look out.

Pea Shoots & Chicken Soup

  • On my last visit to Gdańsk I noticed that many dishes were garnished with pea shoots.
  • Very near to where I live, in West Yorkshire, there are greenhouses that produce varieties of cress and salad mixes.
  • One of these is a mix that contains pea shoots.
  • I recieved several of these packets recently.
  • Besides using them as salads I decided to use them in a soup.
  • The recipe is based on a couple I have posted before for Early Summer Soup and Green Early Summer Soup.
  • This soup has a base similar to rosȯł (clear chicken soup) with the shoots added near the end of cooking time.
  • I used two chicken breasts but if you use chicken pieces still with their skin on them that will be good as well.

Royal Doulton – Burgundy Soup Plate

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 whole chicken breasts (can use chicken pieces with the skin on)
  • 1 large onion – chopped
  • Around 70g pea shoots or pea shoot mixture
  • 1½ litres of vegetable stock – can be from a cube or powder
  • 4 -5 peppercorns
  • Salt – if needed – to taste

METHOD

  • Put the chopped onion, peppercorns and chicken breasts into the stock in a saucepan.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer for around 15 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat (you can chop the flesh into smaller pieces if you wish).
  • Put the flesh back into the liquid.
  • Chop the pea shoots into smaller pieces.
  • Add this to the stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Season to taste and serve.

Fish Soup – Gdańsk inspired

  • I read that fish was very popular in the Gdańsk region.
  • Fish soup was one of the most expensive starters on several menus.
  • I tried it in the Motlava (yes that is the spelling!) restaurant in Gdańsk.
  • It was a clear soup with carrots and celery – not a lot different from my fish soup with celery.
  • Personally – I thought it was a bit too salty.
  • This one is based on the soup in the restaurant.
  • The menus said it used a fish stock – I have used a vegetable stock.
  • You have to chop the vegetables into very small pieces.
  • The soup in the restaurant did not have many pieces of fish – I have increased the amount.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 onion
  • 250g of fish – Cod/Haddock/Salmon
  • 1 ½ litres of vegetable Stock/ or fish stock
  • 6 allspice grains
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

  • Peel the carrots and chop them into very small pieces.
  • Cut the celery stalks into very small pieces.
  • Chop the onion into small pieces.
  • Add the allspice and peppercorns to the stock.
  • Add the onion to the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for around 5 minutes.
  • Add the carrots and celery, bring back to the boil.
  • Simmer for around 5 minutes.
  • Chop the fish into small chunks and add to the soup.
  • Bring back to the boil then simmer for around 5 minutes.
  • Season to taste and serve.

Gdańsk soup on the left – mine in a Royal Doulton Carnation soup plate on the right.