Category: Soup

Fish Soup with Tomatoes

  • Here is another recipe adapted from some of my Polish soup books.
  • It is a very filling chunky soup – nearly a meal in itself.

INGREDIENTS

  • 350g of white fish (cod, haddock or pollock)
  • 1 large onion – chopped
  •  2 -3 tablespoon sunflower oil to fry the onions
  • ¼ of a large celeriac or 4 stalks of celery – chopped into small pieces.
  • 1 leek – the white part – chopped into rings
  • 1 carrot – coarse grated.
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 ½ to 2 litres of vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 peppercorns
  • Salt & Pepper, if needed, to taste
  • *
  • 75 g macaroni or other small pasta – cooked.
  • Large handful of chopped flat leaved parsley to serve.

METHOD

  • Gently fry the onions in the sunflower oil without browning.
  • Add the celery, leek and carrot, mix and fry a little longer.
  • Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf and peppercorns.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the vegetables are soft.
  • Add the can of tomatoes and simmer a little longer.
  • Add the pieces of fish and simmer for around 10 minutes.
  • Break up the cooked fish into smaller pieces.
  • Add the cooked macaroni and heat for another minute or two.
  • *
  • Season if necessary (might not be needed)
  • Serve with chopped parsley of top.

Royal Doulton Carnation soup plate.

Fish Soup with Celery

  • I have been looking at some of my Polish soup books and have seen several recipes for fish soups.
  • I decided to try some of them out and this is one of them.
  • I have posted several fish soup recipes before, one with peppers – one with salmon  and one similar white  fish soup recipe.
  •  

INGREDIENTS

  • 350 g of white fish (cod, haddock or pollock)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 leeks – the white part
  • 2 tablespoons of butter  to fry the onions
  • 3 stalks of celery
  • 3 carrots
  • 1½ litres of vegetable stock
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 3 grains of allspice
  • 3 grains of black pepper
  • Salt & Pepper to taste – if needed.
  • *
  • 125ml of soured cream
  • Large handful of chopped flat leaved parsley to serve.

METHOD

  • Cut the fish into large chunks.
  • Wrap the fish with the lemon juice in a foil parcel and keep chilled for 30 minutes.
  • Chop the onion into small pieces.
  • Slice up the leek into rings.
  • Slice the celery into small pieces.
  • Chop the carrots into small cubes.
  • Gently fry the vegetables in oil without browning them.
  • Add the stock, bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns.
  • Bring to the boil and them simmer gently until the vegetables are soft.
  • Add the fish and simmer for around 10 minutes.
  • Separate the fish chunks into smaller pieces. 
  • *
  • Add the soured cream and stir.
  • Season to taste,
  • Serve with the parsley sprinkled on top. 

Royal Doulton Carnation soup plate

Horseradish Soup

  • Zupa chrzanowa – horseradish soup  – this is one I came across recently when I found it on a list on favourite Polish soups.
  • It is often made at Easter* time however it is NOT one my mother ever made!
  • It is a “white” soup due to its use of white vegetables and soured cream.
  • You could call it a “cousin” of zurek – sour rye soup.
  • The original recipes use fresh grated horseradish but this is not so easy to come by in England so I used 2 small jars of creamed horseradish sauce instead.
  • Parsley root is also not to easy to find but the amount of celeriac can be increased slightly.
  • White turnip can be used if you cannot find any celeriac in the shops.
  • The soup is served with halves of hard boiled eggs and sometimes skwarki – crispy bacon bits.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 or 4 slices of streaky smoked bacon – optional
  • 4 -5 Frankfurter style sausages – chopped into small lengths.
  • 2 -3 medium onions
  • Butter to fry 
  • (1 parsley root – if available – chopped)
  • ½ of a celeriac – chopped into small cubes
  • 2-3 medium sized potatoes – chopped into small cubes**
  • 2  litres of chicken stock
  • ½ teaspoon of dried marjoram
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 grains of allspice
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 2 small jars of creamy horseradish sauce
  • 4 hard boiled eggs – halved – 1 egg per serving
  • Salt & pepper to taste – if needed
  • ** You can use already boiled potatoes – cubed and added at a later stage of the soup making.

METHOD

  • Chop the bacon into small pieces and fry gently to remove the fat and make skwarki. These will be used to garnish the soup.
  • Chop the onions into small pieces.
  • Fry these gently in the butter till soft – do not brown.
  • Put the stock into a large pan and add the onions, the parsley and celeriac.
  • Also add the marjoram, bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns.
  • Heat gently until the vegetables are becoming soft.
  • Add the sausages and horseradish sauce and heat for another 5 minutes or so.
  • Season to taste.
  • *
  • Served with the bacon pieces and the halved hard boiled eggs.

Served in Royal Doulton Carnation soup plates.

*Horseradish is in the Easter basket that is blessed. It is a symbol of the bitter sacrifice of Christ.

Lemon Soup

  • Once again this is a soup my mother never made.
  • It does fit in with the Polish love of ‘sour’.
  • It is very refreshing and would be good on  hot summer’s day.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g of cooked rice – pudding or risotto works well. (around 50g per person).
  • 1½ litres of stock – I used 2 chicken stock cubes & 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
  • 4-5 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons of potato flour (or cornflour)
  • 125ml of soured cream
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD

  • Cook the rice and leave to cool.
  • Bring the stock to the boil and leave at a gentle simmer.
  • Mix the potato flour with a little water and add this to the stock,
  • Stir well until the soup thickens.
  • Add the juice of 2 lemons.
  • Season to taste.
  • You can add more lemon juice if you wish.
  • Remove the skin from the other lemons and cut them into thin slices.
  • Add the lemon slices to the hot soup.
  • Put some rice into a soup dish for serving.
  • Pour the hot soup over this including some lemon slices.
  • Serve straight away.
  • *
  • Squeeze the juice out of the lemon slices when you are eating the soup.

Pumpkin Soup

  • All the shops here in England are filled with pumpkins for Halloween, which is celebrated by many.
  • In Poland it is the Christian feasts of All Saints & All Souls on November 1st & 2nd that are celebrated with many people trying to get home to their relatives graves to clean them up and put grave candles on them.
  • As there are all these pumpkins – dynia -in Polish- I thought I would try out a pumpkin soup.
  • This is a very tasty yet simple soup.
  • I have added a couple of options.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pumpkin – small to medium – around 500g of flesh.
  • 1 large onion
  • Butter for frying the onion
  • 1½ litres of vegetable or chicken stock
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • *
  • OPTION 1 – ½ a red pepper
  • OPTION 2 – 1 red pepper
  • OPTION 3 – roasted pumpkin seeds (not tested)

METHOD

  • Peel the skin off the pumpkin.
  • Cut the pumpkin into pieces – leaving the core.
  • Cut the flesh into small chunks.
  • Chop the onion into small pieces.
  • Fry the onion until it is golden – even turning slightly brown.
  • Add the pumpkin and the fried onion to the stock and heat to boiling.
  • Turn down to simmer.
  • Simmer until the pumpkin flesh is soft.
  • Add the paprika.
  • Use a stick blender to purée the soup.
  • Bring back to boiling and serve straight away.
  • *
  • OPTION 1
  • Chop up ½ a red pepper and blanch and simmer for a few minutes.
  • Add some to each serving of soup.
  • *
  • OPTION 2
  • Chop up  1 pepper and add it after you have puréed the soup.
  • Simmer for around 10 minutes.
  • *
  • OPTION 3 – NOT TESTED
  • Add some roasted pumpkin seeds to each serving.
  • You can clean up and roast the pumpkin seeds from your own pumpkin.
  • *
  • Royal Doulton Carnation rimmed soup plate 
  • Royal Doulton Burgundy rimmed soup plate 
  • Johnson Snowhite bowl.

White Fish & Pepper Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 onions
  • 2 red peppers
  • Around 250g of white fish – cod, plaice, basa etc
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • ½ teaspoon hot paprika
  • A little sunflower oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • *
  • Optional – chopped parsley or chives to garnish 

Method

  • Cut the onion in half and then slice it thinly.
  • De-seed the peppers and then cut into long thin slices.
  • Lightly fry the onion and peppers in a little sunflower oil till soft.
  • Add the paprika and the vegetable stock.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for around 10 minutes.
  • Add the pieces of fish and simmer for around 15 minutes.
  • Take out the fish, remove any skin and cut into chunks.
  • Put the fish back into the soup.
  • Stir.
  • Season if necessary.
  • *
  • Garnish with green herbs if you have them.
  • *
  •  Great with crusty French style bread.

Served in a Royal Doulton Burgundy rimmed soup plate.

Celeriac & Apple Soup

  • I tried out this new recipe yesterday and it was delicious.
  • The balance of flavours can be adjusted depending on how large your celeriac is and how many apples you have.
  • Bramley cooking apples or other sour apples are needed as the soup is not intended to be sweet – more the sourness that is so popular in many Polish dishes.
  • This soup is one that is served warm.

Ingredients

  • 1 celeriac
  • 3 – 4 large Bramley apples.
  • 2-3 tablespoons of butter
  • 1½ litres of vegetable stock ( I use Marigold powder)
  • 125ml of dry sherry or wine
  • Salt & Pepper to taste.

Method

  • Peel the celeriac and chop it into small pieces.
  • Peel and core the apples and chop them into small pieces.
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the celeriac and apples.
  • Heat then gently to soften but do not brown.
  • Add the stock and bring to the boil.
  • Put the lid on the saucepan and then simmer until the celeriac is soft.
  • Use a stick blender to purée the soup.
  • Season to taste.
  • Stir in the sherry and serve.

Meakin – Spanish garden soup dish

Salmon & Pepper Soup

  • This soup is delicious and I think it will be the basis of at least two other recipes.
  • It is based on one found in one of my recent book purchases in Wrocław.
  • Łosoś is salmon in Polish
  • Did you know that Poland is a big importer of salmon, much of which comes from Sweden?

Ingredients

  • 2 onions
  • 3 peppers – different colours
  • 200-300g fresh salmon -(1-2 whole pieces best)
  • 1½ litres vegetable stock
  • ½ teaspoon hot paprika
  • A little sunflower oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • *
  • Optional – chopped flat leaved parsley or chives to garnish 

Method

  • Cut the onions in half and then slice then thinly.
  • De-seed the peppers and then cut into long thin slices.
  • Lightly fry the onion and peppers in a little sunflower oil till soft.
  • Add the paprika and the vegetable stock.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for around 10 minutes.
  • Add the pieces of salmon and simmer for around 15 minutes.
  • Take out the salmon, remove the skin and cut into chunks.
  • Put the salmon back into the soup.
  • Season if necessary.
  • *
  • Garnish with green herbs if you have them.
  • *
  •  Great with crusty French style bread.

Served in a Royal Doulton – Carnation Soup Plate.

Peach Soup

  • This is a super soup which can be served warm or chilled.
  • A dollop of yoghourt is good with the chilled version.
  • I prefered it warm even though this is summer fruit.

Ingredients

  • 6 peaches or nectarines
  • 250 ml white wine
  • 80g granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • Pinch of ground ginger
  • *
  • Optional – dollop of yoghurt for serving when chilled 

Method

  • Quarter the fruit and remove the stones.
  • Put the fruit, sugar and spices in a pan with the wine.
  • Simmer the fruit in the wine for around 15 minutes until they are soft.
  • Blend the mixture with a stick blender.
  • Serve warm or chilled.

Served in Royal Doulton Burgundy and Bavaria China

White Bean Soup – Ułańska

  • I made this soup recently and it was delicious.
  • I am very curious about the name – maybe one of you knows the history?
  • The ułani are the Uhlans – The Lancers.
  • A cavalry regiment famous in many patriotic folksongs such as  
  • ‘Hej, Hej ułani’
  • *
  • What is the relationship between them and this soup?
  • I cannot envisage them having these ingredients on their travels!

Ingredients

  • 200g thick cut bacon – cut into small pieces
  • 2 onions – chopped fine
  • 2 cloves of garlic – chopped
  • 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 tin of cannellini beans – drained
  • 60g ‘big’ dried pasta
  • 250 soured cream
  • Pinch of paprika
  • Ground pepper to taste
  • Sunflower to fry the onions

Method

  • Gently fry the onions in sunflower oil till soft.
  • Add the garlic, mix and fry a little more.
  • Add the bacon and fry for a few minutes more.
  • Add the pinch of paprika.
  • Add the chicken stock and simmer for around 30 minutes.
  • Add the beans and the pasta and simmer until the pasta is cooked.
  • Add ground pepper to taste.
  • Stir in the soured cream and serve.
  • *
  • Option – you can omit the soured cream – still nice.

Served in Royal Stafford – Blossom Time