farmers market bounty has brought the Pole in me. well, at lest the young cabbages, beet greens and locally grown oyster mushrooms have. cabbage, wild mushrooms and beets are key in Polish cuisine and are served up in a variety of ways: fresh, braised, boiled, pickled, preserved etc.
with the exception of the quintessential pierogi, barszcz (or borsch) and cabbage rolls are probably two Polish dishes most familiar in North America. the first, is a classic Polish soup that is also eaten in Ukraine and Russia (and throughout the region), and can be prepared in a variety of ways depending on the season. when beets are fresh and young, barszcz can be prepared by using the whole plant - roots and leaves - which makes this soup particularly nutritious. with an addition of some potatoes, carrots and white kidney beans, and seasoned with dill, lemon, bay leaf and garlic, this type of barszcz is delicious as a light meal, particularly when served with crusty rye bread on the side. classically, it is also served with sour cream, which i prefer to skip. however, when i do feel like adding some richness to this soup, i use some finely ground almonds/almond meal which does an amazing job of changing the colour and adding creaminess to this soup. another option is to make a little "cream" by blending silken tofu with a little lemon and salt.
as for cabbage rolls, well, they too are delicious and can be made with a variety of fillings and using different types of cabbage. while the most popular cabbage rolls are filled with rice and ground meat, depending on the region they are also made with mushrooms and buckwheat, potatoes and carrots, or rice and veggies. they can also be filled with quinoa, millet, and other grains, although these would most certainly depart from the tradition. i made mine with brown rice, oyster mushrooms, carrots onions and a little fennel, and seasoned them with mixed herbs such as oregano, marjoram, tarragon and rosemary. i served them with a simple tomato sauce with a dash of smoked paprika... just to give it a slightly different spin... because putting the spin on tradition is what i like most!
"Ukrainian-style" Polish Barszcz
4-5 beets, peeled and diced (or just thoroughly washed and diced)
beet greens and stems (optional, if you have them), chopped
1 leak or white onion, diced
2 potatoes, diced
a handful of long green beans, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 carrot, diced
1/2 can of white or red kidney beans
2-3 cloves of garlic
4 cups of veggie broth (i use the herb Harvest Sun bouillon cubes, which are both vegan and organic), or more (depending on how thick or thin you like your soup).
1 T olive oil
2-3 bay leaves
juice of 1 lemon
allspice, 4-5 whole
1/2t salt, or more to taste
handful green dill, chopped finely
in a large pot, heat olive oil. saute the onions/leaks and two minced cloves of garlic with a pinch of salt, until translucent. add the potatoes, carrots, beans and saute for a minute. add the beets (but not the greens), the broth, the bay leaves, salt allspice and squeeze in the lemon juice. bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 20minutes. add the beet greens and the kidney beans. also add the remaining clove of garlic. let simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are soft. add the dill, and some black pepper to taste. let sit for a 10 minutes before eating.
you can serve this soup with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, and with some fresh dill on top. sometimes this soup is blended, but the traditional way of eating this Ukrainian-style Barszcz is with all the chunkiness that it comes with. another version which often is blended, skips the beans, and, in the summer, can be eaten cold. its sort of a Polish-style gazpacho, and is called chlodnik.
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