Today, borscht is associated primarily with the Polish Christmas Eve table. However, few people realize that this is also the case one of the oldest Polish soups that appeared on our tables hundreds of years ago. The first mention of borscht appears in the 16th century, thanks to Mikołaj Rej, who included the dish in his work “Life of an Honest Man” (1567).
Today, the Christmas Eve version of borscht is a cult dish and there is probably no person who has not had contact with it at least once. It’s worth remembering that Christmas borscht is different from red borschtwhich is prepared throughout the year. The Christmas Eve version of this dish is prepared from stock, vegetables and beets. Then it is combined with a decoction of dried mushrooms and beetroot acid. To give the soup the right flavor and strength, you will need home-made beet leaven prepared in advance.
Preparing sourdough is not difficult and only requires a bit of patience. It is worth giving up purchased substitutes of unknown composition in favor of real, home-made sourdough. To make it, you will need: a kilogram of sliced beets, 1.5 liters of water, half a head of garlic cut crosswise, bay leaves, allspice, and one or two teaspoons of salt.
Combine all these ingredients in a large one and a half liter jar or stoneware dish. The water should be warm to speed up the fermenting process. The finished leaven should be placed in a cool, dark place and covered with a delicate cloth so that it can breathe calmly. Souring should last two weeks. Necessarily make sure that no beet sticks out of the brine, as it will start to mold and the entire leaven will have to be thrown away.
We should not keep the leaven in a warm placeand the vessel in which we will prepare the medicine must be very clean. It is best to scald them thoroughly before starting the activity. It is also worth looking at the leaven from time to time to check whether there is any mold on it.
Red borscht served during the Christmas Eve supper is a Lenten soup, i.e. meatless. It is cooked in a vegetable and beetroot broth, seasoned with beetroot leaven and dried mushroom broth. Prepare it according to our recipe and it will surely turn out delicious.
Ingredients:
- 2 carrots,
- 2 celery sticks,
- onion,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1.5 liters of vegetable broth,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 10 g dried porcini mushrooms,
- 2 whole cloves,
- bay leaf,
- a teaspoon of dried marjoram,
- a teaspoon of parsley,
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper,
- a kilogram of beets,
- a teaspoon of sugar,
- a spoon of red wine vinegar,
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
How to do it:
Peel and finely chop the carrots, onion and celery. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot. Place the vegetables in the hot fat and fry for about 5 minutes.
Pour the fried vegetables with broth and add crushed, peeled garlic cloves. Also add boletus mushrooms, cloves, bay leaf, marjoram, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes until the ingredients are soft.
Wash and peel the beets, grate them and add them to the pot. Also add sugar and red wine vinegar. Cook for another 20 minutes. After this time, strain the soup through a sieve and add lemon juice. Red borscht is ready for Christmas Eve, serve warm with dumplings.
When making Christmas Eve borscht, you need to be careful not to make basic mistakes that may ruin the soup. One of the most common problems is wrong color of borschtwhich should be deep and burgundy.
Borscht may come out too light or too dark. He’ll look too pale if you cook it too long. Do not drag out the process and do not keep the soup on too high a heat (especially do not bring it to a boil), as it will completely lose its color. Be sure to also add lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, which help maintain the proper color. If the borscht is still too light, add another diced or grated beetroot. It will release juice that will color the soup. It’s also a delicious idea to add – it will not make the soup sour, it will only add some desired sweetness.
On the other hand, borscht will turn out too black if you use more beets than needed, too much beet leaven or mushrooms. It is worth adding a little water to the pot to dilute the essence a bit. If you like whitened borscht, you can use a little cream.
Mistakes when making borscht for Christmas Eve may also affect its taste. The perfect borscht has a balanced aroma – it is salty, sour, but also spicy and sweet. When the soup turns out to be too souradd a little sugar or add beetroot and some water. Do this in portions, checking to see if the flavor is even. If the borscht is blandadd vinegar, lemon juice or spices (allspice, bay leaf, marjoram) that will enhance its aroma. An interesting way to save the taste of borscht is to add pickles from sauerkraut or cucumbers.
A guide on how to make good borscht for Christmas Eve should help you make an essential soup with a beautiful color. Follow the tips and you will soon be preparing a Christmas special full of flavor.
Source: Terazgotuje.pl, kontakter.pl
