Barszcz czerwony (Christmas Eve beetroot broth)
Clear Wigilia barszcz, sweet-sour and ruby red
Barszcz czerwony wigilijny is the clear, ruby-coloured beetroot broth that opens the Christmas Eve supper in most Polish homes, from Warsaw to Wrocław. It is not the thick vegetable soup of Ukraine but a sipping broth, sweet, sour and earthy, sharpened with beetroot kvass or lemon and deepened with dried forest mushrooms; on 24 December it is served with tiny mushroom dumplings called uszka, and through winter people drink it from mugs alongside a croquette. It is fully plant-based, as the Wigilia table traditionally is. Chef's tip: once the beetroot is in, never let the soup boil hard; a bare simmer keeps the colour bright, and boiling turns it a dull brown.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the vegetable broth
For the barszcz
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak ⅔ oz dried porcini mushrooms in 300 ml hot water for 30 minutes. Lift out, keeping the water, and strain the water through a coffee filter or kitchen paper to remove grit.
30 minStep 2: Put 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 3 ½ oz celeriac, ½ leek, 1 onion, 4 allspice berries, 2 bay leaves and 6 black peppercorns in a large pot with 8 ¼ cups water, the mushrooms and their strained soaking liquid. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently, half covered, for 40 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft and the broth smells rich.
40 minStep 3: Strain the broth and discard the vegetables (or keep the mushrooms to fill uszka). Return the broth to the pot.
Step 4: Add 1 ¾ lb raw beetroot and 2 cloves garlic and bring just to a simmer over a medium-low heat. Cook at a bare shiver, with only a few bubbles rising, for 20–25 minutes, until the beetroot is pale and the broth is deep red.
25 minStep 5: Strain again through a fine sieve. Add 1 tsp dried marjoram, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt, then taste: it should be clearly sweet-sour and earthy. Adjust with more lemon or sugar a little at a time.
Step 6: Warm through without boiling and serve in cups or shallow bowls. A common mistake is adding the acid too early and then boiling: the colour fades. Add it at the end, and if you reheat, do it gently.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 60 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does barszcz czerwony (Christmas Eve beetroot broth) take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of dried porcini mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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