Aunt Hattie's Beet Soup in the Polish Style (Barszcz)

Aunt Hattie’s Beet Soup (Barszcz)

My sister, Felicia, an outstanding cook, was here for a few days so I suggested we make beet soup together using beets from my garden. The soup was delicious. You can make this soup with or without the beef stock. I like it with the meaty flavor. You can use either beef bones or some spare ribs. I used 3 beef short ribs. I also like to make the broth the day before, so that you can remove the fat the next day.

Beet soup in progress

INGREDIENTS

Beef Stock for Soup

3 short ribs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ onion cup up

1 carrot cut up

1 stalk of celery including the leaves, cut up

6 cups of water

INGREDIENTS FOR SOUP

4 medium beets, roasted, then quartered and sliced fairly thinly

3 medium potatoes, diced

2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS FOR BEEF STOCK

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Add short ribs and brown on all sides. Add onion, carrot, celery and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 90 minutes. Strain vegetables, reserving stock. Refrigerate overnight and skim off fat when ready to use.

DIRECTIONS FOR SOUP

Place beets in a pan lined with tinfoil and a half cup of water. Seal with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Test for doneness with a fork. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Remove peel. Quarter and thinly slice beets and set aside.

Boil potatoes until done. Sprinkle with dill and chive. Set aside.

Add lemon juice to soup. Reserve about 1 cup of soup.

Bring remaining soup to boil. Whisk together sour cream and flour with the reserved cup of cold soup. Add sour cream, flour, and soup mixture to soup pot. Whisk occasionally. Heat just till boiling. Add sliced beets. Add salt to taste and additional sugar to taste.

Serve with boiled potatoes.

Note: you can also reserve 4 tablespoons of sour cream and 4 sprigs of dill to put on top of the soup before serving.

Serves 4-6.

(Pictures, except for the picture of the finished soup, were taken by my sister Felicia, and are used with permission)

I love comments!! Please let me know what you think!--Adam

Zrazy Zawijane (Polish Beef Roll-Ups with Mushroom Filling)

Zrazy Zawijane (Polish Beef Roll-Ups with Mushroom Filling)

My Mom and Dad's wedding in 1949. Aunt Pauline, my Dad's sister and
my future Godmother is in the upper center of the door
at my grandmother's house on Florida St. in Detroit.

My Godmother, my Aunt Pauline, lived in a small white clapboard house on Stout Stout Street in Detroit, not far from the Awrey Bakery where she worked for several years. I would remember our visits to her house because she always had a stash of Superior Potato Chips that were made in Detroit and were absolutely delicious.

Aunt Pauline was a fabulous cook, and no matter that our visits were unannounced, she would always put a spread on the crowded table in her kitchen. I especially loved the Polish beef roll-ups that she made. I tried to duplicate her recipe, and I searched many websites on Polish cooking, but none were what I was imagining, and every one was different. The  recipe below comes close. Enjoy!

ZRAZY ZAWIJANE (POLISH BEEF ROLL-UPS WITH MUSHROOM FILLING)

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 and 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped

1 and 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup panko

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound top round steak, trimmed of fat & thinly sliced, about ¼” thick (About 10-12 slices) (I found pre-sliced New York loin steak in the meat department)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons flour

5-6 slices of bacon, halved

2 cups lower sodium beef stock

2⁄3 cup sour cream

Optional: 2 cups sliced mushrooms, sauteed in 1 tablespoon butter until softened.

 DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a heavy skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms,  onions, and celery until soft. Remove from heat. Stir in bread crumbs, dill pickle relish, and parsley and half of the salt and pepper.

Cut the steak into 8 rectangular pieces 3-4" wide by 6-8" long, sprinkle both sides evenly with remaining salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread a thin layer of the mustard on each slice of beef, place a piece of bacon lengthwise on the meat followed by 1 heaping tablespoon of the stuffing on the shorter end of each piece of steak. Roll the steaks, enclosing the stuffing, and tuck in the sides; secure each end with kitchen string or toothpicks.

Dredge the zrazy lightly in flour shaking off any excess.

In a heavy skillet, melt remaining butter with oil over high heat, and brown the rolls, turning them often so they evenly turn golden brown. As they brown transfer them to a casserole dish large enough to hold them all in a single layer.

Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the skillet and replace it with the beef stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom and sides of the pan). Pour the broth over the rolls and cover tightly. Braise in the oven until the meat is tender about 45 minutes.



Remove the zrazy from the casserole dish, remove string or toothpicks and cover to keep the rolls warm while you make the sauce. Skim off and discard as much of the fat as possible from the liquid remaining in the casserole dish. Return to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and mix in the sour cream. Stir in additional sliced mushrooms sauteed in butter. Season to taste and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.