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Photo: Ali Redmond
Active Time:20 minsTotal Time:2 hrs 20 minsServings:8Jump to Nutrition Facts
Active Time:20 minsTotal Time:2 hrs 20 minsServings:8
Active Time:20 mins
Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:2 hrs 20 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 20 mins
Servings:8
Servings:
8
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Jump to recipe
In a Polish Household, There’s Almost Always a Pot of Soup on the Stove
In elementary school, my mom always packed hot soup for my lunch. I would pour the soup out of my thermos, still warm and comforting, into a small reusable bowl. There was chicken soup with white rice, tomato soup with elbow macaroni, mushroom soup and even pickle soup with perfect bites of potato mingling with pickles and heavy cream.
I didn’t realize until I was older how lucky I was to have such thoughtful consideration of my lunches. Now so much of packing my own child’s school lunch is about convenience. But growing up in a Polish household, you begin to take for granted that there is always a pot of soup on the stove.
My mom’s grandfather was the main mushroom forager in the family. Sometimes my mother would accompany him on these trips, and she learned very early on how to identify mushrooms that are edible and safe versus those that are poisonous.
When they returned home, my mom’s grandmother would clean the mushrooms. She’d sear some of them on the stove, sometimes accompanying them with onions or sauerkraut; others would be stuffed in pierogies and ushka, a Polish dumpling similar to a tortellini, or used to make sauces.
But the more celebrated ritual was drying some of the mushrooms. My great-grandmother would separate the stems from the caps and then thread each mushroom on a string with a needle. She would hang the garland over the stove, letting the mushrooms dry, concentrating their flavor in the lead-up to winter.
Those dried mushrooms were used for zupa grzybowa, a mushroom soup that has few hard-and-fast rules, except it always includes dried mushrooms. If you did not have dairy on hand, the soup would be served clear. Dried herbs were a fine alternative to fresh.
When my mom came to the United States in the early 1980s, it wasn’t that easy to call family and ask for a recipe; she had to innovate and try what worked with the ingredients available to her. It took multiple tries to find the flavor that would mirror the soup she had at home in Poland, but she was able to find the right balance with ingredients from her local grocery store.
Now when I make this recipe at home, I feel connected to three generations of women in my family. I remind myself that I don’t need foraged mushrooms or fancy ingredients. This recipe is about ease and using what is readily available. My mom’s recipe uses button and cremini mushrooms, but sometimes I mix it up with oyster, shiitake and slices of portobello mushrooms, which can give the soup a different depth of flavor. Feel free to use your favorite varieties. The beauty in this soup is that it will always vary based on what ingredients you have available, and you can let this soup reflect your own style and personal story.
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Ingredients
½cupdried mixed mushrooms
1cupwarm water
4tablespoonsunsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1mediumsweet onion, finely chopped
3clovesgarlic, minced
1 ½cupssliced button mushrooms
3tablespoonsall-purpose flour
2tablespoonsvegetarian bouillon mixed with 6 cups water
1cupwhite wine
1tablespoonWorcestershire sauce
1bay leaf
1teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoonground pepper plus more to taste
8ouncessmall dried pasta, such as orzo,or2 cups cooked barley
1cupheavy cream
DirectionsSoak dried mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the water.Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add cremini, button and the reconstituted mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to coat. Add bouillon mixture, wine and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Add Worcestershire, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.Meanwhile, cook pasta (if using) according to package directions. Drain.Before serving, stir cream into the soup and season with more pepper to taste. Serve over the pasta (or barley).Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, January 2023
Directions
Soak dried mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the water.Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add cremini, button and the reconstituted mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to coat. Add bouillon mixture, wine and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Add Worcestershire, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.Meanwhile, cook pasta (if using) according to package directions. Drain.Before serving, stir cream into the soup and season with more pepper to taste. Serve over the pasta (or barley).
Soak dried mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the water.
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add cremini, button and the reconstituted mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to coat. Add bouillon mixture, wine and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Add Worcestershire, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cook pasta (if using) according to package directions. Drain.
Before serving, stir cream into the soup and season with more pepper to taste. Serve over the pasta (or barley).
Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, January 2023
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Nutrition Facts(per serving)367Calories17gFat21gCarbs5gProtein
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
