The story behind the recipe
Mushroom soup is a soup based on vegetable or meat-vegetable broth with mushrooms, including dried ones. According to Polish Wikipedia, citing Grzegorz Russak's text "Polska Wigilia" in "Mówią Wieki" (2009), dried mushroom soup is listed among typical Christmas Eve dishes. Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa wrote in 1871: "Mushroom soup is a very good substitute for broth and is used only on fasting days." She served it sour with vinegar or sweet with noodles cut lengthwise or with egg-thickened groats.
Wincenta Zawadzka in "Kucharce litewskiej" (first edition 1854) described a fasting soup made from dried porcini with dumplings, pasta, or thick fine groats, with dill or parsley. Marta Norkowska in 1903 cooked mushrooms in broth or water, "if fasting." Elżbieta Kiewnarska in 1929 used only 30 g of dried mushrooms for 2 liters of water, cooking potatoes, dumplings, pasta, or uszka (small dumplings) separately, "to avoid clouding the soup." She also advised: "A tablespoon of creamy butter added to the bowl significantly enhances the flavor of this soup." In 1941, she described "clear mushroom broth with uszka" as a Christmas Eve dish.
On Christmas Eve, mushroom soup is often served with łazanki, as indicated in Christmas recipes. According to Wikipedia, łazanki have been known in Poland since the early Middle Ages, previously referred to as laga or łaganki. It is unclear whether the name is related to Italian lasagna and Queen Bona. Mushroom soup is not on the Ministry of Agriculture's List of Traditional Products, but "Kujawskie grzybki wigilijne" (Kujawy Christmas mushrooms) is listed (2021 entry). The entry states that dishes made from dried mushrooms dominated the Kujawy Christmas table.
Ingredients
Mushrooms
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40 g dried mushrooms (porcini or porcini with under mushrooms)
Abroad: USA and UK: dried porcini; Germany: getrocknete Steinpilze; alternatively dried shiitake - 500 ml cold water (for soaking mushrooms overnight)
Broth
- 1.2 l water or vegetable broth (on regular days, chicken or beef broth can be used)
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1 pc carrot (about 100 g)
Abroad: Germany: whole vegetable mix as Suppengrün -
1 pc parsley (root) (about 80 g)
Abroad: parsley root; substitute: parsnip -
80 g celery (a piece)
Abroad: USA: celery root; UK: celeriac - 0.5 pc leek (about 80 g)
- 2 pcs bay leaf
- 3 pcs allspice (berries)
- 5 pcs black pepper (berries)
To taste
- 1 pc onion (about 100 g, finely chopped)
- 20 g butter (for the onion)
- 10 g butter (for the bowl)
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½ tsp (2.5 ml) dried marjoram
Abroad: marjoram; Germany: Majoran - salt and ground pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice (optional, or a bit of vinegar)
Enrichment (optional, for everyday use)
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100 g 18% cream (for Christmas Eve, the soup remains clear, without cream)
Abroad: USA: sour cream; UK: soured cream; Germany: saure Sahne extra or Schmand - 1 tbsp wheat flour (flat, about 10 g)
To serve
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150 g łazanki (dry; on regular days, about 400 g of potatoes instead)
Abroad: Polish stores; substitute: small shells, pipette, or mini farfalle - parsley or dill (chopped)
Method, step by step
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The night before, rinse the dried mushrooms thoroughly under running water to wash away the sand. Soak them in 500 ml of cold water and leave to soak overnight for 8–12 hours.
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Peel and wash the carrot, parsley, celery, and leek. Pour 1.2 liters of water or broth over them, add bay leaves, allspice, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer covered on low heat for 30–40 minutes. The broth should gently shimmer, not boil.
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Remove the mushrooms from the water. Taste the soaking water: if it is bitter, discard it. If not, strain it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth and leave the sediment with sand in the bowl.
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Sauté the onion in 20 g of butter until translucent, add the drained mushrooms, and sauté them together for a few minutes. Sautéing gives a deeper flavor. For a clear soup in the old style, you can skip this step and cook the mushrooms directly in the broth.
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Transfer the mushrooms with the onion to the broth and pour in the strained soaking water. Simmer on low heat for 30–40 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
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Remove all the vegetables from the soup. Retrieve the mushrooms, slice them thinly, and return them to the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and marjoram.
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Enrichment, only in the everyday version: mix the cream with flour, then with a ladle of hot soup, and pour it into the pot, stirring constantly. Cook for another 2 minutes. For Christmas Eve, the soup remains clear.
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Cook the łazanki separately in salted water according to the package instructions and drain. Do not add them to the pot with the soup, as they will cloud the broth and soften.
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In the serving bowl, place 10 g of butter and pour in the hot soup. If you like a sour soup, add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Distribute the łazanki into bowls, pour the soup over them, and sprinkle with parsley or dill.
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