The story behind the recipe
According to Polish Wikipedia, zupa ogórkowa is a soup made from meat or meat-vegetable broth with grated pickled cucumbers and potatoes. Its Russian relative is rassolnik. The exact origin is unknown; sources do not provide a date.
The oldest recipe we found comes from "365 obiadów za 5 złotych" by Ćwierczakiewiczowa from 1871: "If there is little and light broth, you can make cucumber soup." She would pour cucumber brine into the strained broth, "as much as the taste requires," add diced pickled cucumbers, and finally thicken the soup with flour and sour cream. She also noted that the same soup can be made vegetarian, using mushroom or vegetable broth. Even then, ogórkowa was a way to use up leftover broth. "Kuchnia polska" published in Inowrocław in 1912 mentions cucumber soup thickened with vegetable and small fish broth, while "Kucharka litewska" from 1913 provides both clear and thickened versions.
Kiewnarska, writing as "Pani Elżbieta," in her book "Zupy i sosy" from 1929 refers to it as "cucumber soup (rosolnik)." She advises cooking it in any meat broth, preferably with sweetbreads or poultry offal, with "two good pickled cucumbers" sliced, and serving it with pearl barley or separately boiled potatoes. She also states that "in any case, you should add fresh green or dried dill to the pot." Today, ogórkowa is a common soup, and Kwestia Smaku recommends making it with leftover Sunday broth.
Ingredients
Zupa
- 1.5 l chicken broth or stock (can be vegetable)
- 350 g potatoes (3–4 medium)
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400 g pickled cucumbers (4–5 medium; not canned)
Abroad: USA and Canada: naturally fermented pickles from the fridge, without vinegar in the ingredients (e.g., Bubbies Kosher Dill); Germany: Salzgurken, Salz-Dill-Gurken, or Fassgurken milchsauer vergoren, not Gewürzgurken or Essiggurken - 100 ml cucumber brine (up to 125 ml, to taste)
- 1 pc carrot (about 80 g)
- 1 pc small onion (about 70 g)
- 15 g butter (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- salt and pepper (to taste, add salt at the end)
Zabielanie i do podania
- 150 g sour cream 18% (or 100 g of sweet cream 30%)
- 1 tbsp (about 7.5 g) all-purpose flour (not necessary, for thickening)
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) chopped dill (or chives; 3–4 tablespoons)
Method, step by step
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Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Finely chop the onion, and grate the carrot on a coarse grater or cut it into small cubes.
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In a pot, heat the butter with the oil and sauté the onion over medium heat until translucent. Add the carrot and fry for another 3 minutes, stirring.
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Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, and add the potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes, until they are almost soft.
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Meanwhile, prepare the cucumbers. Peel large ones with thick skin. Grate them on a coarse grater or cut them into small cubes.
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Add the cucumbers to the soup only when the potatoes are almost soft, as they stop softening in acidic broth. Cook for about 10 minutes.
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Gradually add the cucumber brine, tasting until the soup is as sour as you like.
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Thin the sour cream in a cup with 2 tablespoons of water, and if you want a thicker soup, also mix in a tablespoon of flour without lumps. Add a few tablespoons of hot soup and stir. Remove the pot from the heat, pour in the sour cream while stirring, and then heat the soup for 2–3 minutes on the lowest heat, without bringing it to a boil.
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Season with pepper and only now, after tasting, add salt. Add dill or sprinkle it over the soup in the bowls and serve hot.
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