RECIPE: Polish Pickle Soup

It's a creamy savory flavor-symphony for your taste buds.

My boyfriend John is the real cook in this house. He’s also the official expert on all things Eastern European. If you have questions about Russia, Poland, Belarus, he’s your guy. Fortunately for me, that interest extends to Eastern European culinary specialties—like this Polish classic, Zupa Ogórkowa, or Creamy Pickle Soup. He made it, I ate it, and I was instantly hooked.

It’s not like any soup you’ve ever had before. The tang of the pickles perfectly complements the smoothness of the sour cream. Unlike, say, a vichyssoise, Pickle Soup is served hot, and for those of you who aren’t me and can have bread, bake yourselves up a piping hot loaf. It will give you a delicious mechanism by which to transport said soup from the bowl to your mouth, where it can be happy.

I’m giving you the recipe as it is traditionally made in Poland, but you can substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth, and voilà, instant vegetarianism. As always, your food is only as good as your ingredients. Buy the good stuff, the fresh stuff, according to your means, and then hightail it into the kitchen.

Eat Pickle Soup while it’s hot. You can keep it in the refrigerator for the next day, but don’t freeze it.

Polish Pickle Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup white wine (optional). Use real wine, not “cooking wine.”

• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

• 4 large garlic dill pickles, chopped

• 2/3 cup pickle juice

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (gluten-free works, too)

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 cup chopped or thinly sliced carrots

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Sugar, to taste (optional)

• Chopped fresh dill, garnish

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot. Sauté onion until translucent, usually about 3 minutes.

1. Stir in broth, pickles, pickle juice, carrots, wine, and potatoes. After bringing to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and flour, tempering sour cream mixture by whisking in a little hot soup.

3. Pour tempered sour cream into the hot soup, whisking continuously until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3-5 minutes or until thickened.

4. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and if necessary, sugar.

5. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh dill.

   Smacznego! (Polish for bon appetit)

   Do you have a favorite soup? If so, I want to hear all about it. Please leave your comments below.