| Polish cuisine | Soup

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

Zupa ogórkowa

Zupa ogórkowa is a traditional Polish soup made out of sour, salted cucumbers.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken wings
• 1 small leek (or 1 small onion)
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 celery root (optional)
• 1 parsnip root
• 3 medium potatoes
• 3 big sour-salted (pickled) cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 pimentos
• salt and pepper
• 1 – 2 tablespoon of cream or half and half (yoghurt is also acceptable, however it isn't traditional then) (optional)

Procedure

1. Put the chicken wings, salt, pepper, bay leaves and pimentos into a saucepan or stock pot with 1.5 L (1 1/2 quarts) cold water. After bringing it to a boil, let it simmer for 25 minutes on low heat.
2. Add the peeled carrots, celery root, parsnip root, and leek, and boil it for 10 more minutes. During that time peel the potatoes and dice them into quarter inch (cubes 0.25“ x 0.25”).
3. Take out the leek, and add the potatoes to the pot. Boil them for 10-12 minutes and make sure the potatoes are cooked through.
4. Now is the time to prepare the pickled cucumber mixture. Grate the sour-salted (pickled) cucumbers and put them into a saute pan with the melted butter. Saute for 2 minutes, and add the flour and constantly stir it over low heat.
5. Add 1/2 - 1/3 cups of water to the saute pan and continue stirring.
6. When the potatoes are cooked, add the prepared sour cucumber preparation to the stock pot and mix them well. Boil for 3-5 minutes and season the soup to taste. If you like, mix some soup with cream or sour cream in a small cup and add it to the pan, or a smaller amount to each individual serving.

Bon appétit! Smacznego!

Notes, tips, and variations

It is very important to add the potatoes first, and then the sour cucumbers. If you add them in reverse order, the potatoes will not be cooked through.