Christmas Eve Sour Mushroom Soup Recipes

SOUR MUSHROOM SOUP (SLOVAK MACHANKA)

Steps:

• Soak dried mushrooms in water overnight. Drain water from mushrooms taking care not to get any sediment that might have gathered in the bottom of the bowl. Roughly chop mushrooms.
• To a pot add the 4 cups water, mushrooms, sauerkraut juice and the one chopped onion. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 2 to 3 hours. Add potato and simmer until potato is tender.
• In a fry pan, add 2 Tablespoons oil and flour and cook until browned (dark roux). Stir constantly to avoid burning. Add about a cup of soup slowly to the browned flour, whisking constantly to make a thin zaprashka (gravy). Add this back into the soup, stirring constantly.
• Add 1 Tablespoon oil to small fry pan and saute the diced onion until dark golden brown and soft. Set aside.
• Simmer soup 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fried onions. Serve.

CHRISTMAS EVE SOUR MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• In a 3-quart saucepan, saute mushrooms in butter for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season mushrooms with pepper when the mushrooms first go into the pan. Wait a few minutes before adding the salt as this will draw moisture out and prevent them from coloring.
• Add water to pot, making sure there's about an inch of room at the top.
• Bring to a low boil and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Stir in rinsed sauerkraut.
• In a separate saute pan over medium/medium low heat, add oil and onion, cooking for a minute or so. Sprinkle flour over oil/onion mix to form a roux. Cook for a few minutes until a light blond.
• Gradually add a cup of liquid from the soup pot into the roux mixture. Allow it to fully incorporate.
• Gradually add the roux mixture into the soup pot, whisking to avoid lumps.
• Add white vinegar to soup. If you're not sure about how sour you'd like it, add 1 Tablespoon at a time, tasting between each addition.
• About 30 minutes before serving the soup, stir in cooked rice.

POLISH MUSHROOM SOUP FROM DRIED MUSHROOMS (VEGAN, FOR CHRISTMAS EVE)

Steps:

• [The night before] To get rid of dirt and impurities, rinse dried mushrooms briefly in cold water. Then, place them in a bowl and cover with fresh water - just enough so they float freely. Set aside overnight. If you're worried that a bowl might attract some unwanted attention (from bugs, cats etc.), cover the bowl with cloth or a plate.
• Once you're ready to cook, prepare a cooking pot (ideally sized at 2.5 quarts or more).
• Move soaked mushrooms to the pot, keep the soaking water.
• Grab the bowl with remaining soaking water. Try separating the water from the sediment formed at the bottom. Move the water to the pot and get rid of the residue.
• Top the pot up to 2 liquid quarts (1.9 - 2 litres) of water. Cover with a lid and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes, until the mushrooms start to turn soft.
• As the mushrooms cook, peel all the vegetables and chop them roughly.
• Once the time is up on the mushrooms, add in all the vegetable chunks and peppercorns. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, but follow the next step 15 minutes in.
• With 15 minutes left till the end of cooking - let's cook 'łazanki' noodles. Grab another cooking pot, fill it with water and bring to boil. Drop the pasta in, and just follow the directions on the pack - in my case that's 10 minutes of cooking time.
• Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the mushrooms and veggies from the stock and set them aside.
• Using an extra fine sieve, strain the stock multiple times, until it's clear and not foggy. If you don't have a fine sieve, line a regular sieve lined with a cloth instead (cheesecloth, a piece of muslin square or similar).
• Let's balance the flavours now - add 2 generous pinches of salt and a solid pinch of ground black pepper.
• Add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and blend everything together with a spoon. Have a taste - does the soup need more kick? I usually add one more tablespoon of lemon juice (so two in total).
• Slice the mushrooms into stripes, small ones can be kept whole.
• The vegetables gave their all, there isn't much flavour left. But if you wish, you can reuse them to bulk up pâtés, pierogi fillings etc. I usually reuse some carrots, cubed, for serving.
• Arrange the mushroom slices in the individual soup plates. Add 'łazanki' pasta and pour the soup over it. Garnish each plate with chopped parsley (optional)

SLOVAK CHRISTMAS EVE MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Saute chopped onions in 1 cup butter until golden brown.
• Add finely chopped mushrooms to onions, and cook until mushrooms are done.
• Add water and cans of sauerkraut juice, bring to boil, lower heat and simmer 1/2 hour.
• In a small sauce pan brown remaining 1/4 cup butter, adding flour to make a roux.
• Slowly add some soup juice (about 2 cups) to the roux, stirring to blend.
• Add roux to soup and cook another 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Serve.

SLOVAK SAUERKRAUT CHRISTMAS SOUP

Steps:

• Place the sauerkraut, chicken broth, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and mushrooms into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the sausage and whole piece of ham. Let it simmer over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. Add the prunes after the first hour.
• Remove the meat from the soup, and set aside. Remove bay leaves, and discard.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and fry until clear. Sprinkle the flour and paprika over the onion; cook and stir for a minute. Gradually stir in the water with a fork so that no lumps form. Bring to a boil, and allow to thicken. Pour into the soup pot. Cube the sausage and ham, and stir into the soup. Bring to a boil, and cook for another 10 minutes.
• To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream.

SLOVAK CHRISTMAS MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Directions:.
• Remove dried mushrooms from packages and soak in water to re-hydrate.
• Wash button mushrooms and coarsely chop. Do the same with the re-hydrated mushrooms.
• Pour the kraut juice and water into a large pot. Add mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minimum of two hours. (you can go longer)
• Cook pasta till al-dente and set aside.
• Once the soup has simmered for at least two hours, make the roux. Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the flour. Cook until the flour has thickened and you have a nice blond-like color. Add the roux to the soup.
• You're done!
• How to serve:.
• Have pasta in one bowl and soup in another. Scoop some noodles into your bowl and add the broth on top. Oh, heaven in a bowl. Wishing you years of good luck! :).