Ukrainian Mushroom and Vegetable Soup – Recipe
Most popular mushrooms in the US, and most readily available, are the farm grown white mushrooms.
There are also other varieties of mushrooms, more on a brown side in color, called Cremini, or Portobello Mushrooms. These two types are tastier, but a little more expensive, and not as readily available in all grocery stores.
I am also lucky to have some dried mushrooms (borowiki), grown in Poland, and these are my all time favorite, due to their rich flavor. I use these for preparing filling for Vushka to serve with a Ukrainian Traditional Christmas Borscht. I also like to add a couple of these mushrooms to my Kapusnyak, which I usually prepare for Easter Brunch.
Today I am sharing my recipe for a Ukrainian Mushroom and Vegetable Soup, which my husband and I really enjoy, and hopefully you will too.
Ingredients
- 4 quarts soup stock
- 1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
- 2 large carrots
- 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbs Canola oil
- 1 Tbs dill weed, chopped
- 1 Tbs garlic chives, chopped (optional)
- 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup of uncooked pasta (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a 6 quarts soup pot, with soup stock.
- Add chopped carrots, potatoes, celery, and bay leaves.
- Bring to boil.
- Heat Canola oil in a saucepan, add chopped onions and saute until wilted.
- Add chopped mushrooms, and saute 3 minutes, until juices start to build up.
- Add chopped garlic, and saute another minute.
- Season with salt and pepper and add to the soup stock.
- Add pasta, if you choose to use it. ( Before adding pasta, I use a potato masher, and pulsate it several times in the soup, to break up the veggies to smaller pieces, and make the soup creamier).
- Cook, until all veggies and pasta are tender. About 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the large celery pieces, and bay leaves, and discard.
- Add 1 Tbs flour to the sauce pan, and fry it until golden, mixing frequently to prevent excessive browning.
- Gradually whisk in the heavy cream, or milk, forming a creamy mixture. You may add some of the soup stock if needed to make it creamy.
- Cook for a minute, and add to the soup.
- Cook soup for a minute longer. Turn the heat off.
- Add the chopped dill, garlic chives, and adjust seasoning to your taste.
Notes
Serve hot, with a fresh piece of rye bread, garlic bread, or Kapusnyachky.