Beet Soup – aka Barszcz

I love beets and coming from a Polish background (at least half of it) there was always lots of them. My babcia often made barszcz, and I ate it frequently while on a teaching stint in Poland. It was one of the few vegetarian safe foods and now, it is probably one of the few quick, safe celiac foods there too (you just have to double check there aren’t any little dumplings in it, but that’s usually only during the holidays). My English nana also pickled them, so I was never without.

This soup is so easy to make and relatively painless. I’ve been making it for years and I don’t get tired of it. Sometimes I leave the beets in small diced pieces while other times I grate it so the pieces are small. I also like eating it with a little ground pepper.

Two warnings though: Beets can stain your hands. It comes off in a day or two, but some people wear latex gloves when handling them. Also, if you see red when you visit the washroom, don’t panic. It happens when you eat a lot of them.

Barszcz – Beet Soup      Serves 4-6        1 ½ hrs to prepare

2 bunches beets or 1 lb sliced canned

1 onion quartered

3 tbs lemon juice

3 tbs sugar

Scrub and peel beets. Place in a large pot with the onion & 3 quarts water. Simmer for 1 hour or until beets are tender. Remove the beets & onion & discard the onion. Finely chop the beets & return to the soup. Add juice & sweetner. Cook for another 30 minutes.

** Can be served chilled.

** When served it can be clear or with chopped beets.