“Arthur Schwartz’s New York City Food” is one of my favorite books on food and my go-to for special occasions.
This book has a recipe for the best soup in the world — Polish white borscht, Bialy Barszcz. I have made this soup many times using the suggested ingredients. However — I cannot bring myself to follow the directions.
See for yourself. The directions go:
— boil sauerkraut in water — discard sauerkraut;
— make chicken stock — discard the chicken;
— flavor the stock with leeks, carrots, and celery — discard leeks, carrots, and celery.
Shoot me — I cannot bring myself to discard sauerkraut, chicken, and all those vegetables. And I would like to see my frugal Polish grandmother throwing all that into the garbage. Besides, she used to say that, in a good soup, the spoon should be standing.
Using Arthur’s ingredients and holding my grandmother’s hand, I make my own version of this soup. Creamy, tart, piney, and smoky — there’s yet to be a better soup.
SAUERKRAUT STOCK:
— 2 lb sauerkraut (NOT FROM A CAN!) either in a plastic bag or better from an Eastern European market where it is sold by the weight;
— 4 cups water.
CHICKEN STOCK:
— 4 chicken leg quarters;
— 8 cups chicken stock or water;
— 2 tsp whole allspice;
— 3 bay leaves.
FLAVORINGS:
— 4 celery ribs sliced thin on diagonal;
— 3 carrots sliced thin on diagonal:
— 2 large leeks, white parts only, cut lengthwise, sliced, and rinsed;
— 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2”cubes;
— 1 lb smoked kielbasa, skin removed, sliced in half-moons;
— 2 tsp dried marjoram;
— salt and pepper to taste;
CORNSTARCH SLURRY:
— 1 cup heavy cream;
— 5 tsp cornstarch.
— Hard boiled eggs to top it all.
THE PROCESS:
1. Combine sauerkraut and water and boil for 30 min. DO NOT DISCARD SAUERKRAUT!
2. Combine the chicken stock ingredients, bring to a boil and cook for 30 min or until the chicken is ready. Let the chicken cool in the broth. Discard the skin and bones, shred the meat. DO NOT DISCARD CHICKEN MEAT!
3. Bring chicken stock — without meat — to a boil, add all the vegetables and cook until the vegetable are soft —10-15 min. DO NOT DISCARD VEGETABLES!
4. Add sauerkraut with its stock, kielbasa, marjoram, salt and pepper to taste, and corn starch slurry. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer on low for another 5 min.
You can eat the soup right away but like borscht of any kind, it is better the next day, and even better on day three.