Barszcz with uszka (Polish Christmas Eve beetroot soup)

• 300 g Wheat flour (for the dough)
  Swaps (2)
• 1 u Egg (for the dough)
  Swaps (2)
• 2 u Onion (1 for the broth and 1 finely chopped for the filling)
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 u Carrot
• Salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (ground, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar (to taste)
• 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (1 for the dough and 2 for the filling)
• 2 leaves Bay Leaf
• 4 tablespoons Lemon Juice (or wine vinegar, or 500 ml of zakwas, to taste)
  Swaps (1)
• 150 g Celeriac (one piece)
  Swaps (1)
• 1 u Leek (white part only)
• 1.2 kg Beetroot (raw)
• 1 tablespoon Breadcrumbs (for the filling)
  Swaps (2)
• 1 teaspoon Marjoram (dried)
• 0.5 teaspoons Peppercorns (black)
• 4 u Allspice (whole berries)
• 1 u Parsnips (or parsley root)
• 3 l Water (2.5 l for the broth, 300 ml for soaking the mushrooms and about 150 ml lukewarm for the dough)
• 50 g Dried porcini (20 g for the broth and 30 g for the filling)

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak all the dried porcini in 300 ml of lukewarm water for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

2. 2

   Peel the carrot, parsnip and celeriac and cut them into chunks, and clean the leek. Halve the broth onion and char it, cut side down, in a dry frying pan until blackened: it adds colour and a sweet depth.

   10 min

3. 3

   Put these vegetables in a pan with the garlic, bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns and 2.5 l of water. Lift about 20 g of mushrooms out of the soaking water and add them; strain the soaking water through kitchen paper and add half of it. Simmer gently, half covered.

   30 min

4. 4

   Meanwhile, peel the beetroot and slice it thinly. Add it to the broth and cook over very low heat, without a rolling boil, until tender and the broth is a deep red.

   40 min

5. 5

   Strain the broth through a fine sieve, pressing the vegetables only lightly so it stays clear. Add the marjoram, the lemon juice a little at a time, the sugar and salt until the balance of sweet and sour is right. From now on, heat it without letting it boil.

   5 min

6. 6

   For the filling, chop the remaining mushrooms very finely. Fry the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of oil until golden, add the mushrooms and the rest of the soaking water and cook until dry. Season, stir in the breadcrumbs to bind it and leave to cool.

   20 min

7. 7

   For the dough, mix the flour with the egg, 1 tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt and as much lukewarm water as needed. Knead until smooth and elastic, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

   40 min

8. 8

   Roll the dough out very thinly on a floured surface, a portion at a time, and cut it into 4 to 5 cm squares. Put half a teaspoon of filling on each, fold into a triangle, pressing the edges firmly, and join the two base corners around a finger to form the little ear. Keep them covered with a cloth.

   45 min

9. 9

   Cook the uszka in batches in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes after they rise to the surface. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and toss them in a little oil so they do not stick.

   15 min

10. 10

    Divide the uszka between warm bowls, 5 to 7 per person, and ladle over the barszcz, piping hot but not boiling.

    2 min