Zupa Ogórkowa (Polish Cucumber Soup)
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Zupa ogórkowa is a traditional Polish soup built around sour, salted cucumbers. The pickles are grated and cooked briefly in butter and flour, then stirred into a chicken and root vegetable broth, which gives the pot a sharp, savory tang. Order matters here: the potatoes go in first and must be fully cooked before the cucumbers are added, or they will stay firm. A spoonful of cream softens the sourness at the table.
Instructions
Put the chicken wings, salt, pepper, bay leaves and pimentos in a stock pot with 1.5 L (1½ quarts) of cold water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add the peeled carrots, celery root, parsnip root and leek, and boil for 10 more minutes. While that cooks, peel the potatoes and dice them into cubes about a quarter inch (0.25 x 0.25 inches) on each side.
Lift the leek out of the pot and add the potatoes. Boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until a cube is soft all the way through.
Grate the pickled cucumbers and put them in a sauté pan with the melted butter. Sauté for 2 minutes, then sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly over low heat.
Pour in ½ to ⅓ cup of water and keep stirring until the mixture is smooth.
Once the potatoes are cooked, stir the cucumber mixture into the stock pot. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
If you like, stir a little soup into some cream or sour cream in a small cup, then add it to the pot, or add a smaller amount to each bowl. Add the potatoes before the cucumbers, since the acid in the cucumbers keeps potatoes from softening.
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