Zupa Grzybowa, Polish Wild Mushroom Soup
Zupa grzybowa is the wild mushroom soup that opens the Polish Christmas Eve supper, built on the dried forest mushrooms that hang in kitchens through autumn. Dried porcini stand in for the wild boletes here, and the trick is treating their soaking water as the main ingredient rather than a byproduct, since that dark liquid carries the deepest flavor in the whole pot. Fresh cremini cooked down until the pan goes dry again add body and a meaty base with no meat, and a diced potato quietly thickens the broth as it softens. Marjoram and dill are not optional: together they are the flavor that makes this Polish and not merely mushroomy. Stir the oat cream in off the heat so it stays smooth. It reheats well and deepens overnight, so it is worth making a big pot.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Dried porcini
- 12 oz Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 2 wholes Carrots, diced
- 2 mediums Potatoes, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dried marjoram
- 2 wholes Bay leaves
- 1/3 cup Oat cream
- 3 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Cover the dried porcini with 2 cups (475 ml) of just-boiled water and leave them 20 minutes. Lift the softened mushrooms out, chop them, and keep the soaking liquid, pouring it slowly and stopping before the gritty last inch. That brown soaking water is the backbone of the soup; it holds more concentrated mushroom flavor than the mushrooms themselves, and throwing it out is the most common way this soup goes flat.
- Sweat the onion and carrot in a spoonful of water in a dry pot until soft, about 8 minutes, then add the sliced cremini and cook until they release their liquid and it boils away. Cooking the fresh mushrooms down until the pan is dry again concentrates them and builds the savory base that stands in for meat stock.
- Add the garlic, marjoram, and bay for a minute, then pour in the reserved porcini liquid, the chopped porcini, the diced potato, and 4 cups (1 L) of water. Marjoram is the herb that makes this read as Polish rather than as any mushroom soup, so add it early enough to bloom in the liquid.
- Simmer covered for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and starting to thicken the broth. Some cooks blend a ladle of the soup and stir it back; the potato starch is what gives the pot its body without any flour or roux.
- Off the heat, stir in the oat cream, the pepper, and most of the dill. Adding the cream away from a hard boil keeps it from splitting, and the fresh dill at the end is the bright, grassy note that a Polish table expects. Scatter the rest on top.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 150 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g fiber, 70 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
