Baszcz
Submitted by: Carole
Location: New Jersey, USA
This Polish soup is served at every Christmas Eve in my family. It’s an acquired taste and the joke in the family is to see how new boyfriends and girlfriends joining our holidays react after trying it. I’m told it is a peasent soup and as a result is made differently in every house so even if you know of it this version might be very different.
Ingredients
6 qt. Water plus more as needed
4 Cups Oatmeal
1 Loaf Rye Bread
3 Kielbasa Links
1/2 Pt Light Cream
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Fat Free Half and Half
3/4 Cup Milk
2-4 Hard Boiled Eggs (depends on number of guests)
Salt and pepper to preference
Preparation & Cooking Instructions
1 week before: Boil 1 quart of water and allow to cool to just warm. Add 4 cups of regular oatmeal until it stirs easily. Bury the 2 small end slices of the rye bread in the oatmeal slurry. Keep this warm for at least two days, adding warm water whenever needed to keep it as a slurry. Keep it covered with a loose cloth or paper towel with holes in it. After 24 to 36 hours you can remove the rye bread (it usually falls apart and some of it stays in the oatmeal). I usually have to keep it warm and runny for three days to get a slightly sour smell. (I use a slow cooker with a little water in it, on warm. I put a colander over the top and place the bowl with the oatmeal in the colander. Keeping it the right temp is always a challenge.)
When you are convinced that it is ready, add warm water to thin it, then strain it through a strainer. Store in the refridgerator if you are not ready to make the Baszcz.
To make the Baszcz: (5 to 6 quarts) - Boil 3 links of kielbasa in about 4 to 5 quarts of water for about 20 minutes. Remove as much of the fat on top of the kielbasa water as you can. Remove the kielbasa and add the strained oatmeal, salt and pepper (preferably white pepper), and, if you like it a bit sour, add just a pinch of sour salt. If you add more than a pinch you will ruin the batch. Boil this mix for at least 5 min. Meanwhile, take ½ pint of light cream and mix it with 2 eggs. Add 1/2 cup of fat free half and half and about ½ to 1 cup of milk. Cool a cup of the oatmeal mix slightly and very slowly add it to the milk mixture. (You don’t want it to curdle). Let the rest of the oatmeal mix cool slightly, then very slowly add the milk mix to it. Heat it just to the boiling point, stirring constantly. Taste it, and add more salt and pepper to taste. Chop the kielbasa, rye bread, and hard boiled eggs into small pieces.
It is a good idea to make it a day or two before you serve it, it will thicken a bit in the fridge. Serve as hot as possible as the chopped kielbasa, eggs and rye bread will cool it. This should be enough to serve 18 to 20 people.