Completed #12: Make Polish barszcz

I've been to Poland twice. It's beautiful, and I've yet to meet a Pole I don't like.

However, of all the places I've ever travelled, I've been the least enamoured with Polish food.

That is, until I met my fiancé, Geoff. He's half Polish, on his mother's side, and my four years of Christmas Eve dinners have been really exciting.

See, I love beets. Beyond my family's own traditions of pickling them, I don't know much about preparing beets. However, I now eat bowl after bowl of Geoff's mom's barszcz, and so I wanted to learn how to make my own.

(I think this is also cool, in that if we have children, I'll be able to help Geoff infuse their lives with some of his Polish traditions alongside my own Quebecois Métis ones.)

I used this recipe, and - though Geoff's mom prepares it clear red - I decided to follow the direction to julienne and include the beets. (See: I love beets.)

I took this a step further, as I've always been intrigued by the inclusion of uszka (Polish translation: "little ears"), but I've thus far been unable to eat them because the dough often contains eggs. I used this recipe, which did not. 

I tailored my Fresh City Farms order this week to these two dishes and even dehydrated the mushrooms, as per the uszka recipe, last night. I also used chickpea flour, so mine were even gluten-free. (It was just what I had; I'm not totally anti-gluten. It may have tasted more appropriate with regular flour, I think. I just find chickpea flour still tastes vaguely of chickpeas.)

Anyway, I have no point of comparison for the uszka, but I think they turned out pretty well. I almost slammed my head down in defeat when I realized the recipe called for a rolling pin and I, baker of nothing, had none. Geoff figuratively stopped my head, mid-slam of defeat, by saying "Search DIY rolling pins!" 

I used a drinking glass. It was fine.

I also need here to note that, unfortunately, Geoff cannot verify if these are any good. My vegan self eats more variety than his non-vegan self, due to intense pickiness. He doesn't like mushrooms and he think barszcz looks like it is made of blood, so.

More for me.

Here are some photos. Please excuse my "fine china" (see: black plastic takeout container). My dishwasher is currently running.

Original goal list posted here