History
Drying is the oldest way of preserving mushrooms. The product sheet cites Mattioli, Gloger and “Pan Tadeusz”. Mushrooms from the Mielnik and Białowieża Forests are dried on strings, in the oven or in the sun, and demand grows every year before Christmas. They go into bigos, pierogi, uszka, barszcz, soups and sauces. They have been on the list since 2009.
Recipe
Christmas Eve mushroom soup from dried mushrooms
Ingredients
- 50 g dried mushrooms
- 2 l water
- 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, a piece of celeriac
- 1 onion
- 2 bay leaves, 3 allspice berries
- 200 g łazanki or small pasta
- 150 ml sour cream 18% (leave out on a meatless Christmas Eve)
- salt, pepper, dill
Method
- Wash the mushrooms and soak overnight in 1 l of boiled water.
- Cook the mushrooms in their soaking water for about 30 minutes. Take them out and cut into strips, then strain the stock through cheesecloth.
- Cook the vegetables and onion in the second litre of water with the spices for 20 minutes, then strain.
- Combine both stocks, add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Finish with sour cream, or serve clear, with the łazanki cooked separately and a sprinkle of dill.
Where to taste and buy
Dried mushrooms can be bought from foragers and at the markets in Hajnówka, Siemiatycze and Bielsk Podlaski, most of all before the holidays.
Description based on the entry in the Ministry of Agriculture's List of Traditional Products. The quantities in the recipe are our own suggestion for the home kitchen. Product sheet on gov.pl →
Stay in Klejniki
Most of these flavours are within an hour's drive of our house. A kitchen with a wood-fired range is waiting, in case you feel like baking something.
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