I have so many good memories of
my days working with my friend Nancy at the Culinary Center of Kansas City, but
one of the things I enjoyed doing the most was the series of "Bistro Dinners" we prepared
together. We usually cooked 2 or 3 Bistro
Dinners a month. These dinners were open
to the public and were served at long family-style tables. They were always fun and festive. Generally, we prepared four courses...and there was always a particular theme. We did special holiday themed
dinners...regional and seasonal dinners...and ethnic dinners of all
kinds. Because we covered so much food
territory during the preparation of these meals, I was exposed to a lot of
foods and traditions that I might not have ever experienced otherwise...Nancy
created some very fun and interesting menus.
I was reminded of all of
this recently when I was bouncing ideas off of Nancy for an upcoming
Valentine's Day dinner class. Nancy suggested
that I resurrect a Polish Borsch that we had served at a Christmas bistro
dinner. I remembered this particular
dish because it was so elegant and beautiful....a clear, deep red broth with
tiny mushroom dumplings...called uszka...floating in it. And even though this dish is traditionally
served in Poland for Christmas Eve, I agreed that it would be just the thing as a first
course for Valentine's Day.
I have not altered the broth
recipe that we used at all (I think it was from Saveur Magazine...but I'm not really sure). It is
simple and delicious...and very easy to make. Even so, I do have a few
pointers to share: First, the seemingly large amount
of lemon juice is correct. As I looked at the recipe again, I was
dubious. But the acidity of the lemon sets the deep, bright color...and, just
as importantly, balances the sweet, earthiness of the beets. I have seen recipes that use vinegar instead,
but I can't personally vouch for these.
If you would like to try vinegar, use half as much.
Secondly, keep all of the
vegetables in very large chunks....or whole...and don't boil the broth
hard. Cutting the vegetables into small
pieces and/or cooking at a hard boil will make for a cloudy broth. It isn't really even necessary to boil the
broth. After it comes to an initial
simmer, it should just be kept at what I would call a bare simmer. An instant read thermometer will read somewhere
between 190° and 200°. Then, if time
allows, let the broth sit and cool at room temperature for a couple of
hours. Better yet, chill the
broth—before straining the solids out—over night. When made this way, the final flavor of the
broth will be full and developed.
Finally, even if for some
reason you decide not to make the amazing little mushroom dumplings that are
traditionally served in this soup, don't leave out the dried porcini when
making the broth. They add a lot of flavor. To be honest, I can't imagine making this
soup without the dumplings...they add so much.
And since making the mushroom filling involves soaking and simmering
dried mushrooms, I add their liquid to the soup too....
The mushroom filling I used
in the dumplings is a mixture of cooked dried porcinis and fresh criminis. I have seen recipes that use all fresh or all
dried, but I like a mix. Using mostly
fresh saves a bit of money....and using a small amount of dried amplifies the
flavor. A lot of recipes insist on all
porcini (fresh and/or dried), but I have seen more than one recipe that says the
dumplings are traditionally made with whatever mushroom is available. No matter what kind of mushroom you use, cook
them until all the moisture has been released and has evaporated. If the filling is runny or wet, the dough
will become soggy as it leaches the moisture out of the filling. The filling includes bread crumbs to help absorb any moisture that might remain.
The dough that is
traditionally used to make the dumplings is very similar to fresh Italian pasta. In fact, the dumplings are
basically the same thing as tortellini. Italian
noodle dough is made of eggs and flour.
The traditional polish dough substitutes water (sometimes milk) and a
little oil for some of the egg. Because
I like the all egg dough I usually make, that's what I use when I
make the uszka. If you don't want to
make the dough at all, you may use purchased wonton wrappers instead.
If you have never made pasta
before, check out my post on fresh spinach pasta from several years ago. As noted at the bottom of that recipe, the
method for plain pasta is the same. The
only difference is that the sheets of dough are rolled more thinly—you should
be able to see shapes and patterns through the sheet of dough—and the dough is
cut and filled immediately after rolling into sheets (whereas pasta sheets that
will be cut into ribbons are allowed to sit out until they lose some of their
moisture and begin to feel somewhat leathery).
While I was experimenting
with the uszka, I decided to make a quick little lunch one day...serving the
uszka Italian style. It was so good I
wanted to share it here (although you can find recipes just like this all over the web). I simply sauced
some of the cooked uszka...more appropriately called mushroom tortellini in
this guise...in some browned butter with fried sage and lemon. I topped the dish with a mix of grated
Parmesan and Pecorino. It was delicious and would be worth making the uszka simply to have them like this. Just like the Borsch, I think it would make a wonderful first course for a
dinner with friends.
Barszcz z Uszkami
Borsch with Mushroom Dumplings
(Uszka)
4 large beets (800g), peeled and quartered
1 large carrot (120g), peeled
1 parsnip (120g), peeled
1 medium leek, white part only
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 allspice berries
10 black peppercorns
1/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
36 to 48 uszka
Put the beets, carrot, parsnip, leek, bay leaves,
lemon juice, allspice, peppercorns, porcini, and chicken stock in a large pot,
and add 8 cups of cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then
reduce heat to medium-low, and barely simmer for about 2 hours (the temperature
should hover around 190°). Remove from heat and let sit for 2 hours. If time, chill overnight to allow it to steep
even further. Strain, and discard the
solids. Add water to make 6 cups broth.
Return beet stock to the pot and bring back to a
simmer over low heat. Correct the seasoning with salt, pepper and more lemon as
necessary. Place 6 cooked uszka in
each of 6 to 8 individual soup plates, and pour the hot borsch over the uszka.
Serve immediately.
Uszka
(Mushroom Dumplings)
1/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked overnight a
cup of water
2 to 3 T. butter
1 small yellow onion (4 to 5 oz.), peeled and finely
minced
6 oz. fresh mushrooms (crimini, white button, etc.),
finely chopped in the
food processor
1/4 c. fresh white bread crumbs
2 T. minced flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh pasta dough or purchased Wonton wrappers
Transfer porcini to a small pot, then strain soaking
liquid through a coffee filter (or damp paper towel) into the same pot. Simmer
over medium-low heat, adding water as necessary, until porcini are tender,
about 2 hours. Remove porcini from the pot, finely mince, and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid into the Borsch.
Melt 2 T. butter in a medium skillet set over medium
heat. Add onions and sauté until tender and golden, about 10 to 15
minutes...add the remaining tablespoon of butter if the pan seems dry. Add the fresh mushrooms and minced porcini
and continue to cook until the liquid given up by the mushrooms has evaporated
and the mixture begins to sizzle—about 10 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs and
parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Set aside to cool. (The filling
may be made a day or two ahead. Cover
and chill.)
If using fresh pasta, roll out dough on a lightly
floured surface or using your pasta machine (as described in the recipe below)
until very thin (it should be thin enough to see shapes/patterns through it).
Cut into 50 or so 1 3/4- to 2-inch squares, and cover with plastic wrap to
prevent the squares from drying out. (If using wonton wrappers, trim so they
are 2-inch squares.)
Place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center of
each square, lightly dampen the edges with water, then fold bottom corner to
top corner, pressing gently from the top down the sides to remove any air
pockets. At this point they should look like triangles. Fold the right and left
corners over each other, and pinch them between your thumb and forefinger so
they hold together. Set the uszka on a semolina dusted sheet pan, making sure
they aren't touching, as you form them.
The uszka may be cooked right away, or they may be
stored for up to 24 hours under refrigeration. To store,
allow them to dry slightly, uncovered, at room temperature, for about an
hour. Then, cover them loosely with a
linen or paper towel and wrap the sheet pan tightly in with plastic wrap and
transfer to the refrigerator.
Cook uszka in batches in a large pot of gently boiling
salted water over high heat, until the pasta is al dente...about 3 to 4
minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, transferring them directly
to serving bowls or placing them on a lightly oiled baking sheet where they may
be kept, lightly covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. Chill if not serving within an hour of
cooking.
Note: Although not ideal, the uszka may also be frozen for up to a week. Place the sheets with the uskza in the freezer and when they are frozen hard, transfer to ziplock freezer bags and seal. When ready to cook, spread them on a semolina dusted sheet and let them thaw, uncovered. This will only take about 20 minutes. Cook as for fresh.
Fresh
Pasta:
1 1/2 c. (165 to 175 grams) all-purpose flour, plus
more for rolling
2 large eggs (100 to 110 grams)
Semolina flour
Mound the flour on a counter
top and make a well in the center. Crack
the eggs into the well and break them up with a fork. Gradually begin incorporating flour from the
walls of the well into the eggs. When
the walls start to collapse, begin using a bench scraper to cut the flour and
liquid ingredients together. At first
the dough will seem an unmanageable, shaggy mass. Begin to work the dough until you have a
cohesive mass that you can knead without it sticking to your fingers. This initial formation of the dough will take
about three minutes. If at the end of
this time there is unincorporated flour remaining, sift it to remove any bits
of dough. Set this sifted flour aside to
be used for the remainder of the kneading process and wash your hands to remove
any caked on bits.
Continue to knead the dough
(adding flour if the dough is sticky) for 10 minutes until the dough is satiny,
smooth and elastic—with no trace of stickiness.
Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Alternatively, place the
eggs and flour in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Begin to mix on the lowest speed. When the dough begins to come together,
increase the speed to medium and knead for 10 minutes.
To roll out the dough using
a pasta machine, work with half of the dough at a time. Flatten the dough into a thick disk and flour
lightly. Starting with the widest
setting, pass the dough through the rollers six to eight times or until the
dough firms up, folding it in thirds each time and turning the dough so an open
end feeds into the roller. Continue to lightly
flour the dough as you work. Set the
rollers at the next, narrower setting and pass the dough through two or three
times or until the dough is almost the width of the roller, folding in half
each time and passing through the rollers folded edge first. Set the rollers for the next, narrower
setting and pass the dough through, but do not fold it. Run the dough through at each successively
narrower setting, until the desired thickness is achieved.
(Pasta recipe adapted from The Splendid Table
by Lynne Rossetto Kasper)
Note: This recipe
makes almost twice as much dough as you need to make 50 uszka...I would have written the recipe for half quantities, but
this leaves no wiggle room for differences in how people roll out dough. I would prefer not to cut it so close.
Mushroom Tortellini in Sage Browned Butter
6 to 8 T. unsalted butter
20 to 24 small sage leaves
Lemon juice to taste
Salt & pepper
1 recipe uszka/mushroom tortellini (about 50...or 250
grams)
Freshly grated Parmesan and/or Pecorino
Place butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium
heat. As the butter continues to cook it
will bubble and spatter. When the
spattering begins to subside, watch the butter very carefully—the milk solids
will brown very quickly at this point.
When the solids have turned a nice golden brown, remove the pan from the
heat. Add the sage leaves and let sizzle
briefly until they crisp. Cool the pan
down by dipping in a shallow pan of cool water, or by adding a few drops of
cool water to the butter and swirl in. Season
the butter to taste with lemon juice and salt.
It will take a fair amount of both—don’t be timid. Set aside while you cook the tortellini.
Drop the tortellini in a large pot of gently boiling
salted water. Cook until the pasta is al
dente...about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon,
transferring them to the pan of warm browned sage butter. Toss to coat in the butter, adding a splash
of the cooking water to extend the sauce if necessary. Divide the tortellini among 4 plates. Scatter some freshly grated Parmesan or
Pecorino over and serve right away.
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