I admit, this one sounds a little strange. I’m sure you’re picturing a bowl of briny pickle juice, but this strange Polish recipe is nothing like that. As long as you taste the soup while you’re carefully adding the pickle juice, it just adds a nice tang to this creamy, comforting soup.
My daughter says it’s one of the best dishes she’s tasted of mine - because it’s good but also because it’s different. And it’s easy and can be made vegetarian. So give it a try.
INGREDIENTS
5-1/2 cups chicken broth*
1-3/4 lbs new potatoes, peeled and quartered**
2 cups chopped carrots, smaller dice
1 cup chopped dill pickles (smaller dice ~ about 3 large whole dills)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
1 to 2 cups dill pickle juice***
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Optional garnishes: sliced dill pickles, fresh dill
METHOD
*I love Massel plant-based broths, even if I have beef or chicken broth on the shelf. I’ve had some chef friends try it who raved about it and didn’t even realize it was plant-based.
If you want to make this vegetarian, try the Massel. (If you want to make it vegan, sub out the sour cream for some cashew cream and butter for a vegan butter).
**If your potatoes are very thin-skinned, there’s no need to peel.
In a large pot, combine broth, potatoes, carrots and butter. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add pickles and continue to boil.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sour cream and water, making a paste. Vigorously whisk sour cream mixture (2 Tablespoons at a time) into soup. This will also break up some of your potatoes which is okay. You might see some initial little balls of flour form, but between the whisking and boiling all will disappear. Don’t panic. You can also use tapioca starch instead of flour.
Add one cup only of the pickle juice and taste. Add more if it needs it. If it’s tasting too briny, add more stock or water instead of the brine.
The Massel adds some salt and of course, so does the pickle juice, so make sure you taste well before adding any salt or other seasoning.
If it needs a little oomph, you can add some Old Bay or a sprinkling of cayenne.
Cook 5 more minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately.
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