Krupnik

Ingredients

Broth

• 500 gpork ribs or beef on the bone
• 2 litreswater
• 1bay leaf
• 6peppercorns
• 1allspice berry

Soup

• 150 gpearl barley
• 30 gdried porcini, soaked
• 3potatoes, diced
• 1carrot, diced
• 1onion, chopped
• 1celeriac wedge or 2 celery stalks
• 2 tbspbutter or lard
• salt
• black pepper

To finish

• 1large bunch dill
• 150 mlsmetana

To serve

• dark rye bread

Directions

1. Soak the dried porcini in warm water for 30 minutes and keep the soaking liquid.
2. The mushroom water goes into the soup. It carries most of the flavour, and the only thing to discard is the grit at the very bottom.
3. Simmer the meat with the bay, peppercorns and allspice for an hour, skimming thoroughly.
4. Rinse the barley in cold water until it runs clear.
5. Rinsing matters more than usual here. Barley sheds a great deal of starch and unrinsed it turns the whole soup cloudy and gluey.
6. Add the barley to the broth and cook for 30 minutes.
7. Fry the onion, carrot and celeriac in the butter until soft and lightly golden.
8. Chop the soaked mushrooms and add them with the vegetables, the mushroom liquid and the diced potato.
9. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, until the barley is soft and the potatoes tender.
10. Barley keeps swelling as it stands, so the soup will thicken noticeably by the next day. Leave it looser than you want it.
11. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
12. Stir in a great deal of chopped dill off the heat.
13. Dill goes in raw and by the handful, which is what makes it taste Belarusian rather than generically Eastern European.
14. Serve hot with a spoonful of smetana stirred into each bowl and dark rye bread alongside.
15. Krupnik in Belarus and Poland is this barley soup; the identically named Lithuanian and Polish krupnikas is a honey liqueur, and the two share nothing but a name.

Technique

• It is winter food and it is meant to be thick and filling rather than delicate.
• Dried porcini is worth using over fresh; the concentration is the point.
• It is better on the second day, once the barley has fully swelled.

Substitutions

• Any dried wild mushroom.
• Vegetable stock for a meatless version, which is standard in fasting periods.

Variations

• Meatless, with more mushrooms.
• With smoked ribs, which is common.
• Thicker, cooked down until it is closer to a porridge.

History

Barley soup with meat and vegetables; the same name is used for a Belarusian honey-and-spice liqueur.

Frequently asked questions

What is Krupnik?

Krupnik is a soup & stew from Belarus: barley soup with mushrooms and potato. Barley soup with meat and vegetables; the same name is used for a Belarusian honey-and-spice liqueur.

How long does Krupnik take to make?

Krupnik takes 20 min plus 30 min soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Krupnik?

Yes, within limits. Any dried wild mushroom. Vegetable stock for a meatless version, which is standard in fasting periods.

What is the most important thing to get right in Krupnik?

The mushroom water goes into the soup. It carries most of the flavour, and the only thing to discard is the grit at the very bottom.