Ogórkowa (Pickle Soup)

• servings: 10 servings
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium leek (6 ounces), white and light-green parts, rinsed well, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium carrot (4 ounces), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium parsnip (8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

½ medium celery root (celeriac) (8 ounces), peeled, or 2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

5 cups homemade or no-salt-added chicken broth

2 to 3 large (about 1 1/2 pounds total) baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

32 ounces homemade or store-bought sour dill pickles in brine

Fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup heavy cream

Generous 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the leek and stir to coat; cook for about 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the carrot, parsnip and celery root, then add the broth. Once the liquid comes to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes to the pot and cover again. Cook for another 15 minutes or until they are cooked through but still slightly firm.

Meanwhile, strain the pickles, reserving their brine. Use a cheese grater or grater attachment in a food processor to coarsely grate the pickles. Add the pickles and a 1/2 cup of the brine to the cooked vegetables in the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, just enough to leave it a little chunky. (Or, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender: To prevent splatters, be careful to not fill it more than halfway, remove the center ring from the lid, and hold a kitchen towel over the lid as you blend; then return the soup to the pot.) Add additional brine or broth until you achieve your desired taste and consistency. Stir in the heavy cream.

Just before serving, stir in the chopped dill. Serve warm, with more dill fronds on the side for garnish.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Per serving (1 cup) base
• Calories: 143
• Total Fat: 4 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 14 mg
• Sodium: 889 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 25 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 4 g