Polish soup at its finest!

   Have you ever had a meal so good that you wanted to cry eating it? I know you think that I probably exaggerate, but I'm telling you, Polish cucumber soup is that good. Not only is it one of my favorite soups, but also it tastes like my home and childhood. My Mom cooks it pretty frequently and we all love it. It's not easy to make it here, because you need to find a right type of cucumbers in brine... I'm sorry, but it has to be Polish... no other type will taste the same. I'm lucky that we have a European store close by that carries some of the Polish items so that I could make this amazing soup. I do have to warn you though... it does have a very "specific", sour flavor, which might take some getting used to. I'm sure all my Polish friends out there will agree that it's the best, but Justin's reaction was quite interesting: "...oh, it's good... tastes very Polish...". Recipe makes a huge pot of it, but you know I love soup.

Ingredients:

*  1 30oz jar cucumbers in brine
*  2 large potatoes, cubed
*  2 carrots, shredded
*  1 onion, chopped
*  1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
*  1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
*  2 vegetable bullion cubes
*  2 tbsp sour cream
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add water (I used about 3 litters), cubed potatoes, onions, shredded carrots, bouillon cubes, parsley and dill, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, using a hand grater shred cucumbers capturing all the juices.
3. Add shredded cucumbers and all the juice from the jar to the soup and cook for 5-10 more minutes until potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
4. When the soup is ready, add a little bit of hot liquid to the sour cream and mix. Turn off the stove, add sour cream to soup and mix to combine.

   Sour and delicious! You can also substitute potatoes with rice, but I am a potato girl and definitely prefer this version! With the amount I just made I will eat it for next few days... and that's the best part of making soups!

Enjoy,
Magda