Delicious warm recipes for cold weather
Wild mushroom soup with chanterelles and barley, and grated pie with homemade berry jam.
This post is a part of the series of family recipes that are cherished, loved, and passed through generations in my Belarusian and Ukrainian families. I cook each recipe in my kitchen and include detailed descriptions and photos of each step, as well as cooking secrets and tips. View all family recipes from Eastern Europe.
Cold weather is perfect for cooking warm, comforting meals, especially soups and pies. So, this month, I decided to share my Ukrainian mother-in-law's recipe of wild mushroom soup with fresh chanterelles and barley, and a beloved recipe of grated pie with homemade berry jam that is popular in both my and my husband’s families. Nothing could be better than a bowl of hot soup and a freshly baked pie on a cold autumn day!
There is a joke that Ukrainians are “soup-centric” people, and I can confirm that Belarusians are as well. My Ukrainian husband and I grew up eating soups every day regardless of the weather. When we immigrated to the U.S., we realized that people here don’t eat soups as often as we used to in Eastern Europe. I also noticed that most soups served in the U.S. are creamy and pureed, unlike the ones we used to eat at home. This project of sharing the family recipes with you gives me an excuse and motivation to cook soups often, so you’ll see me sharing more soup recipes in the future. I’ve already shared a recipe for Ukrainian borscht, view it here.
Both my and my husband’s moms are devoted mushroom foragers. Growing up, we had loads of fresh mushrooms at home and cooked various meals with mushrooms in autumn. The most popular were mushroom soup and pan-fried mushrooms with potatoes and onions. The soup was usually made with fresh porcini and chanterelle mushrooms. It’s hard to find fresh porcini in the U.S., so I substituted it for baby bella mushrooms. However, if you can find porcini mushrooms in your area, definitely cook the soup with them, as they add a unique flavor.
When my mom lived in Belarus, and my husband’s mom lived in Ukraine, they didn’t really communicate with each other besides Christmas and birthday wishes. However, as they both were forced to flee their homes and found refuge in Poland, they had no choice but to become closer. It wasn’t easy at first, as they are complete opposites in everything. But, as the first autumn in Poland came, they found a connection in their love for mushroom picking. They went to the nearby forest every weekend and returned home with heaps of wild mushrooms. Each of them sent photos of the mushrooms they found to our family chats, and we noticed that they started to compete on who found more.
Last year, while foraging mushrooms, my mother-in-law wandered too far and got lost. She eventually walked to some small forest road, stopped the first and only car she saw, and asked the driver for help. The driver was an elderly Polish man who didn’t quite understand where she needed to go and started to drive her toward the city. At that time, my mom was waiting for my mother-in-law by the car somewhere deep in the woods. My mom couldn't drive, and the keys to the car were in my husband’s mom's purse, moving with her away from the forest. Of course, there was no cell reception as well. When my mother-in-law realized she was going in the wrong direction, she started to panic and asked to drive her back. The driver was confused, and as she explained in broken Polish that she left her car and my mom there, the man said: “Crazy women! Why would you go to that forest? I’m not going back, and I’m definitely not going to search for your car in the middle of the woods!” Little did he know that there is no point in arguing with Ukrainian women, and especially with my mother-in-law. He did drive her back eventually and found the car and my mom, who almost froze there waiting for hours. Our moms were very happy and offered the Polish man all the mushrooms they gathered. He refused and drove away, shaking his head and repeating, “crazy, crazy women.” Do you think this story put an end to their mushroom foraging adventures? Of course not! However, now they keep each other in sight and try not to wander too far.
Besides the mushroom soup, I included a beloved grated pie recipe with homemade berry jam. My husband’s grandma baked it often in his childhood, and my mom also baked it all the time. It’s simple yet very delicious. It’s usually baked with black currants, but these berries are incredibly hard to find in the U.S., so I used a frozen mix of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. You can use any berries you want, but if you can find black currants, you’ll get the most authentic version of this recipe and the taste of our childhoods. You can also use a store-bought jam for the filling, but it won’t be as good as a homemade one. In this post, I share how to easily cook homemade jam for this pie. It takes only 20 minutes and tastes heavenly. The pie is perfect for cold autumn evenings and a morning cup of coffee or tea. Try it, and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it!
Wild mushroom soup with chanterelles and barley
Grated pie with homemade berry jam
Below, you will find the step-by-step recipe instructions and photos of each step, which are available for paid subscribers. By upgrading to paid, you won’t only receive access to all previously posted family recipes from Eastern Europe, but will also allow me to continue my work and support both of my families who became refugees and whose recipes I share with you.
RECIPE #1