Best 5 Latvian Spinach Soup Recipes

LATVIAN SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Boil the smoked ribs in 7 cups of water, covered, for an hour to an hour and a half.
• Meanwhile, wash the spinach, and chop finely.
• After the meat has cooked, add the rice and potatoes to the pot.
• After approximately 15 minutes (when the potatoes are cooked), remove the meat. When cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones and reserve.
• Add the spinach to the pot, along with the lemon juice and salt to taste.
• Place a serving of meat in individual bowls, add the soup and then half a hard-cooked egg and a teaspoon of sour cream.
• The diner chops the egg and mixes the cream into the soup.

LATVIAN PIRAGI

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast for dough in a large mixing bowl; stir until well combined. Cut in butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add warm water and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Add eggs and 1 cup flour; mix until combined and thick. Stir in remaining 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes together.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Punch dough down, cover, and let rise until double in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• While the dough is rising, cook bacon for filling in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon grease from the pan.
• Add onion to the bacon grease and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Combine onion and bacon in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside until dough has risen.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two large baking pans with cooking spray. Place beaten eggs in a bowl.
• Divide dough into 3 pieces, then divide each piece into about 12 balls. Roll each ball to pizza dough-thickness. Use a small spoon to scoop some onion-bacon mixture into the center. Brush egg wash on the dough around the filling, then fold the edges/corners up and over the filling. Place piragi in the prepared baking pans with the seams facing down, and brush the tops with egg wash.
• Place one pan in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with more egg wash. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 more minutes.
• Repeat to bake remaining piragi.

FINNISH SPINACH SOUP (PINAATTIKEITTO)

Steps:

• Melt margarine in a pot, add flour and mix well with a whisk.
• Add about half of the milk and whisk vigurously to get rid of any lumps. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and begins to boil.
• Add the rest of the milk and the spinach, whisk. Allow to boil for a few minutes. Keep stirring often as milk-based soups stick to the bottom of the pot easily!
• Add salt, sugar and white pepper, mix.
• Divide between soup bowls; peel boiled eggs, halve them, and place two egg halves on top of each bowl of soup.

LATVIAN BORSCHT(AKA UKRAINIAN BORSHCH)

Steps:

• Heat the stock in a large soup pot, add cabbage and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, mix the beets, vinegar, bacon fat, sugar, and tomatoes in a saucepan and cook gently, covered, for about 5 minutes.
• Set aside.
• Then, in another small pan, heat the butter, mix in the onion, carrot, and parsley root (or parsnip), and braise.
• When the cabbage and potatoes are finished simmering, add the beet mixture, the onion mixture, the peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves--and cook another 10 minutes.
• Stir in the chopped garlic, the remaining bacon fat, and the chopped parsley.
• Then turn the heat down to a very low simmer, lightly cover the pot, and simmer very slowly for about 4½ hours.
• Turn off the heat, let cool, and allow to ripen for about 12-18 hours.
• When ready to serve, reheat gently then ladle into bowls.
• Top each with a teaspoonful of sour cream and serve with a slice of dark rye bread.

NORWEGIAN SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Cook spinach in hot bouillon for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Melt butter and stir in flower. When blended and smooth, add hot liquid, a little at a time, stirring until smooth. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix thoroughly. Simmer covered for 5 minutes. Serve with hard-cooked egg slices floating on top of each bowl of soup.