Pejzanka: A humble peasant soup revived for modern palates

Pejzanka will play both the first and second fiddle during lunch. One-pot dishes are something we hold dear because many people associate them with a warm, homely grandma's kitchen. Such is the pejzanka. Serve it to your loved ones, and they won't pull away from their plates.

Pejzanka is one of those soups that tastes better the more you throw into the pot. It originates from peasant cuisine, with its base being easily accessible vegetables, including energy-boosting and filling beans and potatoes. In a richer version, pejzanka was cooked with a meat broth. Such a version is sure to win the favour of your loved ones.

The soup's name originates in the French word "paysanne," which refers to peasants and peasant life. Pejzanka is a simple, peasant dish based on easy-to-obtain ingredients. Today, we would call it potato soup, which is made with the addition of courgettes, carrots, celery, and kidney or grain beans. It’s hard to pinpoint a canonical recipe for pejzanka since it can be freely modified, provided you have mastered the basic recipe. To enhance the flavour, you can add turnips, radishes, or kohlrabi to pejzanka.

Pejzanka is rescued from oblivion by the Rural Housewives' Circle women in Kozłówka (Lublin Voivodeship). It's believed that the Zamoyski family, likely pleased with the taste of the soup, included pejzanka in the wedding menu of Michał (the brother of the last owner of Kozłówka) and Maria Zamoyski in 1926. Pejzanka allegedly appeared on the tables of wealthier homes more than once; however, in the manor version, it was made with top-quality ingredients, including meat. Pejzanka can also be prepared as a cream soup or served with mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 leek,
• 3 carrots,
• 2 large courgettes,
• 1 onion,
• 2 cloves of garlic,
• 2 potatoes,
• 4 small turnips,
• 1 small celery root,
• 100 grams smoked bacon,
• 115 grams of cooked white beans,
• 1 tablespoon butter,
• 2 litres water,
• parsley leaves,
• salt and pepper, marjoram,

Preparation:

1. Dice the bacon and fry in a large pot with a thick bottom until the fat is rendered.
2. In the meantime, peel the onion and garlic. Slice the onion and leek into thin strips, and press the garlic through a crusher. Sauté them in the bacon fat.
3. Peel and dice the potatoes, carrots, turnips, and celery root. Do not peel the courgettes; also dice them.
4. Sauté the vegetables in the butter. Once they are lightly browned, transfer them to the onion and bacon mixture. Pour the water, add salt, and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes.
5. In the meantime, check the water level. If too much evaporates, add more.
6. Ten minutes before the end of cooking, add the cooked or tinned beans to the soup.
7. Season the finished soup with salt, pepper, and marjoram, and sprinkle with chopped parsley leaves.