Borscht
This had been on my to try list for years, almost before I was even trying to look for ethnic recipes. and Oh, my, goodness! I'm so sad I waited and wasted all these years I could be enjoying borscht. I think what I originally loved was the red color. I also love how they feature it in movies when the good guy goes looking for a Russian, and they are always scary looking and then someone offers them something totally irrelevant and out of place, a bowl of soup. A bowl of soup that say Russia all over it. Only as I'm updating this in 2017 I've since learned while iconic in Russia, borscht originated in the Ukraine.
I like to grate my beats with the Kitchen Aid attachment. They are really hard and have a lot of liquid that is bright red. Which is really awesome in the soup, my entire kitchen not so much.
1 nice chunk of beef
Oil
Salt & Pepper
handful of flour
Water to cover
2 - 3 beef bouillon cubes
I like to season the beef with salt and pepper and a heavy dusting of flour. Heat your oil in a cast iron pot with a lid, sear the mean until browned on both sides. Cover with water and as many bouillon cubes as cups of water. Add the lid and bake at 325 until tender, several hours. I usually do that part the night before.
Or hamburger is actually really delicious in here too, just brown it and keep going.
When the meat is very tender remove it from the oven and allow to cool. Shred and remove the fat. Set the meat and liquid aside.
Oil
2 large beets, grated
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 - 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 head cabbage, cut in to ribbons
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar + 1 tsp
1 Tbsp sugar
Fresh parsley
Sour Cream
Heat a generous amount of oil in a large pot. Add the onions and carrots and cook for about 3 minutes, more or less, whatever, it's soup. Then add the beets and cook a few minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more. Turn the heat up to high and when it starts to sizzle add the vinegar. Simmer over high heat a few minutes to reduce to vinegar and make it syrupy and not tangy, don't worry you will add the tang back later.
Add everything else, including the meat and it's cooking liquid, and enough water to cover. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Taste and add salt or bouillon as needed for flavor.
Add the remaining teaspoon of vinegar and serve with sour cream and fresh parsley.
Oil
Salt & Pepper
handful of flour
Water to cover
2 - 3 beef bouillon cubes
I like to season the beef with salt and pepper and a heavy dusting of flour. Heat your oil in a cast iron pot with a lid, sear the mean until browned on both sides. Cover with water and as many bouillon cubes as cups of water. Add the lid and bake at 325 until tender, several hours. I usually do that part the night before.
Or hamburger is actually really delicious in here too, just brown it and keep going.
When the meat is very tender remove it from the oven and allow to cool. Shred and remove the fat. Set the meat and liquid aside.
Oil
2 large beets, grated
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 - 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 head cabbage, cut in to ribbons
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar + 1 tsp
1 Tbsp sugar
Fresh parsley
Sour Cream
Heat a generous amount of oil in a large pot. Add the onions and carrots and cook for about 3 minutes, more or less, whatever, it's soup. Then add the beets and cook a few minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more. Turn the heat up to high and when it starts to sizzle add the vinegar. Simmer over high heat a few minutes to reduce to vinegar and make it syrupy and not tangy, don't worry you will add the tang back later.
Add everything else, including the meat and it's cooking liquid, and enough water to cover. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Taste and add salt or bouillon as needed for flavor.
Add the remaining teaspoon of vinegar and serve with sour cream and fresh parsley.
Original Picture - Post updated Fall 2017
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| And updated a third time 9/23/2018 |
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