Borshchgourmetrussianbeetrootsoup Recipes

Steps:

• Shed cabbage, dice potato, dice the onion, cut carrots into rounds, and shred the beats*.
• Put cabbage and potato in a pot, add water, chicken broth, and bouillon cubes.
• Heat on high until boiling.
• Meanwhile saute onion, beets, and carrot together for about 5-7 minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes and salt to taste, and cook another 5 minute.
• Then add pan mixture into pot, boil for 15 minutes.
• Turn off heat add minced garlic. Serve with sour cream and fresh dill.
• * Special Note on Beets: Although beets are the most beautiful rich fuchsia on the inside, their juices will stain everything hot pink, including your hands and cutting board. The best way to prep fresh beets for this recipe is to first peel them with a peeler, cut into thin slices, and finally, layer and cut into matchlike sticks.
• * For Vegetarians: simply substitute 3 cups of chicken broth with water, and omit chicken bouillon for a great vegetarian variation.

Steps:

• Combine the beef, pork and water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim thoroughly and reduce the heat to low. Add the rest of the stock ingredients, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer partially covered, until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain the stock, removing the meats. You should have 10 to 11 cups of stock. Discard the marrow bones. Cut the beef and the pork into 1 1/2-inch chunks, discarding the pork bones. Reserve the meats.
• While the stock is cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wrap the beets separately in aluminum foil and bake until a tip of a small knife slides in easily, about 45 minutes. Unwrap the beets, plunge them into a bowl of cold water, then slip off the skins. Grate the beets a 4-sided box grater or shred in a food processor, and set aside
• In a large, heavy soup pot, cook the bacon in the butter over medium heat until it renders its fat. Add the onion, carrot, and pepper, and saute until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the cabbage, and saute, stirring, for another 7 minutes. Add the stock, the potatoes, tomatoes, apple, and the reserved meats. Season with salt to taste, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the reserved beets and cook the soup over medium-low heat until all the vegetables are soft and the flavors have melded, about 25 minutes more.
• With a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, pepper, and parsley to a paste and add it to the soup. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, just use ground pepper, crushed garlic and minced parsley.) Stir in the vinegar and the sugar, adjusting the balance of sweet and sour, to taste. Let the borshch stand for 10 minutes before serving (or better serve the next day.) To serve, add a teaspoon of sour cream to each bowl and sprinkle liberally with dill and scallions. Instruct the diners to mix the sour cream well into the soup.

Steps:

• Bring the broth to a simmer while you peel and prepare the vegetables. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat with the oil. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the marjoram.
• Add the celery, parsnips, carrot, leek, and cabbage. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 8 minutes
• Add the broth and the bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes before grating the beets directly into the soup. Simmer, partially covered, until the soup is flavorful and the vegetables are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the dill. Add the red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Garnish the soup with sour cream and serve.

Steps:

• Place pork hocks in a stock pot and cover with 6 cups cold water (or enough to really cover them. Cover and place over fire until the hocks come to a boil.
• While this is coming to a boil, chop your onions, celery, carrots and beans.
• When the pot has boiled there will be a lot of foam at the top of the pot, Pour everything out and rinse the pot and meat well, then move to step 4. This is so that you don't have floaty things in the soup later (personally I often miss this step and don't mind the results at all). If you decide to miss cleaning everything just move straight to step 4 right away. Otherwise, you need to add 6 cups (or more, you need enough to cover them) clean cold water before step 4.
• Add the garlic, seasonings and the chopped vegetables.
• Bring the pot back to a boil, turn down and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the pork hock is loosened and tender.
• Remove the pork hock from the pot and cool. Return the stock to the fire and continue simmering until you've moved to the next step. While the pork hock is cooling, chop the potato and prepare the first four beets.
• To prepare the beets, peel them, cut them lengthwise in half (through the stem and top), turn cut side down and slice into 1/8" thin slices across the width of the beet. Lay the slices down and cut these into 1'8" slices across the width of the beet. This method gives the prettiest presentation.
• Add the potato to the pot and return the soup to a slow boil, then add the beet slices. DO NOT LET THE SOUP BOIL ONCE THE BEETS ARE ADDED OR IT WILL LOSE IT'S COLOR.
• While this is coming up to heat, clean the pork hock and return them to the pot. Make sure to get all the ugly bits and fat, but leave the meat as whole as you can, better to shred it in you bowl! Trust me!
• Leave this to simmer very slowly until the potato is cooked and the beets are tender. Meanwhile, chop the beet stalks (if they are tender) and the leaves; and peel and grate the final 2 beets.
• Add the peas and tops/leaves to the pot. When the peas are cooked add the grated beets (this is more to thicken the soup and add back any color that may have been lost before; and also DH loves the addition of shredded beat to this cause that's the way his mom made borscht). Continue to cook VERY SLOWLY.
• Once everything is tender you can finally add the dill and 1/2 teaspoon of sour salt. Tasting is important here, I usually add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of sour salt myself, but I prefer it a bit sour.
• I taste all the way through because I love the way the flavor builds, but it is very important at the end. Adjust the dill, salt and sour salt carefully, with some practice you'll find a soup that everyone loves.
• Add more water if this soup begins looking dry, but it is a thick soup so doesn't require a lot of broth - cream will be added at the table.
• You can park the soup overnight in the fridge and remove all the fat that rises the next day. This soup is excellent on day 1 but even better day 2, and healthier when the fat is removed.
• The broth shouldn't be sweet (the sweetness will happen with every bite) and it should have a bit of a sour tang (I like mine quite sour)and a taste of dill (and quite dilly). The soup SHOULD NEVER be salty because the meat may call for some seasoning in the bowl.
• This soup is better the next day, and may be put in jars and canned (10 minutes in a water bath) or frozen (but I find the beans go off when it's frozen so would leave them out in this case).
• Add sour cream or whipped cream at the table as a garnish. More fresh dill is pretty and tasty as well.
• Ask my friend Katlin - he loves this soup!

Steps:

• Put the oxtail pieces, hen, fat, half of the carrots, half of the celery, tomato puree, 2 garlic cloves and the halved onion (with peel) in a baking tray and roast in a hot oven until well browned, stirring occasionally (app. 45 min).
• Put everything into a stockpot together with the green part of the leek and the stems of the parsley.
• Cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim. Add thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns.
• Let simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 hours.
• Pick up the oxtail. Remove the meat and set aside. Return the bones to the pot and let simmer for another 1 1/2 hours.
• Strain the stock and remove some of the fat. Discard the hen (or use for something else).
• Cut the rest of the vegetables, except one beetroot, into strips.
• Heat the butter in the cleaned stockpot. Add the rest of the carrot, beetroot, celery, garlic, leek and flour and fry on medium heat for a few minutes.
• Add potato, cabbage and the stock and bring to a boil.
• Let simmer until the vegetables are done (approx. 15 min).
• Add the meat.
• Grate the remaining beetroot finely and mix with the vinegar.
• Chop parsley and dill.
• Add salt, black pepper and a little sugar to taste. If the soup tastes bland, enrich with bouillon cubes.
• Add parsley to the soup and bring to a boil.
• Finally, stir in the grated beetroot and vinegar. The soup will at once take on an intense purple red color. Do not boil the soup from now on.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with dill and a dollop of sour cream in the bowls. Dark sourdough bread and butter on the side.

Steps:

• Peel and julienne raw beet to yield 4 cups.
• Peel and cube potatoes to yield 2-1/2 cups.
• Finely chop cabbage to yield 6 cups.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and saute until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add beets and carrot. Saute, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock to a boil over high heat.
• Add potato and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add cabbage and continue boiling for 5 minutes.
• Add reserved beet-tomato paste mixture, green pepper, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in garlic and dill.
• Serve hot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the diced bacon or panchetta in a Dutch oven or stockpot and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until the fat begins to render, about 3 minutes.
• Add the beef and continue to cook, stirring, until the beef is brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.
• Remove both meats from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Add the onions and carrot to the fat in the Dutch oven or stockpot and stir to coat.
• Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, oregano, dill seeds and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the red wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the pot.
• Return both meats to the pot and add the water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beef is tender, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, place the beets on a baking sheet and brush with the oil.
• Roast until tender and can be pierced easily with a fork or knife, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, trim the stem and root ends and remove the skins.
• Coarsely grate or chop and set aside.
• When the meat is tender and falling apart, add the beets, potatoes, cabbage, parsley, tomato paste and celery salt or seeds and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.
• Season with additional red wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste.
• Ladle borsch into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.
• Also, serve with Russian black bread.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the beets, carrots, onion and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. , Add tomatoes and cabbage; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Stir in salt, dill and pepper. Top each serving with sour cream if desired.