At this point in my life, I find it odd that I wasn't sure if I I'd even tried borscht, let alone made it myself. I think I assumed that it wasn't that good and why would I bother? Then borscht was brought to my attention twice last week and I pulled out my Russian cookbook to find a recipe.
I decided to make the "Classic Ukrainian Borscht" for the full effect. You will need a bit of time to pull this soup together. Luckily, I had enough beef stock in the freezer to get started. If you need to make a beef stock, see the note at the end of the recipe.
This recipe makes a big pot of soup. My friend Elaine told me that she packages her borscht into small Ziploc bags and freezes them. When she wants borscht for a quick lunch or dinner, she snips the bottom off the baggie and the serving of soup slides right out into a pot, ready to heat up. I had already divided my borscht up into 1 litre containers and put them out on the deck for a pre-freeze, before moving them into the big freezer.
I found myself taking my first taste of the borscht tentatively. Pretty good. Later at dinner time, another bowl. Then a bowl for lunch the next day. Flavours were getting better and better. The sour cream is an important element. I don't think borscht is meant for eating without it. Now, if I could just get my family to try it....
Borscht
3 litres beef stock
1 lb. beef, cut into chunks
2 or 3 large beets (just over a pound)
4 medium-size potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
1 16-oz can diced tomatoes
Salt, to taste
1/4 c. sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into small matchsticks
1 large green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
3 T. tomato paste
5 or 6 dried prunes, chopped
1 t. sugar, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. fresh parsley, chopped
3 T. fresh dill, chopped
Lots of sour cream
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the beets and wrap each one individually in tin foil. Bake the beets until tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the beef until brown on all sides, over medium-high heat. Remove from the pan, let cool, and slice into very small pieces. Set aside.
4. Allow the beets to cool, until you can handle them, then stem and peel them and grate on a box grater. Set aside.
5. Bring the beef stock to a boil in a large stock pot. Add the potatoes and tomatoes, and season with salt. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
6. In a large skillet (the same skillet you used for the beef would be perfect), heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and green pepper, and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and continue to saute the veggies, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is softened, about 10 minutes more. Add the veggies to the soup pot.
7. Sprinkle the beets with the fresh lemon juice and add them to the soup. Stir the soup and simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. Add the tomato paste and prunes. Season to taste with sugar, pepper, and additional lemon juice and salt, if desired. Simmer for another 7 minutes.
9. Add the beef to the soup pot. Remove the soup from the heat and sprinkle with the chopped garlic, parsley, and dill. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
10. Serve garnished with extra chopped parsley and dill and lots of sour cream. Borscht tastes even better the next day.
* For the beef stock:
In a large soup pot, bring 1 1/2 pounds beef, 2 beef marrow bones and 3 litres of water to a boil, skimming off the foam as it rises to the top. Add 1 onion, 1 peeled carrot, 1 rib celery, 3 parsley stems, and 10 black peppercorns. Simmer, partially covered, until the meat is tender, at least 45 minutes.
When the stock is ready, remove the meat and bones, but save the meat. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Discard all the solids. Continue the borscht recipe from the start.
