I made borscht - and it was awesome. That is by no means a declaration of my borscht prowess - I'd never had the stuff before last Friday! I'm sensing, however, that borscht is one of those foods so beloved by those familiar with it that there are as many permutations as there are Eastern Europeans around to eat the stuff. That said, I'm really pleased with this recipe, and plan on making it again (and again). A dish so hearty and filling just making it brightens up these dark January days, let it be known: I love borscht.
Borscht
(serves: 4-6)
2 tbs veg oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced thin
1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small celeriac or Yukon gold potato (3/4 lb), peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 15 oz can of diced beets, drained
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 lb kielbasa
3 1/2 c beef stock
3 c water
1/3 c chopped dill, reserve any remaining for garnish
4-6 tbs sour cream
few grinds of fresh black pepper
1-2 tsp salt
1) Heat the oil over medium low heat in a Dutch Oven or large pot, then add the onion and cook until translucent.
2) Add the parsnips, turnip, celeriac/potato and a teaspoon of salt, then cover and leave until the veggies soften a bit.
3) Add beets, tomatoes, water, stock and pepper then bring to a boil.
4) Reduce to a simmer and add the meat, then leave for 30 minutes. (This is a preference thing, I like it thick and chunky, leaving for less than 30 minutes will mean a brothier product, while simmering longer a thicker one)
5) Add the dill, then salt to taste. Serve topped with a tablespoon of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill.
4 comments:
to make borscht you have to add borsch to the whole combination. otherwise it's just.... soup.
borsch is a sour liquid obtained from fermentaion of wheat bran, corn flour and yeast. in Romania you can buy this stuff from supermarket, but i remember that my grandma used to make it at home... it puts the sour and flavour to the soup...
I guess I'll have to settle for this modified [less authentic] version in my borschtless world!
Here's my recipe:
1 large yellow onion chopped
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1 stock celery finely chopped
4 large carrots grated
4 cups red cabbage chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 large potato peeled and chopped
2 large beets
4 cups of good homemade chicken stock
1/3 cup fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh italian parsley
4 cups water from boiled beets
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp red wine vinegar
3 bay Leaves
salt to taste (approx 3 tsp)
sour cream
1) Melt butter over medium heat in large pot, add onions and cook until translucent.
2) Add tomatoes, green peppers and celery. Add 4 cups chicken stock, 1 cup water, parsley and bay leaves. Bring to simmer.
3) Clean beets and boil in 4 cups of water until cooked.
4) Add water from boiled beets and potatoes to vegatable/stock mixture.
5) Add cabbage.
6) Peel and grate beets and add to pot.
7) Add red wine vinegar and dill.
8) Simmer for another 20 minutes, salt to taste and serve with dollop of sour cream.
I'll try that one!
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