Borshch
8 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | mediums | Beets |
| Salt | ||
| 2 | pounds | Beef soup bones |
| 3 | Beef soup bones; cracked | |
| ½ | pounds | Pork, fresh and lean |
| 1 | medium | Bay leaf |
| 8 | Peppercorns | |
| 2 | Parsley | |
| 1 | Cl Garlic; halved | |
| 3 | mediums | Carrots; scrapped & sliced |
| 2 | mediums | Onions; peeled and chopped |
| ½ | cup | Vinegar |
| Water | ||
| 2 | mediums | Leeks, white part only; washed and sliced |
| ½ | small | Cabbage head; coarsely chopped |
| 3 | mediums | Tomato; peeled and chopped |
| 1 | teaspoon | Sugar; (up to 2 tsp) |
| 1 | cup | Sour cream; at room temperature |
Directions
Recipe by: The Eastern European Cookbook-ISBN 0-486-23562-9 Wash beets and cook 7 of them whole and unpeeled, in salted water to cover, with ¼ cup of vinegar. Cook 30 to 40 mins, until tender.
Drain; peel beets and julienne. Put beef, bones, pork and 2½ qts cold water in a large kettle. Bring to a boil. Skim well. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, garlic, carrots, onions and leeks and cook slowly, covered for 1 ½ hrs, or until the meat is tender. Add cabbage, tomatoes and cooked beets; continue to cook slowly for another 30 mins, or until ingredients are tender. Remove meat and cut up, discarding any bones and gristle. Take out and discard bones, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley and garlic. Return cut-up meat to the kettle. Season with salt. Peel and grate remaining beet. Place in a saucepan with 1 cup of hot soup stock, the remaining ¼ cup of vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. Stir into the soup and warm up, if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a spoonful of sour cream. Serves 8 to 10. NOTE: Four peeled and cubed medium potatoes may be added to the soup about 20 mins. before it is finished, if desired.
NOTES: The 2nd most popular soup in Russia is based on beets and is : called borshch, or derivations of that name. Believed to have : originated in the Ukraine, the soup is made in many variations.
: It can be prepared with only beets; it may include additional : vegetables, with or without meat; or it may include poultry or : game. Borshch can be served hot or cold, and it is generally : garnished with sour cream. The kind of borshch that is made in
: Ukraine is very hearty. It differs from other varieties in that
: it includes garlic, tomatoes and pork as well as beef and a : great number of vegetables. All the kinds of borshch are : excellent soups and are particularly good when reheated. It is
: a one-dish meal, good for a winter supper.
From: Dan Klepach