Hot russian borscht - house beautiful

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2¼ To 2 1/2 lb short ribs of beef
1 Onion, halved, skin left on
2 Ribs celery, leaves left on
1 Carrot, quartered
1 Parsnip, quartered
4 Sprigs fresh dill
4 cups Beef broth, canned or made from a bouillon cube
4 cups Water
4 mediums Beets, about 1 1/4 lb
2 Sweet potatoes, about 1 lb, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups Thinly slivered green cabbage
4 tablespoons To 6 T lemon juice
½ teaspoon Caraway seeds
Salt & fleshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup Chopped fresh dill, leaves and stems
¼ cup Chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon Finely minced garlic
1 cup Sour creatn for garnish

Directions

In a large soup pot, place beef, onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, dill, broth and water. Bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, cov- ered, for 1½ hours, or until beef is very tender, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Remove short ribs, cool and set aside.

Strain the broth into a large bowl, cool slightly and skim off any fat that rises to the top. Return defatted broth to a clean soup pot.

Shred meat from bones, discarding bones and any fat. Reserve.

Wash beets well and trim stems, leaving 1 inch of stem on beet. Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350'F oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until tender, depending on size. When cool enough to handle, wear thin rubber gloves and slip skins off beets and grate coarsely. Reserve.

Add sweet potatoes to broth, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, partially covered. Add cabbage and cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer, add reserved shredded meat, beets, lemon juice to taste and caraway seeds. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 5 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in dill, parsley and garlic. Simmer borscht 1 minute and serve piping hot. Garnish individual servings with a dollop of sour cream. Serves 8. House Beautiful/March/94 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG

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