[Sca-cooks] Borsht

[Jane Boyko]

This is my personal recipe and my family quite likes it.  It is a cross 
between my Baba's recipe and a Ukrainian cookbook recipe and my own ideas.

6-8 med beet roots with leaves
2 tbsps oil
1 medium onion
2-3 cloves garlic
8 cups water
1-2 cups V8 juice (can be pure tomato juice) to taste
1/4 cup lemon juice or white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
fresh dill
sour cream

Wash, peel and finely dice or grate the beet roots. I use a food process 
for the beets.  Wash and finely chop the beet stems and leaves 
separating the two.
Finely dice the onion.  Mince the garlic.
Heat oil on a medium heat in a med size dutch oven or your preferred 
soup pot.  Add onion and garlic and heat until is starts to sweat.  Add 
the beet roots and stems.  The leaves go in later.  Cook until juices 
start to release and add the water.  Bring to a boil.  Boil  for 5 
minutes. Add the beet leaves and then add 1 cup of the V8 juice.  Turn 
the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes add the 
lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Taste within 3 minutes.  If you feel that 
the taste is not quite right add some more V8 juice 1/4 c at a time.  
You do not need to add all of the 2 cup of juice.  If you want it to be 
more tart add more lemon juice.  If you find the taste to your liking 
add the fresh chopped dill and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve with sour cream and more dill if desired.

Variations: 

You can add 1 cup chopped potato to the mix when you add the beet root 
to the pots.
If you don't have any beet leaves you can use fresh chard, spinach or 
finely grated cabbage.
In the spring you can add fresh peas at the end of the cooking cycle.
Many people use a beef broth and my grandmother always add chunks of 
pork (not ham).
You can also add 1 cup of pre-soaked white beans.  Just cook the main 
body of the soup until the beans and then follow the last 10 minute 
instructions.

The reason I finely grate everything is that chunks have a tendancy to 
fall back into the soup bowl and splash back causing stains on 
clothing.  It is so much easier on the spoon.
This recipe comes from my head as I don't follow a written recipe.  I 
have made it so many times so the measurements are as accurate as I can 
make them for you at the moment.
The lemon juice or white wine vinegar is necessary as the recipe calls 
for beet Kvas (fermented beet juice) and the soup is much better for 
having the tart flavour.  If it doesn't it is just beet soup - not borscht.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact.

Good luck
Jane



Saint Phlip wrote:

>I'm looking for a good borsht recipe. Doesn't have to be vegetarian,
>or historic, just tasty. Anybody want to make suggestions?
>
>  
>