Beet soup with a beef base. Sauteed onions, grated carrots, chunks of cabbage and potato make this soup a healthy, hardy meal. Add a dollop of sour cream, and garnish with fresh dill. This Recipe is adapted and formulated from the flavor profile of a variety of personal samplings. Created to highlight the flavors I find most special about this traditionally Eastern European dish.
Borscht
Ingredients
Bone Broth
- 14 Cups Water Or 3 Quarts & 1 Pint (Approx. 2 Cups, Or 1 Pint Will Evaporate in the Cooking Process)
- 2 Large Beef Soup Bones With Meat On The Bone
- 2 Large Carrots Halved
- 1 Large Onion Halved
- 2 Cloves garlic Halved
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- 6 Whole Peppercorns
Borscht
- 12 Cups Prepared Bone Broth Or 3 Quarts Store Bought Beef Bouillon/Stock
- 6 Ounces Diced Onion Approx. 1 Cup
- 6 Ounces Tomato Approx. 1/2 Cup or One Medium Tomato
- 4 Ounces Grated Carrot Approx 1 Cup Or Two Medium Carrots
- 18 Ounces Beets Peeled, Boiled and Grated
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1/4 Cup Oil
- 27 Ounces Shredded Cabbage 1.5 Lbs
- 12 Ounces Potato Peeled and Cubed
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium tomato peeled and finely diced
- 2 cup Carrots comes to about 1grated
- 3 beets scrubbed and grated
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 head cabbage shredded
Instructions
Prepared Bone Broth
- In a large stock pot start your soup base. Place all the ingredients in the pot and let cook at medium heat, covered, until the vegetables are soft and the meat falls off the bone. Once soft, remove everything from the pot, leaving just the broth.
- Run the Prepared broth through a strainer before using as a base for your soup.
Borscht
- Pre-heat your pan with 2 ounces, or 1/4 cups of oil. Just before, or as the oil begins to smoke in the pan, add the onions and grated carrots. Sauté the two until they begin to brown. Add a little broth from your stock pot before adding the tomatoes and paste. Stir well and cook down to combine for about one to two minutes.
- Add your beets, a little more broth and cook until soft. Once softened, add the beet mixture to the broth in the stockpot along with the cubed potatoes. While the potatoes cook, start cutting your cabbage. I like to cut the base of the cabbage off and then cut it in half before shredding. Placing the cut side down on the cutting board, at an angle slice chunks of cabbage off, rotating the cabbage as you cut. This technique creates flat chunks rather than coleslaw like shreds. How the cabbage is cut won't change the taste of the soup, but adds to its authenticity
- Before adding your cabbage to the soup, make sure your potatoes are fully cooked. The cabbage doesn't take long to cook and will overcook if added to the soup too soon while waiting for the potatoes to soften. To save time and make sure your potatoes are cooked, you can cook them in a separate pan and add to the completed soup at the end. I prefer to use less pans and burners, but it really is up to you.
- Once the cabbage is added, let it cook until the cabbage is soft, but not transparent. The soup is traditionally served hot with sour cream and dill.
- If there is meat on the bones used for preparing the bone broth, remove the meat and add it to the soup.
Notes
Recipe can be prepared with store bought broth. Meat can be added, but is not necessary .