BORSCHT
A wonderful hearty, beet and meat soup. Easy to make and forgiving of missing ingredients.
In this recipe I use both beef and pork but you can make it with either, or omit meat altogether for a vegetarian borscht. As for root veggies, use anything on the bottom of your veggie drawer, I routinely put in turnips, parsley roots, carrots or potatoes that call to be eaten!
Use instapot or easy on the stove top.
Ingredients
1lb beef stew meat
1/2 lb pork stew meat
3 fist size red beets
1/2 head of red cabbage
1 shallot (onion works too)
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
optional: 1-2 cups of diced root vegetables on hand (turnips, parsley root, potatoes)
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tsp tomato paste
dill froids and plain yogurt or sour cream for serving
STOVETOP:
Brown the meat, then cook the veggies.
Heat oil in a pot on medium high heat. Brown the meat and brown on both sides, about 5 mins.
While cooking chop your onions and root veggies.
Add the chopped onions and 1/2 of the root veggies (veggies except for the beets and cabbage) to the pot, let them soften, about another 5 mins. Season with salt, pepper and garlic.
Add 4 cups water (or broth if you want it more hearty) to the meat and veggie mix in the pot. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Meanwhile peel beets, chop cabbage
Beets will stain your hands, the color washes off in about a half a day (or 3-4 hand washing). If you don’t want stained hands and cuticles, put on some food-safe gloves before tackling your root.
Cut off and discard the stubby stems on top. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove the peel like it was a potato. Place the beet on a cutting board, and cut in half, and continue until you have a bite size. I like to have a variety of beet sizes in my soup so I keep about half at 1 inch size and cut rest smaller.
Chop your cabbage. I like slicing the head length wise, like you are slicing bread and then give it all a rough chop.
At about 1hr into the cooking add the beets and the rest of the root veggies and the cabbage to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste.
Bring to a simmer, and cook for another 15-30 minutes or so, until the cabbage is cooked through.
Season to taste with salt and freshly pepper. (I use about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper, but the amount you use will depend on how salty your beef broth is if using.)
Serve in bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.
The soup is best made a day ahead. The color will turn more deep red next day. Freezes well. Keep up to 2 month in the freezer.
Enjoy!
INSTAPOT:
Brown the meat, then cook the veggies.
Turn on sauté setting for 10 mins. Heat oil, brown the meat and brown on both sides, about 5 mins. While cooking, chop your onions and root veggies.
At 5 mins left to sauté, add the chopped onions and 1/2 of the root veggies (veggies except for the beets and cabbage) to the pot.
Add 4 cups water (or broth) to the meat and veggie mix in the pot. Add garlic, salt & pepper. Set instapot to pressure cook for 40mins.
Meanwhile peel & chop beets, chop cabbage (see stovetop instructions for a note about chopping beets). I like to have a variety of beet sizes in my soup so I keep about half at 1 inch size and cut rest smaller.
Slice your cabbage head length wise, like you are slicing bread and then give it all a rough chop.
When the 40 min pressure cook is done, open your pot add the beets, the rest of the root veggies and the cabbage to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste.
Pressure cook for another 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.