Traditional Borscht
Ingredients
For beef broth:
- 3 lbs. Beef shank short ribs, with bone;
- 1 tsp. Peppercorn
- 5 Bay leaves
- 5 Celery ribs
- 3 Carrots whole cut in half
- 1 Whole Spanish onion peeled
For soup:
- 4 Idaho or Yukon gold potatoes peeled, and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 White onions peeled, finely chopped
- 2 Medium-sized carrots peeled
- 4 Beets peeled, grated
- 2 tbsp. of tomato paste
- ½ cabbage head
- ¼ cup Garlic finely minced
- Salt & ground black pepper
- 10 cups of beef broth
- 2 cups of beets juice
- 3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. White vinegar
- 4 tbsp. Chopped parsley
- 4 Bay leaves
- 1 Lemon
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vegeta optional
- Sour cream, bread, lard for serving
Instructions
- Start with making the beef broth and preparing the vegetables.
- Under cold running water wash all vegetables. Peel carrots, potatoes, onion, and beets.
- Cut carrots and celery ribs in half.
- Place beef chunks, celery, carrots, and whole onion into a large pot. Add 10 cups of cold water. Bring to boil over medium high heat, skimming off the residue for clearer broth. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients for the soup.
- Take the peeled beets and 1 carrot, and grate them on a large box grater.
- Place grated beets into a separate bowl and squeeze ½ of a lemon over it. Top with ½ cup of sugar; and marinate for about 20 minutes.
- Cube the potatoes into bite-size pieces.
- Thinly slice the cabbage.
- Finely mince the onion and garlic.
- Start sautéing vegetables.
- Over medium a low heat preheat olive oil in a large skillet.
- Add onion, carrots and garlic and sauté until nice and fragrant. Then stir in the beets and tomato paste, and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 more pinch of salt and vegeta spices; stir and let sauté for another minute, until cooked and a little crunchy.
- After vegetables and bouillon (beef broth) are cooked, start making the soup by combining all the ingredients. Take the vegetables from the skillet and put into a pot with broth. Add the potatoes, and continue to cook the soup for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Now it’s time to add sliced cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the remaining garlic. Top with freshly ground black pepper, 1 pinch of vegeta and chopped herbs. Stir the soup, cover with the lid and let boil for 3 minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately with sour cream, rye bread and lard (salo).
Video Guide
Fun Fact:
Ukraine is the homeland of borscht and it has long been a popular dish in the diet of the Eastern Slavs, but it’s believed that the actual word “borscht” is derived from the Yiddish word for this soup. Indeed, a large percentage of Ukraine’s population was Jewish before 1941. Surprisingly, the Chinese today have a version of borscht, and it’s popular in Hong Kong.