Borshch (Russian/Ukrainian)

sarahd ↓

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 9:01 am

Can anyone remind me how to make real Ukrainian (or Russian) borshch? I have beets, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions on my list. What am I missing, and when do I add each ingredient to the pot?

greenfire ↓

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 9:10 am

and here I always thought it was beets, lemon juice and sugar ...

who actually eats this stuff ...

sequoia

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 9:23 am

My grandparents make it with turkey bone -- so good!

Of course you can't add sour cream in that case.

anuta

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 9:40 am

You are missing red kidney beans

Greenfire, there are many kinds of borscht. There is cold borscht, hot borscht, green borscht, meat borscht, parve borscht.... What is sold in jars here is a version of cold red borscht. What the original poster is talking about is hot borscht (parve, I presume)

As to when to add... I have to look up my notes at home, and I still can't make it like my grandma does...

ES1017

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 10:34 am

greenfire wrote:

and here I always thought it was beets, lemon juice and sugar ...

who actually eats this stuff ...

Ummm....a lot of people...

↑ sarahd ↓

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 5:50 pm

anuta wrote:

I'm actually debating between using beef bones and adding sour cream. Since I'm pretending to be on a diet, I think I'll go the beef-bone direction.

Am I really missing beans? I don't remember the borshch I had in Ukraine having beans in it. Then again, it's been around 15 years...

And greenie....I absolutely adore the kind of borshch I'm trying to recreate. It's one of my favorite foods.

sys

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 10:02 pm

hot borsch is heaven. but every person makes it different. I never heard of putting in beans. but we always add meat

egam

Mon, Sep 14 2009, 11:11 pm

If you make borscht with meat, you don't put beans in it. As Anuta said you can put them in parve version.
This is how I make mine. I cook meat for few hours on a small flame till it's tender. Sometimes I do this part day ahead, put broth with meat in refrigerator and skim the fat of the surface next day. The best meat for this is flanken, neck bones and of course marrow bones. I add few bay leaves while simmering the meat.
Next day I shred cabbage, pill and cut potatoes, grate beets and carrots together.
Bring pot with meat and broth to a boil, add potatoes. If the meat is in the big chunks, I take it out and cut it in smaller peaces and put it back in the pot. While potatoes are cooking, I sauté beets and carrots in a skillet till soft with a little of oil in the beginning. I usually add a bit of broth to it in the process. When beets and carrots are soft I add a can of tomato sauce and heat thru. You can also add tomato paste if you want. I don't use onions, but I guess you just sauté them first and then add beets/carrots.
When potatoes are almost done, I add cabbage to the pot. I don't like cook cabbage for long as I don't like it very soft. You can definitely put it together with potatoes. At this point I also add dry herbs (parsley, oregano), paprika, black pepper, hot pepper flakes, and salt. After that I add my beet/carrots mixture, adjust seasoning, add few cloves of minced garlic and turn off the pot. I always cover the pot after that and let it stand covered for a while to get more flavorful. Actually the borscht is at its best on the second day.
Let me know if you have any questions.

↑ sarahd ↓

Tue, Sep 15 2009, 6:01 am

Thanks a ton, egam. This is just what I was looking for. I'll go and start my broth right now, or rather, as soon as the bones and meat defrost.

Tue, Sep 15 2009, 9:40 am

I always make parve version and it's quick!

Cook a large beet (or 2 small ones) until tender. DO NOT dispose of the broth! Saute a large onion with couple shredded carrots until light brown. Peel and grate the cooked beets. Add to the the onions+carrots and sautee a few more minutes together. Shred fresh green cabbage (about 1/2 a medium head) and add to the sauteed vegetables. Add the broth from the beets and enough (cold) water to fill the pot. Peel and cube 2 meduim potatoes and add to the pot. Spice to your liking - I usually add salt, black pepper, a couple of bay leaves and a little bit of MSG-free soup mix. Bring to a boil and add a can or two of tomato sauce. Boil for about 20 minutes or until cabbage and potatoes are cooked.

With a spoonfull of sour cream it's heavenly. Yum, I 'm so in the mood now Very Happy

↑ greenfire

Tue, Sep 15 2009, 9:49 am

you can't beet the beautiful magenta colour ...

↑ sarahd

Tue, Sep 15 2009, 1:56 pm

The borshch was heavenly!!!!!! Yum. The only problem is that I made much too much and I'm the only one who really likes it.

SV, I'll keep your version in mind for next time. I love sour cream.

louche

Tue, Sep 15 2009, 2:33 pm

greenfire wrote:

you can't beet the beautiful magenta colour ...

You got that right!

I love serving it with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt swirled in the middle . So gorgeous!