My son is from Russia and somehow the little fact has been encoded into his DNA to like any and all Russian food. He’s lived in the US longer than he lived in Russia and what he was fed in Russia was something more akin to dog food rather than some of the wonderful yumminess found in Russian cuisine. However, whenever we make anything that we had in Russia that kid is all over it. Did I mention that he’s only 4?
A favorite in our house is “Purple Soup,” aka Borscht. Sadly, I never had Borscht in Russia made by an actual Russian. We did have a potluck one night and my dear friend Suzanne fixed a lovely Borscht. It was near the end of our stay so I didn’t have the time to taste the rich soup in every restaurant I came in contact with. Had I known it was so good I would have been on a one woman mission to find the best Borscht in Khabarovsk.
Two years ago I started creating our weekly menu and posting on my personal blog. During the summer we have “market night.” This meant I go to the farmer’s market and pick up a bunch of stuff and make dinner out of it. One week I found beets, carrots, potatoes, onions, dill and ground beef. Hmm, sounded like a certain soup I’d had in Russia. When I got home I searched the internet for recipes that looked easy. I didn’t find any that I particularly cared for so I combined a few and made it up as I went along. What resulted was the best soup I’ve ever made. It was a hit with the (then) two year old crowd.
Ever since my son has begged me to plant beets in the garden so we can make “Purple Soup.” Beets are so easy to grow and I don’t know why I didn’t plant them in years past. What we are finding now is that summertime is a little too warm to be eating hot heavy Borscht. I love the flavors, but the idea of standing over a hot stove when it’s 80 degrees in your house is unimaginable. To make up for that we created a summer version, Borscht Salad. The best part is the whole salad is grown in our garden.
Borscht Salad
Various lettuce (we use oak leaf, red leaf and butter crunch)
Various salad greens (arugula, cress, escarole, whatever is on hand)
3-4 baby beets (I grow Choigga) cubed
2-3 carrots sliced
Dill
blue cheese crumbles (purchased from a local cheese maker at the farmer’s market)
Throw all the salad fixings into a large bowl and top with a balsamic vinaigrette (my husband makes our vinaigrette so you’d have to ask him what is in it).
Perfect salad for a hot summer day.
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It sounds good. I actually really love beets in salad. Do you cook them first, though, before cubing?
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Rachel,
I don’t cook them or peel them first. I harvest the beets as babies and then when they are all pulled I plant a second crop for the actual soup.
Oh my gosh, I adore borscht. We eat it just about weekly in the fall and winter. That salad sounds awesome for the summer.
Since I’ve been making borscht since I was a kid, and we take it oh so seriously, I’d like to contribute my recipe when you do find yourself wanting a bowl.
Yes, I know there are a hundred variations, this is the one that I love and know, so if nothing else, it makes a great base.
• 1 1/2 lb beef, round tip cubed (any stewing cut will work)
• 1 teaspoon chicken bullion (Better Than Bouillion is the best)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 T canola/vegetable oil, divided
• 4 fresh beets, peeled and grated
• 3 large carrots, peeled and grated or thinly sliced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/4 head of large cabbage, shredded with a knife.
• 3 large Russet potatoes, cubed
• 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste – half a can.
• Fresh dill/parsley
• Salt and fresh pepper
• Sour cream
1. Fill a large stock pot (8 or 12 quart) with water, about half way. Over medium-low heat, add the cubed beef, bullion and bay leaf. Let the beef cook slowly, so it is tender, at least 45 min. (As the foam accumulates on the surface, just skim it off with a large spoon.)
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add half the oil and then the shredded beets. Sautee for 15 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
3. In another large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining oil, shredded carrots and onions. Mix and sautee for 10 minutes.
4. While the beets, carrots and onions cook, add the shredded cabbage and 2-3 tbsp salt to the stock pot, to taste. Cook for 5-10 minutes and then add the potato to the stock pot.
5. Use the beets frying pan and SAUTE the tomato paste w/tsp of oil for 5 min. This will remove any metallic taste. Add tomato paste.
6. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the beets, carrots and onion to the stock pot.
7. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, covered with a lid. Turn the heat off.
8. Serve with dill, a dollop of sour cream and some rye or Pumpernickel bread.
Borsch is very forgiving. If you love potatoes, add more of those and less carrots. It really doesn’t matter. Just keep tasting it and seasoning it until you say, holy cow, this is good.
Borscht is a soup that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries, and now spread all over the world. Jew emigrate from Russian and its surrounding countries is the original spreader of Borscht.
Ingredients
8 cups beef broth*
1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef shank
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
4 large beets, peeled, chopped
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
Finally, Salt and pepper to taste
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