Bring On The Borsch

Beet Borsch

Six years ago I had a total catastrophe when I tried to make chicken noodle soup. We ended up throwing it out our back door. The birds and dogs wouldn't touch it (they normally gobbled up the leftovers we put out) and the smell in the house made us gag.

That experience left me intimidated and jealous when people would talk about the wonderful concoctions they whipped up easily at home. It also left me in a pickle because (except for the very occasional Cambell's) I abhor store bought or canned soup.

For years I have been haunted by articles quoting facts about soup being good for both the body and the wallet. Finally, I gathered my courage and decided to "get back on the horse".

In honor of (1/4) of my heritage and my taste buds I picked a soup I have loved since childhood: beet borsch. I wanted a recipe that screamed "Your Ukranian Grandma's Best Beet Borsch Recipe". Thus, that is exactly what I typed into Google. I ended up choosing a bunch of recipes -both Ukranian and Russian - and amalgamating them into something of my own.

It went so well that I am already onto dreaming of my next soup creation... smells like...SUCCESS!

• 1 T-Bone Steak




• 2-3 Medium Carrots




• 3 Sticks Celery




• Onion (I used Red)




• Small Potatoes




• Cabbage




• 4 Beets (No Green Tops)




• Small Can Tomato Paste




• Vinegar




• Bay Leaf




• Fresh Dill




• Salt




• Oil or Butter




• Sour Cream

1. First you want to make your beef broth. Put your T-bone in a large stock pot of water. I took the largest stock pot I had and filled it 3/4 full. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 90 minutes to 120 minutes.




2. Finely chop your onion and celery. Grate your carrots. Saute these 3 ingredients in a bit of sunflower oil, olive oil or butter.




3. Take the meat out of the broth when the proper time has elapsed. Discard the bone. Cut up the meat and put it back in the pot along with the sauteed onions, celery and carrots.




4. Slice your beets into matchstick size pieces. Put them into the pan you sauteed your veggies. Add the can of tomato paste and cook on medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes.




5. Cut up your cabbage and potatoes and put them into the pot. Bring pot to a boil.




6. Sprinkle the beets with 1.5 tablespoons of white vinegar and then add them to the borsch.




7. Add salt to the borsch to taste.




8. Add bay leaf and a large handful of fresh dill to the borsch. (You can adjust dill to your taste as well).




9. Simmer for at least 15 minutes.




10. Enjoy!

To enjoy properly: borsch is served with a dollop of sour cream on top. It also goes really nicely with a few slices of dark pumpernickel bread. The bread is optional (I am not eating wheat right now and found the soup quite hearty on it's own...but don't skip the sour cream!).