Borsch Authentic Ukrainian Classic Borsch Recipes

BORSCH (((AUTHENTIC UKRAINIAN CLASSIC BORSCH)))

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the diced bacon or panchetta in a Dutch oven or stockpot and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until the fat begins to render, about 3 minutes.
• Add the beef and continue to cook, stirring, until the beef is brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.
• Remove both meats from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Add the onions and carrot to the fat in the Dutch oven or stockpot and stir to coat.
• Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, oregano, dill seeds and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the red wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the pot.
• Return both meats to the pot and add the water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beef is tender, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, place the beets on a baking sheet and brush with the oil.
• Roast until tender and can be pierced easily with a fork or knife, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, trim the stem and root ends and remove the skins.
• Coarsely grate or chop and set aside.
• When the meat is tender and falling apart, add the beets, potatoes, cabbage, parsley, tomato paste and celery salt or seeds and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.
• Season with additional red wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste.
• Ladle borsch into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.
• Also, serve with Russian black bread.

AUTHENTIC RUSSIAN/UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• To a large pot (I use 8qts), add the meat and enough water to fill up the pot to halfway.
• Remove all froth that comes up from the meat.
• Continue to boil on med-high until no more froth comes up.
• Reduce heat to low and add consomme mix, whole onion, dill, beats, cabbage, and tomato sauce.
• Fill with water, cover partially with lid, and let cook for 90min.
• After that hour and a half of cooking, make sure meat is soft - then add the carrots, and squeeze all the juice you can possible juice from the lemons into the soup.
• You can add the rice and/or potatoes at this point, if you like.
• Cook, partially covered, for another 30-45 minutes, until making sure the potatoes and carrots are tender, and the rice (if you put any in) is ready.
• The soup is great on day 1, but tastes much better on days 2-3.
• Enjoy the soup while it's very hot.

REAL RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN BORSCHT: CLASSIC RECIPE

Steps:

• A good start to any soup is the meat. In this case we are using a good piece of chuck ON the bone. The bones give the borscht a ton of flavor and I actually like to get some bones without any meat on it. Hubs loves the marrow ???? Your butcher will have some for you if you just ask.
• You want to cut it up into slightly larger than bite size pieces. And place it into a heavy bottomed large pot.
• Cover the meat with cold water and brink up to a boil. Leave about 4 cups of room at the top.
• While your meat is coming up to a boil, get your veggies ready. Peel your carrots, onions and beets.
• Now at this point you have 2 choices. You can shred all the veggies (except the potatoes and cabbage) in a food processor or hand shredder.
• Or you can do what I do...and use the wet chop on the Vitamix. Just throw your veggies in the vitamix... cover with water and pulse, pulse, pulse. For me, this is the go to method because it is a lot quicker and gives the soup a ton of texture.
• Set aside. Cut up your potatoes slightly larger than bite size. Otherwise they will fall apart in the soup. I also really like to use Yukon Gold potatoes. I love how soft they get and they remind me of the potatoes we used to use back in the old country.
• Now, if we pay attention to our soup, you will notice all the scum has come on top. DO NOT LET THIS BOIL. Otherwise the scum will just spread throughout the soup. You want to carefully remove it with a slotted spoon. Your other option is to to strain it like I do with my chicken soup. Strain the soup and then start fresh with clean meat, bones and water. It does take a bit longer, but if you are anal like me and like a super clean soup...it may be a better option.
• Once you have a clean soup, (regardless of which method you use). Here is the reason why you left some room at the top. You are going to pour in your entire Vitamix of veggies WITH the water into the soup along with the potatoes.
• Add in your tomato puree as well.
• Add in a nice helping of red pepper flakes. Hubs and I like it with a kick ???? Add in salt, pepper, sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime slice up your cabbage. First you cut the head of cabbage in half. And remove the core.
• Then you slice it thinly with a nice sharp knife. Again feel free to do this in a food processor. I do not however like the texture it gets if you do it in a Vitamix.
• Add it into your soup. Also, add in 3 tablespoons of chopped dill and the garlic. Allow to simmer for about 15 more minutes.
• Once the cabbage is nice and soft, taste the soup for flavor. We like it sweet and a bit sour. So feel free to add in more lemon juice, pepper, sugar, salt, whatever your heart desires.
• This soup actually tastes better the very next day. If you decide to serve it the next day, you can also remove any extra fat that has solidified on the top after being refrigerated.
• Serve with a nice dollop of sour cream, nice sourdough bread and as my hubs prefers, with a sweet red onion on the side ????

UKRAINIAN CLASSIC BORSCH

Steps:

• FOR THE STOCK: In a large soup pot, bring the meat, bones, and water to a boil over high heat, periodically skimming off the foam as it rises to the top.
• Add the remaining stock ingredients and reduce the heat to low.
• Simmer, partially covered, until the meat is tender, at least 45 minutes.
• When the stock is ready, remove the beef, pork, and marrow bones, and set all but the marrow bones aside.
• Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean large pot and discard all the solids.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Meanwhile, wash and dry the beets and wrap each one separately in aluminum foil.
• Bake the beets until tender, 1 1/4 hours.
• Do this while the stock is cooking.
• FOR THE SOUP: Allow the beets to cool until manageable, then stem and peel them and cut into julienne or fine dice.
• Bring the stock to a boil, add the cabbage and cook for 15 minutes, add the potatoes, onion, carrots, peppers and cook for 20 more minutes, add beets and tomatoes, and tomato paste.
• Season to taste with sugar, pepper, and additional lemon juice and salt.
• Simmer for 15 more minutes.
• Cut the beef into bite-size pieces and scrape all the meat off the bones.
• Add meat to the soup.
• Simmer for 15 more minutes.
• Remove the borsch from the heat and sprinkle with the minced garlic, bacon (if desired), and 3 tablespoons each parsley and dill.
• Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Serve with sour cream.
• Serves 12 to 14.

UKRAINIAN STANDARD BORSCH

Steps:

• Cover the meat with the cold water.
• Add the salt, and bring slowly to the boiling point, then skim.
• Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Add the onion and beets; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until the beets are almost done. If young beets are used, cook them together with the other vegetables.
• Add the carrot, potato, celery, and string beans; continue cooking for about 10 minutes.
• When cooked white beans are used, they should be added after the cabbage is cooked to retain their white color.
• Finally put in the cabbage and cook until it is tender. Do not overcook.
• Stir in the tomatoes or tomato juice and the crushed garlic, if it is used.
• Blend the flour with 3 tablespoons of cold water, spoon into it some soup liquid, and then stir into the borsch. If a thickened borsch is not desired, omit the flour.
• Add a small quantity of the beet kvas or lemon juice or any other mild acid commonly used in borsch, taking care not to use too much. A good borsch should be pleasantly tart but not sour.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, and bring to the boiling point.
• Flavor it with the chopped dill.
• When ready to serve, add some thick sour cream or rich sweet cream. The amount of cream will depend on personal taste. It may also be served without cream. Some prefer to put the cream into each serving. This is the custom in central Ukraine.
• When the borsch is to be reheated the next day, do not add any cream.
• It tastes better when the cream is added just before serving.
• Traditional Ukrainian Cookery.