Hungarian Borscht Recipes

HUNGARIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Using a large skillet, saute, separately, the cabbage, carrots and onions, adding a little of the dill while you stir. Use as much butter as you feel necessary-adding it as you put the next batch of vegetables in the skillet. As you finish each vegetable, put it in a large Dutch oven. Add tomatoes, beets and water (the more water the thinner the soup). Add salt, pepper and a whole big sprig of dill. Cover and simmer slowly for 2 to 3 hours. Mash the vegetables well, or for a smoother soup, I put the whole mess through the blender, taking care to fish out the largest pieces of dill. Add mashed potatoes as a thickener just before serving. If you plan to freeze part of the soup, do so without the potatoes.

HUNGARIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, add Kraft Catalina dressing, beets, carrots, onion, rutabaga and cook on medium-high heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
• In a large cooking pot, add beef consomme', water, cooked vegetables, tomatoes including liquid (crush tomatoes before adding to pot), potatoes, caraway seeds, red and green shredded cabbage, celery, cauliflower florets, black pepper and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add soy sauce and dill weed and simmer for another 3 minutes.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Serve hot with dollops of sour cream or plain yogurt if desired.

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs, 3 to 4 minutes per side; set aside.
• Add 1 onion, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Return ribs to Dutch oven, and add wine; simmer for 1 minute. Add chicken stock; bring to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper. Cover; transfer to oven, and roast until ribs are tender, 3 hours.
• Shred ribs, discarding fat and bones. Strain stock through a sieve, and skim off fat. (You should have 2 cups.)
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add remaining onion and the garlic; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add celery root and carrots; cook for 4 minutes. Add reserved stock, the cabbage, beets, water, and tomato paste. Cook for 30 minutes. Add meat; cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes more. Stir in lemon juice and vinegar; garnish with parsley.

BEEF AND BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cook beef shank in a large soup pot over high heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side; add water, onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf to the pot, bring to a simmer and cook until meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 4 hours. Strain broth and discard solids.
• Combine beef broth, beets, and cabbage in a large soup pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until beets are tender, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
• Serve garnished with sour cream and dill.

HUNGARIAN BORSCHT RECIPE

Steps:

• Scrub and rinse the beets thoroughly, removing the foliage. Using a large soup pot, cook the beets in cold water until tender. Remove the beets, reserving water. Cut off the tops and peel the beets. Dice into ½ inch pieces, and return 2 cups to soup pot. Using a hand blender, puree the beets. Add the beef broth and remaining beets. In another soup pot, cook the marrow bones with just enough water to cover, until water adopts a beefy flavour. Skim off the foam. Discard the bones, and add the water to the beets. Brown the stewing beef in oil; shred the meat, and add to soup pot. Add the garlic, pepper, parsley, tomatoes, carrots, sugar, cabbage, and potatoes to the pot. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Ladle into bowls and serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

RUSSIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place the first six ingredients in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute beets in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes. stir in vinegar; set aside. Remove beef with a slotted spoon; cool. Remove meat from the bones; discard bones. Cut meat into chunks; set aside. strain broth, discarding peppercorns and bay leaves. Skim fat. Add enough water to broth to measure 6 cups; return to kettle. Add potatoes, carrots, cabbage, parsley and beets. Bring to a boil., In a skillet, saute onion in remaining oil for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Whisk into soup. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. add tomatoes. process soup in small batches in a blender or food processor; pour into a large saucepan. Add beef; heat through. Garnish with sour cream.

VESELKA'S FAMOUS BORSCHT

Steps:

• To make the "beet water," roughly chop 2 pounds of the beets (select the smaller ones), preferably in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Place the chopped beets in a large stockpot. Add 10 cups of water and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
• Place the stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours. (If it seems like the liquid is evaporating too quickly, you may need to cover the pot partially with an offset lid.) The beets should be extremely soft and the liquid bright red.
• Strain the liquid, pressing the cooked beets against the side of the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp or reserve. Set aside the beet water. You should have just about 4 cups.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 pound of whole beets in a separate large stockpot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beets are tender-firm, about 40 minutes. When the beets are cooked, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar and set them aside to cool.
• When the whole cooked beets are cool enough to handle, peel them; the skins should slip off easily. Grate the peeled beets on the largest holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the grating blade.
• To make the broth, place the pork butt in a large stockpot and add the beef stock. If necessary, add a little more stock or water to cover. Add the bay leaf, allspice berries, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the meat is tender and beginning to fall apart, about 2 hours. Set the pork aside to cool. When the pork is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pot and cut the meat into ½-inch cubes. Strain the broth and discard the bay leaf, allspice berries, and peppercorns. Reserve the cubed meat and 4 cups of the broth.
• To cook the vegetables, place the carrots and celery in a large stockpot and pour the reserved meat broth over them. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the carrots and celery are just tender, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage and potatoes and continue to cook until the potatoes and carrots are easily pierced with a pairing knife but keep their shape, 15 to 20 additional minutes. Add the lima beans and cook for 5 additional minutes, just to meld the flavors. Gradually add the remaining 7 tablespoons white vinegar, tasting between additions and stopping when the flavor is to your liking. Remove the soup from the heat and set aside.
• To compose the soup, in a large soup pot combine the "beet water" and meat broth with the vegetables. Add the cubed pork and the grated beets. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over low heat. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.

RUSSIAN BORSCHT SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the beets, carrots, onion and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. , Add tomatoes and cabbage; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Stir in salt, dill and pepper. Top each serving with sour cream if desired.

HUNGARIAN VEGETABLE BORSCHT

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and coleslaw mix and stir until the coleslaw is wilted. Add the dill, red wine, vinegar, diced tomatoes, broth, V8, apple juice, and soy sauce. Simmer until the vegetables are uniformly tender, about 15 minutes.NOTE: Some bags of coleslaw include dressing packets. Do not use the dressing in this recipe.From Homemade In A Hurry. Text copyright © 2006 by Andrew Schloss. Cover photograph copyright © 2006 by Noel Barnhurst. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.