Mrs Kostyras Borscht Recipes

MRS. KOSTYRA'S BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets on a piece of parchment paper -- lined aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold up edges of foil and parchment to enclose beets. Place on a small baking sheet, and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel, and coarsely grate; set aside.
• Soak mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
• In a medium stockpot, combine stock, beets, mushrooms, mushroom liquid, celery leaves, parsley, garlic, sugar, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add lemon juice or citric acid. Taste, and adjust for seasoning. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and flour, stirring until no lumps remain. Whisk in a ladleful of soup, then whisk the sour-cream mixture into the soup. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in dill just before serving.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Place the mushrooms in a small bowl. Add water and let soak overnight. Transfer mushrooms and soaking liquid to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are tender, about 40 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
• Add barley to a small saucepan with 3 cups stock. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the barley is tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in butter; set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 7 cups stock to a boil with the carrots, celery, and reserved mushrooms and soaking liquid. Stir in the cooked barley mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and the flour. While stirring, slowly add 1 cup of the stock. Stir into soup with dill. Serve immediately.