Polish Borscht Uncle Bills Style Recipes

UNCLE BILL'S RUSSIAN/DOUKHOBOUR BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large (8 quart) stock pot, add water and bring to boil.
• Add 1/2 cup of mashed tomatoes, quartered potatoes, chopped carrots, chopped onions, salt and beets and return to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked.
• Meanwhile, begin to prepare all vegetables.
• When potatoes are cooked, remove with a slotted spoon into a mixing bowl.
• Add 3 tablespoons butter to potatoes, mash well.
• Stir in whipping cream, mixing well to incorporate; set aside.
• In a large frying pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, add chopped onions and saute' until just softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add remaining mashed tomatoes and simmer uncovered until reduced to a creamy consistency.
• The sauce will be thickened.
• Cover, reduce heat to keep warm.
• In another large frying pan, melt the remainder 3 tablespoons butter, add 4 cups of shredded cabbage and on medium heat, fry until softened and very lightly browned, about 15 minutes, DO NOT BURN.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• To the cooking pot, add cubed potatoes and 1/2 cup of tomato-onion mixture.
• Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add cauliflower and celery and continue to boil gently until potatoes are just tender.
• Stir in remaining 4 cups of raw shredded cabbage and return soup to boil.
• Reduce heat; stir in mashed potatoes, fried cabbage and remaining tomato-onion mixture.
• Add diced green and red peppers, freshly ground black pepper, dill weed, lemon juice.
• Return to boil and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Cover and reduce heat to just warm and let borscht sit for 30 minutes for flavors to blend.
• Remove beets and discard or eat them separately.
• The beets are for coloring only.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• If borscht is too sweet to your liking, stir in some additional lemon juice.
• If desired, serve with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
• Refrigerate any unused portions.
• Traditionally, medium or sharp cheddar cheese pieces and fresh bread or buns are served with the borscht.

BOBCHA'S POLISH BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large pot combine the spare ribs, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns, vinegar and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meat is tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. In another pot, cover the scrubbed beets with water and bring to a boil. Simmer the beets for 45 To 1 hour or until the beets are tender. Drain and rinse the beets under cold water until they are cool. Peel and grate the beets.
• When the meat is tender, Remove the bones and strip off the meat in bite size pieces. Return the meat to the broth and stir in the grated beets. Season the soup with salt and pepper. In a large bowl stir together the sour cream, milk and flour. Add two cups of the hot stock to the sour cream mixture and stir to combine. Pour this mixture through a strainer into the soup. Heat the soup over medium heat at a gentle simmer, but do not allow it to boil. Boiling will cause the sour cream to curdle. Serve immediately with boiled potatoes and pumpernickel or rye bread

UNCLE BILL'S SIMPLE VEGETABLE BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, melt margarine over medium heat.
• Add chopped onions, grated carrots, diced green and red peppers and saute' for 5 minutes.
• Stir in green and red shredded cabbage, grated beet and saute' for 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
• Transfer sautéed vegetables to a large cooking pot.
• Add water, vegetable broth, cubed potatoes, tomato paste, chopped garlic, bay leaf, crushed peppercorns and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add cauliflower florets, chopped celery, diced apple, paprika, soy sauce, dill weed and lemon juice and simmer covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat.
• Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Let borscht sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• Refrigerate any unused portion.

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT BY YEVHEN

Steps:

• Fill a large stock pot with 3-4 liters (a gallon) of water, add salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, chili pepper and bring to boil.
• Meanwhile, wash your veggies, drain and rinse beans, peel and grate carrots, chop potatoes, onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Chop onions finely, grate carrots on coarse grater, crush and chop garlic cloves.
• Wash the beets (separate and discard the leafy part) and add them whole and unpeeled to boiling water. While they boil on low heat, sauté in a heavy skillet with vegetable oil on medium heat chopped onion and grated carrots, until onion are golden. Add chopped garlic cloves and finely chopped red bell pepper, let them release flavor and add whole jar of tomato paste to the skillet. Stir well, and mix to blend the tomato paste in completely. Allow to sauté a few more minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
• At this time your beats should be cooked already (depending on their size - usually 15-20 mins of cooking for medium sized ones), so remove them from boiling water and set aside to cool off. Add the rinsed white beans to boiling water and lower the heat.
• Now you chop potatoes and shred the cabbage as fine as you can. Wash parsley and dill, chop and set aside. Add potatoes and onions/carrots/garlic/bell pepper mix to boiling water, stir well and continue to cook on low heat. Beets by now should be cool enough to handle, peel gently and grate them on coarse grater. Add to borsch along with 2 tablespoons of vinegar (helps to retain that beautiful beet color and gives a slight acidic kick). Immediately add your shredded cabbage, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add chopped parsley and dill, and more chopped garlic if you wish, and simmer covered for additional 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, and it's done. Let it sit covered for an hour or so to allow all the flavors to blend. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a few pinches of chopped parsley and dill.
• Drop a shot of ice-cold pepper vodka and enjoy your borsch in good health!

BARSZCZ (CLASSIC POLISH BORSCHT)

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the beets, bones, carrots, parsnip, onion, leek, celery, garlic and bay leaves, plus the mushrooms, peppercorns and marjoram, if using. Top with 14 cups water. (There should be enough water to cover all the ingredients.) Bring to a boil over high.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As it cooks, use a small ladle to periodically skim off and discard any foam, impurities and fat that have risen to the top of the pot.
• Transfer the 3 whole beets to a cutting board to cool. Strain the soup through a colander set over a large bowl. Remove the bones and press the solids to extract all the liquids, then strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean medium saucepan.
• Once they're cool enough to handle, chop the reserved whole beets into small 1/2-inch cubes. Stir the diced beets into the soup and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat soup over medium until warmed, then stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve very hot in small bowls or even large teacups, which you can pick up and drink. If desired, serve with a spoonful of sour cream. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (BILL'S STYLE)

Steps:

• Put chicken, carrots, celery & onions into the pot and add water until the chicken is covered.
• Bring to a boil and add season salt.
• Boil until chicken is done.
• Remove chicken and cool.
• Remove meat from the bones, chop it and put it back into the pot with the chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil add noodles, peas and season salt to taste.
• Boil until noodles are done.
• Enjoy!