Roman Bortsch Recipes

VEGETARIAN RED BORSCHT

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• When oil is hot, add onion, celery and leek, stir to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until onion has softened and just begun to brown. Add garlic, tomato paste, paprika, caraway, bay leaf and thyme, and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• Add potatoes, beets and carrots, 6 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Simmer with lid ajar for 20 minutes, or until potatoes, beets and carrots are fork tender.
• Add kale and vinegar, and stir to distribute. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Simmer until kale is done, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream: Put horseradish, lemon juice, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Let macerate 5 minutes, then stir in crème fraîche.
• To serve, ladle into soup bowls, and garnish with chopped dill, parsley, tarragon and chives. Pass the horseradish cream at the table.

ROMAN BORTSCH

Steps:

• Combine the wine, water and honey in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the chicken and bring to heat slowly. (Were you making a larger quantity, you would use a whole chicken.) While the stock is simmering, peel and grate the beetroot. Add to the soup and top up with more wine or water as it reduces. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Take out the chicken, skin and shred the meat from the bone and return some or most of it to your serving bowl. Skim the fat from the surface of the soup, season with salt and pepper, pour over the meat and serve.

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.

WINTER BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, cover the beef with 6 cups water. Stir in the onion and quartered carrot. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam and fat that rises to the surface. Lower the heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and measure the liquid; there should be about 4 1/2 cups. Reserve the liquid and the meat.
• Return the beef and strained liquid to the pan. Bring to a boil. Add the beets, and return to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the tip of a knife easily pierces the beets. Remove the beets, and allow to cool slightly. Peel them, and grate coarsely. Return the grated beets to the soup.
• Dissolve the tomato paste in 1/2 cup of the soup, and stir back into the pot. Stir in the garlic, grated carrot, cabbage, tomatoes, bay leaf, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Remove the meat, and discard the bones. Slice the meat 1/2-inch thick, and stir into the soup, along with the cubed potatoes, salt, pepper and the 1/3 cup dill. Return to a boil for 2 minutes.
• If desired, place a half potato in the bottom of each large bowl. Ladle in the soup. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill.

BORSCH

Steps:

• To make the stock, put the meat, whole onion, bay leaf and 2 litres of lightly salted cold water in a large saucepan. Cook over a very low heat for 1 hr 30 mins or until the beef shin is soft and falls apart easily - this can take up to 3 hrs. Skim off the scum with a spoon from time to time. Break up any larger pieces of beef into the broth, remove the whole onion and discard.
• Add the potatoes to the borscht, season well with salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 mins until tender. Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the diced onion and carrot, and cook over a medium heat, stirring, until the carrot is soft and is about to start caramelising.
• Add the beetroot and cook for around 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the red pepper, if using, and cook for another 2 mins, then add the tomatoes and prunes, stir, then increase the heat and boil to reduce slightly, before adding everything to the borscht.
• Add the shredded cabbage and the kidney beans, and cook for 7-10 mins or until tender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche, lots of chopped dill and some crusty bread.

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.