Stephanies Borscht Recipes

BEET SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot on medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add beets and potatoes, stir to coat with the onion mixture.
• Add broth, just enough to cover the beets and stir until well combined. (Only add enough broth to cover the vegetables, you may need more or less depending on the size of your beets, as you don't want a runny soup and you can always add more at the end if needed.)
• Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the beets are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
• Once cooked, using an immersion blender or in batches using a bar blender, purée until smooth.
• Once blended, season generously with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of dill.
• Any leftover soup can be cooled completely and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

BORSCHT RECIPE (BEET SOUP)

Steps:

• Add olive oil to a soup pot and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add in the beets, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. Stir to combine.
• Cook for 10 minutes to slightly soften the vegetables.
• Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Pour in the beef and the vegetable broth and add the bay leaf. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and carrots are tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Stir in the fresh dill, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Taste and season with the desired amount of kosher salt and black pepper.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

WHITE BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cut kielbasa into 4 equal lengths, and cover in a pot with 3 quarts cold water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then let gently boil for 25 minutes more until swollen and cooked through and beads of oil have formed. Pull sausages from the now smoky and seasoned water, and set aside. Save that water!
• While the kielbasa simmers, split leeks in half lengthwise, then soak and rinse in cold water to thoroughly remove all sand. Slice leeks into 3/8-inch half-moons from whites to dark greens, as far up as is viable.
• Peel potatoes, trim all four sides to stabilize on the cutting board and trim both ends to "box" the potato. Save the scraps. Cut the boxes into large cubes, about 3/4-inch square.
• In a sturdy soup pot, melt 1 stick butter over low heat until foaming. Stir in onion, garlic and a healthy pinch of salt, and let them sweat for a full 5 minutes until translucent.
• Stir in remaining butter, the sliced leeks and another generous pinch of salt, then let sweat slowly over low heat for 8 minutes until moist, bright green and glossy.
• Add potato scraps, the cube of bread and half the kielbasa boiling liquid. Let gently simmer 10 minutes while the potato scrap softens and the bread hunk becomes flabby and swollen. If you need to increase the heat to get a little simmer going, do so.
• Meanwhile, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise. Place two pieces back into the soup pot as is, and then slice the remaining 6 pieces into very thin, 1/8-inch half-moons, and set aside.
• Retrieve the soggy lump of sourdough bread with a slotted spoon, and don't worry if you also get a few bits of leek or onion or whatever is floating in the soup when you pull it out. Also remove about 1 cup of liquid, and set aside.
• Add potato cubes and the rest of the kielbasa liquid to the pot. Add another pinch of salt and half the black pepper. Let it come back to temperature, and then to simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes more.
• Using either a stick blender or a traditional blender, purée the sodden hunk of bread until foamy, using some of the liquid you pulled in Step 8, if needed. Stir this back into the soup pot once the potatoes are cooked through, and add the sliced kielbasa as well.
• Whisk the crème fraîche with 1/2 cup of the hot reserved liquid; stir mixture into the soup. Stir in the chopped dill and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon pepper. Serve very hot.

STEPHANIE'S BORSCHT

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Season beef shanks with garlic salt & pepper and brown well on both sides. Remove from pan, and add onion. Saute several minutes, then add carrots and garlic, and saute until onions are lightly browned. Add red wine and deglaze pan, then add beef broth and return beef and accumulated juices to pan. Simmer gently 1 1/2 - 2 hours until beef is tender. Meanwhile roast beets until tender, then chill. When beef is tender, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight. When ready to proceed, skim all fat from surface, and remove beef. Tear beef in chunks discarding fat and bones. Gently reheat soup. Coarsely grate beets and add to soup, along with Bavarian spice, dill, potato, and cabbage and simmer about 1/2 hour until vegetables are tender. Add red wine vinegar, and adjust seasoning. Serve with sour cream & dill