Ukrainian Borscht By Yevhen Recipes

UKRAINIAN RED BORSCHT SOUP

Steps:

• Crumble the sausage (if using) into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Fill a large pot halfway with water(about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the sausage, and cover the pot. Return to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, and the can of diced tomatoes.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
• Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream, if desired, and fresh parsley.

BORSCH (((AUTHENTIC UKRAINIAN CLASSIC BORSCH)))

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the diced bacon or panchetta in a Dutch oven or stockpot and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until the fat begins to render, about 3 minutes.
• Add the beef and continue to cook, stirring, until the beef is brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.
• Remove both meats from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Add the onions and carrot to the fat in the Dutch oven or stockpot and stir to coat.
• Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, oregano, dill seeds and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the red wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the pot.
• Return both meats to the pot and add the water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beef is tender, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, place the beets on a baking sheet and brush with the oil.
• Roast until tender and can be pierced easily with a fork or knife, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, trim the stem and root ends and remove the skins.
• Coarsely grate or chop and set aside.
• When the meat is tender and falling apart, add the beets, potatoes, cabbage, parsley, tomato paste and celery salt or seeds and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.
• Season with additional red wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste.
• Ladle borsch into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.
• Also, serve with Russian black bread.

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!

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large casserole combine meats with broth or water, bay leaf, peppercorns and allspice, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, skimming frequently, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Strain soup, reserving broth and meats separately. Remove meat from the ham hocks, discarding any gristle or bone and cut it into dice. Cut beef into cubes. Return meat and broth to casserole and add beets, vinegar, tomato mors or paste and sugar; simmer, covered, 15 minutes.
• In a skillet set over moderate heat melt butter, add carrot, pepper, onion and salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened; add to casserole. Add potatoes and shredded cabbage to casserole and simmer 10 minutes. Add kielbasa and simmer 5 minutes more. Stir in kvass to taste, dill and garlic and let stand 10 minutes. Serve soup with slices of roasted goose, dill sprigs and sour cream for garnish.

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Gently cook the onion and garlic in butter in a large saucepan until tender.
• Cook beets for about 10-15 minutes in boiling water or stock, then add the carrots. Boil for another 10-15 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and dill. When potatoes are still firm (but not hard), add cabbage and beet leaves.
• Add celery, sausage and tomatoes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
• Add peas, sour cream (stirring out the lumps) and salt. Simmer, half covered, until remaining vegetables are tender (but not mushy).
• Stir in vinegar and serve hot.

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a medium size saucepan, add pinto beans and 6 cups water, bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beans start to split.
• Make sure beans are covered with water at all times during simmering; add additional water if required.
• Save water along with beans to add to borscht later.
• Peel and grate beets.
• In a large cooking pot, add grated beets and 6 cups of water.
• Boil beets until just tender, DO NOT OVERCOOK.
• Peel and grate carrots.
• In a separate medium size saucepan, add grated carrots and 3 cups of water, cook until just tender.
• Add cooked carrots and liquid to the pot with beets.
• In another separate medium size saucepan, add diced potatoes and 2 cups of water and cook until tender.
• Mash potatoes in the water and add to the cooking pot with beets.
• In a separate large saucepan, add chopped celery, chopped onions, diced green and red peppers, chopped garlic, 4 cups of water, chicken soup base and simmer covered until vegetables are tender.
• When tender, add to the large cooking pot along with the liquid.
• Add vegetable broth to cooking pot, stir well and bring to boil.
• Add instant potato flakes, black pepper, soy sauce, dried dill weed, sugar, vinegar and cook for 5 minutes.
• If borscht appears too thick, add additional water or chicken broth (one cup at a time) and cook for 2 minutes longer.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• If soup tastes too sweet, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and stir well.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.
• Refrigerate any unused portion.

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Grate the carrots, beets, celery and cabbage on a medium size grater. I use the attachment on my Kitchenaid as this reduces the chopping time tremendously.
• Dice the onion, and together with the shredded cabbage, fry in a bit of oil until the onions are light in colour.
• Add the beets to the water; bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 30 minutes. To keep the colour in your beets, add the tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Add the rest of the vegetables and once again, bring to a boil. Turn down your heat to simmer. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the fresh dill.
• Add the tomato juice. I very often use tomato sauce but I have also used undiluted tomato soup at times.
• Dissolve the corn starch in 1/4 cup of water and add this to the simmering borsch. It'll thicken the soup.
• Taste and adjust with salt & pepper. Lately I have been leaving out the salt as the tomato juice or sauce already contains a fair amount.
• Just before serving, add a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!