Warszawas Winter Borscht Recipes

WINTER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Coarsely chop beets, preferably in a food processor. In a medium pot, combine beets, 4 cups water and vinegar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until beets are soft, about 45 minutes. Strain and set juice aside. (Beets can be used for another purpose, like salad.)
• Meanwhile, in a deep pot, combine carrot, celery, onion, stock, bay leaves and allspice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Strain and discard aromatics and vegetables.
• Combine strained stock and beet juice and simmer 5 minutes. Add sugar, garlic and black pepper. Season to taste with sugar and salt. Serve with dumplings, if desired, and sprinkle with dill.

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.

WARSZAWA'S WINTER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cook beets in water over medium-low heat until soft, about 45 minutes.
• Drain, reserving liquid in soup pot.
• Peel and grate beets and add to reserved liquid.
• Saute onion in butter over medium heat until softened, 5 minutes; add sausage and green onions and saute until sausage is heated through; add sausage mixture to beet soup mixture, add salt and white pepper to taste.
• Boil soup about 5 minutes; add lemon juice, beans, sugar, parsley and dill, reserving some parsley and dill for garnish.
• Return soup to a boil, taste and adjust seasoning. If making a vegetarian borscht, saute the veggie sausage separately and add the sausage pieces here.
• Remove from heat and stir in sour cream; do not let boil.
• Ladel borscht into serving bowls and garnish eash with egg, remaining dill and parsley.

WINTER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Put the broth, beets and potatoes in a large heavy-bottomed pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and stir in the cabbage and red wine vinegar. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper (taste for sodium levels in the broth before salting). Simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and serve warm. Enjoy!

OMI'S BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place beets, potatoes, carrots, parsley root (greens reserved), celery, and vinegar in a large pot; season with salt and pepper. Pour enough water to cover vegetables into the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove beets with a slotted spoon; set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Grate beets when they are cool enough to handle.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan, whisk in flour, and cook and stir until mixture is a light tan color, about 10 minutes; stir mixture into soup. Stir in grated beets and parsley root greens; bring to a simmer and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season soup with vegetable bouillon, salt, and pepper.