Borscht

From Russia with love:

There are a tremendous variety of borschts from all over eastern and central Europe. The hot (as in fire not spicy) varieties with beet as one of the main ingredients come primarily from the Ukraine and Russia. I have mentioned before that I have spent some time working in Russia, and borscht was one of my favorite cuisines.

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 2 tablespoons – extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound – beef bottom round (boneless), cut into approximately 1-inch cubes (see photo)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 – large onion, chopped
• 2 – carrots, chopped (cut into about ½-inch pieces)
• 2 – celery stalks (cut into about ½-inch pieces)
• 1 – red pepper (can use green pepper) cut into about ½-inch pieces
• 2 cloves – garlic, minced
• 2 cups – water
• 4 – beets, peeled (cut into about ½-inch pieces)
• 2 – baking potatoes (scrub but do not peel) cut into about ½-inch pieces
• 2 10.5-ounce cans – beef broth double strength (I like Campbells brand)
• 1 14.5-ounce can – diced tomatoes (I like Hunts brand)
• ¼ cup – tomato paste (I like Hunts brand)
• 2 teaspoons – thyme
• 1 teaspoon – caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons – red wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon – light brown sugar (optional)
• Sour cream – for dollops in the soup

Boneless beef bottom round.

Best to use medium sized beets.

Preparation:

The red wine vinegar and brown sugar are optional. Russians generally do not like sweet or tangy borscht so if you wish to have a more traditional borscht leave these ingredients out. However, I enjoy the zesty sweet flavor.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the cut meat and brown in the oil stirring periodically (about 20 minutes).

Beef browning in Dutch oven.

Remove the beef once it has browned with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl. Add another tablespoon of oil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper until they are soft (about 15 minutes) – stirring as needed. Add the garlic and cook one minute. Add the water and scrape the browned bits of meat off the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add the beets, potatoes, beef broth, the entire can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, caraway seeds, and the cooked beef (also add the red wine vinegar and brown sugar at this point if you decide to use these ingredients). Cover and cook on medium for 1 hour stirring periodically.

Steaming borscht.

Ladle the borscht into bowls and add a dollop of sour cream (yogurt can also be used). Some Russians will stir the sour cream or yogurt into the borscht in the bowl but others will simply scoop some up with each spoonful of borscht. Enjoy.

Borscht.

J. Botticelli