Borscht

I love borscht, probably because I love beets.  Tristen once made a pot that was delicious.  As I was watching the Today Show this morning they shared this recipe, so guess what I'm going to try to make to celebrate this Olympics...borscht of course, probably without the beef though.

 Recipe: Classic beef borscht

Tatyana Nesturek

Ingredients

• 1 pound highest quality stew beef (beef chuck, boneless beef ribs), chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 8 cups beef broth (add more for thinner consistency)
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 medium red beets, diced
• 2 large potatoes, cubed
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• For sauce:
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup tomato sauce/puree
• 3-4 tablespoon fresh tomato ketchup
• 1 cup beef broth
• Ground black pepper, salt
• For serving:
• Olive oil mayonnaise, sour cream, diced green onion and/or fresh bread

Preparation

1. Heat a large sauté over medium/high heat and add several tablespoons of canola oil. Season beef with salt and sear the meat until darkened. Transfer beef into large soup pot. To same sauté pan, add mirepoix ingredients: onion, carrot and celery. Sauté until golden brown. Remove mirepoix and add to beef. Deglaze pan with beef broth.

2. Add remaining beef broth, salt, ground pepper, ground cumin, garlic and beets. Stir, cover and reduce heat to low. Braise the meat for 1 hour until tender.

3. Prepare the sauce. Sauté the onion in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add tomato puree, ketchup, 1 cup water and season lightly with black pepper and salt. Simmer on low heat for 7 to 8 minutes then set aside.

4. After braising meat for 1 hour, add potatoes, prepared tomato sauce, cabbage, dill and parsley. Set heat to medium and cook uncovered. Bring the soup to a simmer then set a timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, cover and remove from heat. Serve with ½ tablespoon of mayonnaise or 1 tablespoon sour cream, sprinkle of green onion and fresh toasted bread.

Note: Soup can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. The flavors will develop more overnight, resulting in a more savory soup. Simply reheat pot over medium heat