Hello again!
Let me preface this by saying this is a custom recipe, made from suggestions and what I found suited me best from a multitude of traditional recipes. It may not be the borscht that you're used to, but that may be a good thing because this one is DAMNED TASTY. Also, I have no idea where the "t" that ends the English version of the word came from. ONWARD!
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| This is what perfection looks like. |
Borscht (or "борщ," to those authentic speakers). Most often, you think of that jar of cold stuff that you get from the grocer's that's nothing but beets and cabbage, and about 80% water. Or maybe you've had some made fresh, but it was just "different" or "kind of bland?" You see, I too, at one point in my life, thought I hated borscht. But then, one particular experience changed me; in my college years the local campus cafe just happened to be serving borscht as their "soup of the day," so I figured "hey, you know what, these guys haven't given me any bad food ever before, so I'll trust that they can make even this into something good." And so they did. And it was the best goddamned stew I ever had. After that life-changing bowl of amazingness, I began doing some research into authentic borscht recipes in order to try to recreate that magical flavor. What I discovered was this: there is no one "correct" recipe for borscht; there are so many regional and family recipes, and the only thing any of them really have in common is that beets are a major part. I compiled the ideas I liked from so many dozens of authentic recipes and after much experimentation finally came up with my own, which I think is pretty darn good.
So, the total ingredients we'll need will be:
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 kind of medium-small-ish carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 1 package of stew beef (preferably the "fajita strips" kind"
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 6 ordinary beets or... well, you'll see
- red wine
- your seasonings: salt, pepper, dill, paprika, sage... I think that was it.
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon
- Balsamic vinegar
- tomato paste (optional)
- sour cream (for topping)
- green onions (ditto)
Step 1: The initial ingredients! (Let's get this party started)
We begin with our slow-cooking vegetables and the beef. Dice each of the vegetables, and throw them into a decent-sized stewpot.
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| Basically mirepoix, but with potatoes and beef. |
Tip for dicing celery: run your knife along the stalks lengthwise ("with the grain") to split it into sticks, then chop these and you'll have perfect pieces.
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| Celery's actually really easy to dice; you can alter the dimensions by simply making wider/thinner strips or chopping closer/further apart. |
Tip for dicing onion: After removing the ends and outermost layer, cut in half, then cut into slices.
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| Like making slices for onion rings, but you've already halved them. |
Then, just cut radially across those slices and you've got it!
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| You just might get the onion tears at this point. I apologize in advance. |
Tip for dicing potato: After peeling, first cut into slices.
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| Okay, nothing too interesting just yet... |
Then, slice those slices. At this point, you have the beginnings of homemade French Fries!
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| Suddenly, OMG fries! (by the way, there just might be a French fries "I Can Cooking!" for a certain someone in the near future...) |
Then just chop the "fries," and you've got diced potato. Easy!
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| Well fine, I guess I won't be making fries then! *harumph* |
The beef was marinated overnight in a bit of Balsamic vinegar (just a tiny bit, no need to go for the super-expensive kinds either) and just a couple dashes of Worchestershire sauce, though that's optional. Doing a marinade helps to really tenderize the meat, and adds a nice flavor later on. Just cube these up and toss them in the pot.
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| I just want to eat this as is... |
Here's all your first-step ingredients after chopping and a quick stir. Be proud upon realizing just how many tiny food cubes you've created in such a short time.
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| ALL THE CUBES |
Next, add some olive oil, salt, pepper, and the juice of one lemon. Cover and cook over medium heat until the beef and potatoes are pretty much done. This shouldn't take long, since they are in such small pieces.
Step 2: The cooking continues!
While the initial ingredients are getting nice and happy, go ahead and start preparing the next set of ingredients. You'll want half a head of cabbage (though this looks like a whole head, I've been peeling leaves off this one for sandwiches, so it really is just a half), and a can of tomato paste (this was recommended to me by a person of Russian descent after my last attempt; it's nice but I actually kind of prefer it without... the lemon and vinegar provide just the right amount of acidity, adding tomato paste throws that balance off just slightly... although, it does add some flavors that complement the others nicely anyway. Ultimately, it's your call!)
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| Cabbage: a thing any serious eater of sandwiches should have on-hand, always. Screw lettuce. |
You're looking for the moment when your first batch of ingredients looks about like this:
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| If you poured in some bouillon, you'd have a kick-ass beef stew, just from this! |
Add the cabbage (and tomato sauce, if you choose), stir, then re-cover until the cabbage is tender (this won't take long).
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| Don't worry that it doesn't look like much yet. As a wise man often said, "Your patience will be rewarded." |
Step 3: The moment we've all been waiting for!
While the cabbage is cooking itself down,this'll give you enough time to tackle your beet situation. Now, normally I would advise using around 6 beets, but...
...Yeah. Anyways, regardless of size, you'll want about "this much."
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| LORDS OF ALL THINGS BEET |
Peel and cube these bad boys up,and throw them into the pot.
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| Bear in mind that this is a 10.5x14in cutting board. |
Next, add your garlic. 2-3 cloves should do the trick. Though I generally despise unitaskers, I've got to say the
Pampered Chef garlic press is a pretty alright device. I get enough use out of this thing that it's totally worth it.
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| I assure you, I'm not sponsored by them whatsoever. But this thing is SO DAMN USEFUL! |
Add paprika, sage, more salt and pepper as needed, and GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF DILL. Seriously, use the shit out of this herb. It complements every single flavor in this dish perfectly. Cover, and cook on low-medium until the beets begin to soften somewhat.
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| GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF DILL |
Step 4: Boozery and shenanigans
After a while of cooking down, the borscht should look about like this. The beets are beginning to soften and give some of their color to the surrounding ingredients, but aren't really fully cooked yet. At the same time, we're reminded that this is supposed to be a stew, and we need more cooking liquid.
Red wine pairs really well with every ingredient in this; it complements the savoriness of the beef and aromatic vegetables, and it brings out the sweetness of the beets. It's a natural add-inn for building up the liquid of this dish.
Of course, you've got to taste it first. Go cheap, since it is bought as a cooking ingredient (for example, this bottle was less than $10), but make sure it's drinkable (this one certainly is!).
Dump it in. Like, seriously. You want to add enough liquid to make this a proper stew. Cover, and continue to cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the beets are fully done. This will take a while.
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| Don't worry, it'll cook off! |
Step 5: Success!
When the borscht is done, it should look something like this. It's all a pretty uniform shade of purple, the wine has absorbed all the stray vegetable particulates (mostly potato starches) and become a proper broth, and the beets are fully cooked and tender. The whole thing gives off an incredible aroma. This is it!
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| This is what you should strive for. That beautiful color! That wonderful aroma! |
Step Eat: ...Pretty much just that.
Top with sour cream and green onions, and dig in! This borscht hits just that right balance of savory and sweet, and is nice and hearty to boot, while not being particularly unhealthy. Pretty much perfect, I'd say!
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| OMNOMNOM |
Enjoy!
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