The Recovery Kitchen: Borscht

Ahhh Borscht. My favorite soup out there. I can ( and have) eaten this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some claim borscht to be Russian, some claim it to be Polish. But we can all agree that it is the perfect starter to go with an Eastern European entree.

This is another one of those "working-class" dishes with beets being the common theme. It seems that no two recipes taste the same which is perfectly okay. Borscht allows you to be creative with what you put into the pot.

I've had my Ukrainian friend taste-test my borscht and he said it wasn't bad for a Slovak cook. I took that as a complement! I usually make a vegetarian version however it's not uncommon to add pork or beef to this hearty soup.

(My friend Miras and I enjoying our favorite soup)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and I'd love to get feedback from some Eastern European friends!

Ingredients: Serves 6-8

Beets--- 2 LBS
Onion (chopped)--- 3/4 CUP
Potato (chopped)--- 1/2 CUP
Tomatoes (diced)--- 1 CUP
Garlic minced--- 2 Cloves
Stock--- 32 OZ
Olive Oil--- 2 TBSP
Apple Cider Vinegar---1/4 CUP
Salt --- 2 TSP
Ground Pepper--- 1 TBSP

Serve With:

Sour Cream & Chives--- to taste

STEP BY STEP:

Preheat oven to 400F

Drizzle oil over beets and wrap in tin foil. Bake at 400F for 1 Hour.

In the meantime cut onion, garlic, potato and tomato.

Heat a large pot to Medium and add oil once hot

Add garlic and onion to pot and saute until translucent

Reduce heat to Medium-Low and add stock, vinegar, salt and pepper along with the potato

After time has passed, remove beets from oven. Baking beets makes them tender and allows you to just peel the skin off. Remove skin and chop beets.

(I was caught "red handed" making borscht")

Add beets and tomatoes to pot and stir, bring stock to a simmer.

Once potatoes are fork tender, (about 15 minutes) use immersion blender to puree until you've reached a desired consistency. I make my borscht smooth but I've also had it with beet and potato chunks.