ShafronChef: Ageless Recipes for the Modern Age
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The quintessential eastern European soup: borscht.  Of all Dad's recipes, this one is proving to have the greatest longevity - we all make it.  My own enhanced version here has been tested across nations to much acclaim (Peter).

The Borscht

Picture

Ingredients

The supreme vegetable soup of all time - as much art as science. Following amounts are a guide only...
Half a pot of Stock (see below)
4-6 Beets

4 medium Potatoes

6 Carrots

Quarter of a Cabbage

2 medium Onions (fried)
2 Leeks (fried)

Can of mixed beans/bean medley

2 cans tomato sauce/puree (just tomatoes)
1 Lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper
Sugar

Dill

Sour cream

Crusty bread and garlic for garlic toast maybe
Stock: 3 options:
  1. Shop-bought (Trader Joe's) beef stock (2 cartons).
  2. Four large beef bullion cubes dissolved in water.
Picture
A world-class borscht often starts with a world-class pork stock.
Picture

Method

3. Traditional pork stock
Two or three smoked pork (ham) hocks boiled gently in half a pot of water for 90 minutes or so.  Remove, strain, place stock in fridge overnight, scoop off fat before using. Cut up meat from pork hocks and add to soup at the end.
Picture
Scoop fat off the top.
General Assembly

1. Cut off beet tops and bottoms, scrub very well to remove dirt (don't peel), trim crusty brown bits from around tops, add to stock and boil for 15 mins or so.  Remove, let cool a bit. Leave stock boiling gently.


3. Cut potatoes into 3/4 inch cubes or so and add.
Picture
4. Cut carrots into 1/2 inch pieces (or a bit smaller) and add.


5. Peel beets, halve cross-ways if large, cut into straws (~1inch x 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch or a little bigger).

Picture
6. Add tomato puree/sauce. Add juice of 1 lemon and add.

7. Add finely chopped onions.  Trim leeks, slit lengthways, wash out dirt, slice.  Fry onions and leeks together  in separate pan until turning brown then add.  You can skip frying if too much trouble.

Picture
8. Gentle boil until potatoes are nearly soft.

9. Shred cabbage as fine as your knife allows, add.
Add bean medley.

10. Test for cooked-ness, add plenty of salt and pepper to taste. If needed, add a table spoon of sugar (+/-) to balance any tomato and lemon sourness; or, add lemon.

11. Serve with dill, sour cream, crusty bread, maybe garlic toast, and a story about how your Dad's borscht was pretty good, but not as good as yours.

Picture
Place the cut-up pork from your stock meat and add to bowl, with dill.
Picture
My borscht is more red than purple - on account of the tomatoes.

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  • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Food Photography
    • Comments
  • Soups
    • Borscht
    • Tomato Herb Soup
    • Kapusta Soup
    • Lentil Soup
    • Minestrone Soup
    • Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
    • Sorrel Soup
    • Tom Yum Soup
    • Chicken Vegetable Soup
    • Spanish Fish Soup with Orange
    • Broccoli Soup
  • Vegetal
    • Vegetable Curry
    • Coleslaw
    • Rosemary Potato Casserole
    • Summer Pesto
    • Mixed Vegetable Korma
    • Best Salad Dressing
    • Spicy Chipotle Rice
    • Caesar Salad
    • Kale Salad
    • Baba Ghanoush
    • Indian Cardamom Rice Pilaf
    • Vegetable Casserole - Sour Cream Top
    • Thai Marinade
    • Beetroot Dip
    • Green Smoothies
    • Eggplant Capers Dip
    • Tabbouleh
  • Seafood
    • Seafood Paella
    • Crab Cakes
    • Salmon Artichoke Pasta
    • Garlic Prawns
    • Cioppino Seafood Stew
    • Vietnamese Style Fish Stew
    • Simple Ahi Poke
    • Fish Tacos, Salsa & Guacamole
    • Fish and Zucchini Casserole
    • Gumbo
    • Fish and Chips
    • Tamar's Sushi Rolls
    • Coconut Fish Curry
  • Poultry
    • Lemongrass Chicken Stir Fry
    • Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
    • Chicken Red Curry
    • Coq au Vin
    • Chicken Tikka Masala
    • Sweet & Sour Mandarin Chicken
    • Karen's Quails
    • Ridgy-Didge Chicken Curry
    • Turkey Schnitzl
    • Marinated Chicken Wings
    • Golden Lotus Chicken Stir Fry
    • Roast Chicken with Lemons and Onions
    • Duck L'Orange
    • Lemon Sage Chicken Wings
  • Carne
    • Lamb Curry
    • Pelmenis
    • Beef Wellington
    • Lamb Kebabs & Creamy Mint Sauce
    • Gus's Thai Pork
    • Steak Diane
    • Carnitas Augusto
    • Spinach and Bacon Quiche
    • Beef & Broccoli
    • Spinach Pies
    • Pop's Chili
    • Beef Stroganoff
    • Cabbage Rolls
    • Meat Loaf
    • Supreme Hamburgers
    • Lamb Shanks
    • Bahn Mis with Pork Belly
    • Citrus Pork Steaks
    • Korean BBQ Short Ribs
  • Italian
    • Spaghetti Amatriciana
    • Pasta Carbonara
    • Spaghetti Bolognese
    • Momma's Pizza
    • Cannelloni Two Ways
    • Garlic bread
    • Pasta alla Norma
    • Spaghetti and Meatballs
    • Bruschetta
  • Sweets
    • Mother's Banana Cake
    • Honey Jumbles
    • Berry Crumble Cake
    • Pavlova
    • Aussie Anzac Biscuits
    • Pecan Pie
    • Blueberry Muffins
    • Russian Pear Cake
    • Beverley's Double Chocolate Brownies
    • HiSpice Pumpkin Pie
    • Cranberry Orange Cup Cakes
    • Blueberry Sour Cream Cake
    • Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
    • Baklava
    • Crunchy Almond Topped Cake
    • College Cookies
    • Extra Lemony Lemon Slice
    • Hummingbird Cake
    • Fudge
    • Caramel Bananas
    • Peter's Christmas Fruit Cake
    • Stollen
  • Breakfast
    • Groovy Granola
    • Scrambled Eggs
    • Spanish Tortilla Omelets 2 Ways
    • Hot Cross Buns
    • Pikelets
    • Poached Eggs
    • Zucchini Slice
    • Crepe Pankakes
  • Preserves
    • Dill Pickles
    • Father's Jalapenos
    • Bubbies Pickles
    • Balsamic Eggplant
    • Tomatoes Canned & Dried
    • Pickled Beets
    • Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
  • Mexican
  • Cocktails
  • Draft Recipes
    • Recipe Template
    • Salmon Parcels
    • Roast Turkey
    • Turkey Pie
    • Eggplant Mousaka (Vegetarian)
    • Shepherd's Pie Two Ways
  • OurJane