TanyaBorscht to Russian cuisine is like Peter the Great to Russian history.
The origin of borscht is debatable, though. The Eastern Europeans, the Ukrainians, the Ashkenazi Jews, the Russians claim borscht as their original dish. Some folks even apply the name of borscht to other soups but I prefer to stick with the beet-based version.
It’s more than just a soup. It has become a part of national identity, pride and culinary propaganda. Beets give borscht its famous red color. Red is krasniy, and krasniy is krasiviy, or beautiful.
The ingredients may also vary, but svyokla (beet) is significant. It’s the queen of the principal recipe. Without it, borscht loses its beauty, flavor and uniqueness.
Borscht is a very healthy soup. It, of course, depends on how you cook it. It can be meat based or vegetarian, cold or hot. There are as many versions of borscht as there are cooks.
As a child, I never liked borscht, evoking my mother’s indignation. She just couldn’t accept the fact that I didn’t appreciate her home cooked sweet and sour masterpiece. I remember eating the liquid part leaving the vegetables for my grandma who usually came to my rescue finishing up everything in my bowl and making my mother happy. A friend in need was a friend indeed.
Today, borscht is one of my favorite soups. I cook it the way my mother used to – the vegetarian way.
3 large beets, beet leaves, 1/4 of cabbage head, 3 carrots, 1 sweet onion, 5 garlic cloves, 3 celery stalks, 1/2 of rutabagas, 1 potato, 1 large tomato, 5 pickled beets (optional), 1 tbsp of vinegar, parsley, bay leaves and dill are the main ingredients, but I sometimes add beans instead of potatoes, as well as mushrooms.
Fill a saucepan with 3/4 of water, add 2-3 bay leaves, a dozen of black peppercorns, salt to taste, 1 tsp of sugar (optional) and bring to a boil.
Add chopped cabbage and potatoes, reduce heat and simmer.
In the meantime, the hardvegetables, such as beets with stalks and leaves, carrots, rutabagas, onion, celery, and garlic are cut and lightly sautéed in olive oil before they go into the saucepan.
The sweetness comes from beets, carrots and onions. I usually add a few pickled beets and a tablespoon of vinegar for sour taste. At the very end, I grate one beef tomato right into borscht. The taste should be sweet and sour, and well balanced. Taste to adjust.
Because the process of cutting is tedious, I usually cook borscht to classical Russian music – Borodin or Mussorgsky are the best choice. It creates the necessary theatrics and, I truly believe, adds quality to the taste of borscht.
It’s good to let borscht stand for a couple of hours after it’s done, or even longer. My Mom used to say that it tastes even better the next day. Eat it with sour cream, dill and a shot of pepper vodka (optional).
One more thing – to add some Ukrainian flavor, you can eat borscht with salo on rye bread. Don’t worry about extra fat – the pepper vodka will take care of it.
Na zdorovie!
P.S. The food featuring in this post has been prepared and photographed by me.
