Russian Cookbook

3 lbs beef brisket
2 onions, chopped
1 parsley root
1 bay leaf
5 raw beets
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 carrots, sliced
4 potatoes
1 small head cabbage, shredded
3 slices bacon
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 taBLESPOON fresh parsley, chopped
a bowl of sour cream

Cover the brisket with cold water. Add 1 onion, parsley root, bay leaf, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours or more until the beef is tender. Remove the meat, skim off any grease, strain the soup stock and reheat.

Peel the beets, then cut them into shoestring strips. Cook them, covered, over low heat, with the tomato sauce, lemon juice, and 1/2 C of the beef stock. Meanwhile, add the carrots to the broth and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks. Add the shredded cabbage. When all the vegetables are tender, add the beets and the sauce in which they cooked to the soup.

Dice the bacon. Fry it together with the remaining onion. Strain off fat, then add the mixture to the soup. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil once, garnish with parsley, and then let the borshch sit for 15 minutes before serving with sour cream on the side.

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1 bunch red beets
2-3 carrots
1 onion
1 potato
2 tablespoons oil
10 chicken bouillon cubes
1 head green cabbage (optional)
Fresh parsley
Fresh dill

Shred the beets and carrots.
Dice the onion.
Cube potato
Heat oil in a large stir-fry pan.
Add beets, carrots and onions.
After 5-10 min add potato.
Cook until veggies are done (sort of soft).
In the meantime boil 10 cups of water in large pan.
Add 10 chicken bouillon cubes and dissolve (can be beef bouillon also).
Add the veggies (If using cabbage add shredded cabbage now as well).
Add fresh dill, fresh parsley, salt, seasoned and pepper.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cover.
The longer you cook the soup the stronger the flavor, put it on low-med and simmer for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Check throughout to add spices.
Serve cold or warm with sour cream.

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8 cups beef stock
1/2 medium head of cabbage, finely shredded
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large red beet, shredded
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon bacon fat
2 teaspoons sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 peeled tomatoes, chopped (4 canned tomatoes are fine)
1 carrot, sliced
1 parsley root or 1/2 parsnip
6 peppercorns
3 allspice berries
3 bay leaves
1 whole head of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons bacon fat
fresh parsley, chopped
Sour cream for garnish

Heat the stock in a large soup pot, add cabbage and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, mix the beets, vinegar, bacon fat, sugar, and tomatoes in a saucepan and cook gently, covered, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In another small pan, heat the butter, mix in the onion, carrot, and parsley root (or parsnip), and braise.

When the cabbage and potatoes are finished simmering, add the beet mixture, the onion mixture, the peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves, and cook another 10 minutes.

Stir in the chopped garlic, the remaining bacon fat, and the chopped parsley. Then turn the heat down to a very low simmer, lightly cover the pot, and simmer very slowly for about 4½ hours. Turn off the heat, let cool, and allow to ripen for about 12-18 hours.

When ready to serve, reheat gently then ladle into bowls. Top each with a teaspoonful of sour cream and serve with a slice of dark rye bread.

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1 onion, chopped
2 beets, grated
3 carrots, grated
1 potato, cubed
2 tablespoons oil
4 cups water
1 head cabbage, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish
Dill, for garnish

In a large skillet, brown the onions, beets, carrots, and potato separately in oil, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes.

In a large pot, bring water to boil. When water is boiling, add the cabbage, green pepper, and celery; the vegetables will cool the water, so bring it back to boil. Then add the browned vegetables from the skillet, salt, and pepper; simmer until the vegetables are soft but not mushy, about 20 minutes, then add the tomato juice.

Serve hot, topped with a generous dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill.

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