Russian Cookbook

2 tablespoons of butter
1 1/ 2 pounds of beets, peeled and cut into strips 1/8 inch wide by 2 inches long (5 cups)
1/ 2 cup of finely chopped onions
1/ 4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts of beef stock
1/ 2 pound of white cabbage, quartered, cored and coarsely shredded
1/ 4 pound of boiled ham, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/ 4 pound all-beef frankfurters, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 pound boiled brisket from the stock, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 sprigs parsley, tied together with 1 bay leaf
1/ 2 cup of finely cut fresh dill or chopped parsley
1 cup of sour cream

Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 15 seconds. Run them under cold water and peel them. Cut out the stem, then slice them in half crosswise. Squeeze the halves gently to remove the juices and seeds then chop them coarsely and set aside

In a 6- to 8-quart pot, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the onions and, stirring frequently, cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are soft but not brown. Stir in the beets, then add the wine vinegar, sugar, chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Pour in 1/ 2 cup of stock, cover the pan and simmer undisturbed for 50 minutes. Pour the remaining stock into the pot and add the chopped cabbage. Bring to a boil, then stir in the ham, frankfurters and beef. Submerge parsley and bay leaf in the soup, add another teaspoon of salt, and simmer, partially covered, for 1/ 2 hour. Transfer the borsch to a large tureen and sprinkle with fresh dill or parsley. Accompany the soup with a bowl of sour cream, to be added to the borsch at the discretion of each diner

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Beef (with or without bones) – 0.7 lbs. (320 g)
Red beets – 1.5 lbs. (700 g)
Cabbage – 0.5 lbs. (200 g);
Potatoes – 0.5 lbs. (200 g)
Carrots – 0.2 lbs. (100 g)
Parsley – 0.7 ounces (20 g)
Onions – 3
Garlic – 0.2 ounces (5 g)
Tomato paste or tomatoes – 2 ounces (50 g) or 2 tomatoes
Sugar – 0.5 teaspoon
Margarine – 2 tablespoons
Vinegar – 0.5 teaspoon
Bay leaf – 1
Bell pepper (red) – 2.5 ounces (75 g) or 1 pepper
Sour cream – 1 tablespoon
Dill – 0.5 teaspoon

Put beef into a large saucepan and cover with 1.2 gal. (4.5 l) cold water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Remove the grease and froth from the broth surface with a spoon. Add one onion. Cook at low heat for 1-2 hours. If beef is with bones, filter the broth.

Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a saucepan. Cut red beets into sticks and add them into the cooking pot. Add sugar, tomato paste or sliced tomato, 0.13 gal. (0.5 l) meat broth. Simmer at low heat for 1.5 hours. Add vinegar.

Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a frying pan. Add chopped onions and carrots cut into sticks. Cover and saute at low heat 250 F. (120 Celsius) for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heat broth to boiling. Add chopped cabbage and potatoes cut into bars. Cook for 5 minutes. Add saute and cook another 10 minutes. Add bell pepper cut into sticks and simmered red beets. Cook another 5 minutes. Add salt, black pepper, and grated garlic. Served with chopped dill and sour cream.

Servings: 3-4.

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2 pound soup meat
1 pound lean fresh pork
1/2 pound smoked pork
10 cups cold water
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
1 bunch soup greens
8 medium-sized beets
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 large onions
3 large potatoes
6 tomatoes or 1 1/2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1 clove garlic
5 frankfurters
1 tbsp butter
1tbsp flour
1/2 cup cooked navy beans

Any kind of smoked pork is good for this soup, but the best flavor is obtained from “smoked backs”. These are inexpensive and wonderfully flavorsome, but have almost no meat on them. They can be served in the soup. If you use smoked backs, you’ll need 1 pound instead of 1/2 pound.

Put your soup meat and your two kinds of pork in a large heavy pot with the water. Bring to a boil. Skim, then add the bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, and soup greens. The soup green should include parsley, Russian parsley, a carrot, celery, and a leek. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, cook 7 beets, unpealed, till tender. Grate 1 raw beet and mix 3 tablespoons of cold water. This is to use for coloring. When the seven beets are done, peel them and cut each beet in eight pieces.

Take the meat out of the soup pot. Discard the smoked backs, if this is what you have used. If you have used a more meaty cut of smoked pork, take it out and put it aside.

Strain the soup; pour it back in the pot; add the beets, cabbage, and the onions and potatoes cut in quarters. Peel and seed the tomatoes before putting them in. Add the vinegar and sugar.

Now put all the pieces of meat. Boil up. Let simmer for one hour. Add cooked navy beans. Cut the frankfurters in thick slices. Add them to the soup 20 minutes before serving.

When you’re ready to eat, skim the excess fat from the soup. Thicken the soup with the flour browned in butter. Add the juice of the raw beet mixed with water. Salt if needed. Cut all the meat in thick slices and put back in the soup. Serve piping hot, with a bowl of sour cream on the side. Very fancy Russian gourmets add strips of cold roast duck to this borsch a few minutes before serving.

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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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