With fresh summer vegetables in the garden centres, the conversation this week is on Borsch. Borsch is actually the national soup of Ukraine. There is no correct way to make borsch as everyone has their own idea on how it should be made. What it is for sure is a Slavic dish that one could not escape from while growing up in a Slavic home. You either like it or not. Some like it fresh , some like it processed in jars. Some like beans, yellow, green or broad or white. Some like it meatless like in Poland and others prefer a meat broth with chunks of meat, like in Ukraine. Personally I prefer a meat broth with pieces of meat and so that is my version of the best borsch. I like it best in the summer when the beets are fresh and everthing else in it is also fresh from the gardens. The old saying " Cheap like Borsch" no longer holds any meaning because if you are buying veggies, it is not cheap anymore to make. Forget about the meat...the veggies cost you more than any meat.
Glamping Baba's Borsch
1 pound pork loin back ribs
(You can substitute 4 chicken drumsticks instead of pork
or 4-5 cubes veggie cubes to water instead of meat)
12 cups water.
1 heaping tsp. salt
5 medium fresh beets with good greens
1 medium onion
3/4 cup raw peas ( or frozen )
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 big clove garlic
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
11/2 tbsp. butter
1 big tablespoon baby dill
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream or whipping cream
A loaf of fresh rye bread and butter.
Rinse off backribs and immerse in 12 cups cold water. Add 1 heaping teaspoom salt. Bring to a boil and skil off foam. Cover and simmer for an hour.
In the meantime peel and grate the raw beets and put into a big bowl. Shred the beet greens. Dice the carrots. Add peas. Add celery.
Just before the meat is ready dice up the onion and garlic and saute in 11/2 tbsp. butter until translucent. Set aside. When meat is cooked, remove from water and dice up in small pieces. Discard the bones. Set meat aside.
Put all the raw veggies into the pot of hot broth and add one can diced tomatoes. Stir evenly and add a good tablespoon of baby dill. Add a bay leaf. Add sauteed onions and garlic. Bring to a boil and skim off foam and cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. About half way through this simmering I add the lemon juice and sugar. Salt and pepper to your preference.When done, remove the bay leaf and discard.
Just before serving I add a smidge of whipping cream or sour cream to the individual bowls. If you prefer a sweeter taste use whipping cream, but if you like it tangier then use sour cream. I like both. If this pot is going into the fridge for leftovers, don't add the cream to the pot. It reheats nicer with no cream...then add to whatever your taste buds prefer in the moment.
Sometimes I even add a can of pork and beans to this borsch.
And if I don't have beet greens I shread a bit of cabbage. Just makes the soup heavier.
If you want your money's worth here..buy a big package of sweet and sour ribs and simmer them. Take out meat when done, set aside and keep warm. Make your soup in the broth but leave the meat alone. Boil new baby potatoes in a separate pot. Have your borsch, then serve baby potatoes smothered in butter and dill, salt and pepper and nice simmered pork ribs alongside that. Hmm, hmm, good!
So on a nice rainy evening like today, a bowl of hot borsch for supper and a slice of buttered rye sounds hmm,hmm good.
Glamping Baba's Borsch
1 pound pork loin back ribs
(You can substitute 4 chicken drumsticks instead of pork
or 4-5 cubes veggie cubes to water instead of meat)
12 cups water.
1 heaping tsp. salt
5 medium fresh beets with good greens
1 medium onion
3/4 cup raw peas ( or frozen )
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 big clove garlic
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
11/2 tbsp. butter
1 big tablespoon baby dill
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream or whipping cream
A loaf of fresh rye bread and butter.
Rinse off backribs and immerse in 12 cups cold water. Add 1 heaping teaspoom salt. Bring to a boil and skil off foam. Cover and simmer for an hour.
In the meantime peel and grate the raw beets and put into a big bowl. Shred the beet greens. Dice the carrots. Add peas. Add celery.
Just before the meat is ready dice up the onion and garlic and saute in 11/2 tbsp. butter until translucent. Set aside. When meat is cooked, remove from water and dice up in small pieces. Discard the bones. Set meat aside.
Put all the raw veggies into the pot of hot broth and add one can diced tomatoes. Stir evenly and add a good tablespoon of baby dill. Add a bay leaf. Add sauteed onions and garlic. Bring to a boil and skim off foam and cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. About half way through this simmering I add the lemon juice and sugar. Salt and pepper to your preference.When done, remove the bay leaf and discard.
Just before serving I add a smidge of whipping cream or sour cream to the individual bowls. If you prefer a sweeter taste use whipping cream, but if you like it tangier then use sour cream. I like both. If this pot is going into the fridge for leftovers, don't add the cream to the pot. It reheats nicer with no cream...then add to whatever your taste buds prefer in the moment.
Sometimes I even add a can of pork and beans to this borsch.
And if I don't have beet greens I shread a bit of cabbage. Just makes the soup heavier.
If you want your money's worth here..buy a big package of sweet and sour ribs and simmer them. Take out meat when done, set aside and keep warm. Make your soup in the broth but leave the meat alone. Boil new baby potatoes in a separate pot. Have your borsch, then serve baby potatoes smothered in butter and dill, salt and pepper and nice simmered pork ribs alongside that. Hmm, hmm, good!
So on a nice rainy evening like today, a bowl of hot borsch for supper and a slice of buttered rye sounds hmm,hmm good.
How delicious does this look served in your dishes?
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