I learned this recipe from a woman named Lena in Moscow in 1983. This was a time when the ingredients–potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage–were all sold from small produce stores that resembled above-ground root cellars; I can still smell their mildly dank, earthy odor. The vegetables were in huge bins, still with dirt from the fields, and were weighed out and poured unceremoniously into the bags you always tried to have on hand (plastic shopping bags from the West in those days were a coveted item). The price was sometimes reckoned with an abacus, and was pretty cheap.
There are as many versions of borscht as there are families, and many recipes call for meat, some for kidney beans, and there will be many claims of authenticity (only my mother makes true borscht!). The Polish version, barszcz (czysty), is a clear broth, and always served with a pasteczik, a small pastry with patè. Russian-style borscht is served as the soup course, usually with bread; dark Russian rye is the best. Lena’s version, Moscow-style borscht, always turns out well, and I’ve often thought of short-cuts, but have more or less remained true to this recipe, which makes quite a lot (probably enough for 8-10 people).
The recipe (ingredients given in steps):
1. Peel 4-5 potatoes; dice, put in a big kettle of vegetable or chicken stock (from concentrate or homemade, about 3 quarts)
2. Chop one small head of cabbage, put in water with potatoes; put on high heat, bring to boil, then simmer. (add a bay leaf, ground pepper)
3. Peel and dice four large/six medium beets; place in water to cover, add 1/4 cup vinegar (this will help retain the color), bring to boil, simmer.
4. Peel and grate 6 large carrots; 3-4 large beets; saute in butter or oil, until one color (they’ll turn purple). Add to potato/cabbage kettle.
5. Peel and dice finely 2 large onions/2 medium onions; saute in butter/oil until golden brown. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic. Saute another minute, then add to main kettle.
6. Add one small (8 oz.) can of tomato paste. Stir into main kettle.
7. Add simmering, diced beets w/ vinegar. Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste (optional).
Let whole thing simmer for 1/2 hour or more; add more bouillon or salt/pepper to taste. If it seems thick, add some liquid.
Serve with sour cream, and chopped fresh dill if you have it. In a pinch, you can use frozen dill. For how to freeze dill, see my post on Dill.
Приятного аппетита! (That’s Russian for bon apetit!)
FoodIowa 