Russian Cookbook

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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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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