Borsch

There are many versions of Borsch. This is the version I grew up with minus the jalapeno. We also do not pronounce it with a “t” at the end but with a "sh".

Stock Ingredients:

• 1 Chuck Roast or 7 Bone Roast
• 1 onion
• 1-3 celery stalks with leaves
• 2-3 carrots
• 2 bay leaves
• 5-10 peppercorns
• Salt to taste

Using a large stock pot, cover rinsed meat with water. Add all the remaining stock ingredients and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Simmer until roast is fork tender.  Remove Roast to oven safe pan. Strain the stock.


While stock is simmering prepare soup ingredients.
Soup Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 Jalapeno, diced (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 cans (approx 15 oz. each) stewed tomatoes, blended
• 1 head of green cabbage cut in shreds
• 3 carrots grated
• 2-3 potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)
• 1/2-small bunch of dill chopped or more according to taste
• 1 handful of chopped Italian parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional – 1 can of Garbanzo beans rinsed and drained

At this stage you can season the roast well and put in 325 degree oven to cook further and infuse some flavor into it to serve along side the Borsch.

1. Saute onion, bell pepper, celery, and jalapeno (optional), in oil. 
2. When these ingredients are soft blend them in a blender with the 2 cans of stewed tomatoes. 
3. Add this mixture to the prepared stock and then add the rest of the ingredients. 
4. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until all the vegetables are done.

In the photo above I used an immersion blender to blend the sauteed vegetables with the stewed tomatoes. I think it is more efficient to use a regular blender.

Serve the Borsch with good bread, a dollop of sour cream, and slices of the prepared roast. I really went overboard and made a huge pot. I ended up freezing 7 containers to share or have at a later date.

We grew up eating borsch. I’m sad to say I really hated it when I was little. I’d sit in front of the bowl trying to get it down and it was difficult. One of the reasons why was the chunks of tomato that were in the soup. That’s why this method is much preferred to me where you blend a lot of the vegetables and eliminate many of the chunks in the soup. Today I don’t mind chunky soup but for Borsch I still prefer this method. There are many variations of borsch. Some people chop up or shred the meat and put it into the soup. My mother always prepared the meat from the stock pot to the oven and added some potatoes to cook with the roast. She then served it on the side. At this point if you wanted to add it into the soup you were free to do so. Instead of adding the sour cream to the soup growing up we’d spread the slice of bread with sour cream instead of butter to eat along with the Borsch.