Question by oops: is this the way to make the Russian dish Borscht ?
i know there are different recipes so i am not asking for the exact recipe. Im just telling you my style and if you can improve it
First i boil vegetables ( including beet and potatoes ) in beef stock
Then i make a thin gravy paste out of onion tomato and cabbage and beef cubes
Then i mash some potatoes from the beef stock with sour cream and mix everything together
ok ?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Terry J
The number of ways to make Borscht are as varied as the ways to make beef stew. Borscht is a winter stew, made with whatever is available at the time. Some add cabbage, celery, potatoes….. The main ingredient, that is never left out is the beets. Beef broth is a standard, but not a necessity. Any meat will work as a stand in, or no meat if there is none available at the time of making the Borscht.
Usually, the sour cream, if it is available, is floated on top of the soup, rather than blended with part of the stew, eg. potatoes. Many recipes call for tomatoes, many do not. The main texture of Borscht is generally thin and clear unless reheated, and then it does get cloudy and thicken somewhat with the starches from the root vegetables.
Your recipe will work, and I will try it, because like stew, I do prefer it left-over, with some body. Chili, stew, and borscht all improve with age.
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Blanka says
The real russian borscht cannot be without beet. You do the meat in different pot, the veggies (add sauerkraut) in different and the beet in different. Add lemon to the beets because if you don't, they loose their color and little bit of sugar is good too. They will be ready in different times, but when they all are add all of them in one pot, boil for a while not long though, and you're done.
Good luck
Rozmin says
I've never had Borsch the way you describe (not saying it doesn't sound tasty, though). I have the Borsch recipe I use on my blog here: http://rozminsrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/12/friday…
I know it's authentic because it's how my BF's mom makes it (he's from Ukraine). The only difference is she fries beets and carrots separately: beets in butter, carrots in oil, and then mixes them together before adding tomato paste.
The basic main ingredients for the soup are: beef broth, cabbage, potatoes, beets, carrot, tomato paste, a little vinegar and sugar. Sometimes people use tomato paste and tomatoes. And sometimes people add bell pepper. I've never seen or eaten a version with celery in it, although sometimes people add other things just before serving. I've had Borsch that had prunes added in the last few minutes of cooking, and Borsch with olives in it. A little flour can be added with the beets and carrots to thicken a bit. But the basic main ingredients are always there, because contrary to what you may hear, it's not Borsch if it has just anything available in it. There is a fairly specific combo of ingredients and method that will yield a soup that can be recognized as authentic Borsch, and not as just beet soup.
Generally, if you add a few things to the traditional ingredients, people will still say it's Borsch, but if you take away one of the main things, they won't. And if you add everything but the kitchen sink, it will also not be recognizable as Borsch.
The procedure is to boil the cabbage and potatoes (shredded and cubed respectively), and to fry the beets and carrots in butter and sunflower oil (they are shredded). I have used both raw and pre-cooked beets. With the raw ones, I fry them first and let them cook for about 15 minutes before adding the carrots. With the pre-cooked ones I let them cook together. When the beets and carrots are soft enough, tomato paste (and sometimes chopped/chrushed tomatoes) are stirred in to the mix, along with a bit of vinegar and sugar (about 1 T each, lemon juice can be used instead of vinegar). This cooks together a couple of minutes, and then is added to the cabbage and potatoes that are in the broth. The cooked meat from the broth (which at the very start was removed and cut into small pieces) is added back in, everything is allowed to heat together for 5-10 minutes, and then you can serve. It's even better the next day.
To serve: In Ukraine some people put some crushed/minced garlic in the bowl before serving. For both Russian and Ukrainian serving style, top the bowl of Borsch with a dollop of sour cream and chopped dill and parsley. This is usually all mixed together before eating. With a different dish, cold Borsch, that is served in the summer, a dollop of sour cream is placed in the center, and usually not mixed together. People generally in that case take a tiny bit of cream with each spoonful of soup.
If you're interested, I have many other Russian recipes on my blog.