Borscht is one of those soups that I have been making for years. It's a hearty winter soup, that uses root vegetables, and normally has a beef base. Though I use beets in mine, which is found in the Ukrainian version, there are a number of different ways to make this soup. Depending on what region of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia your recipe is from, is what the main ingredients your version will have.
For this particular version, there were two things I did that are completely optional, but add a richness of flavor you don't normally have. Firstly, I short smoked the pot roast prior to cooking it, and secondly I roasted the beets. Though both of these steps are mainly flavor enhancers, the roasting of the beets make it easier to peel, and easier to use.
Additionally, when I make borscht, I normally make a thicker version as opposed to broth heavier versions. To do this I both puree a portion of the soup so that the broth itself becomes thicker, and I also finish it with sour cream, in addition to the sour cream on top. Both of these steps are also optional, but I find that pureeing a portion of the soup gives you a better mouthfeel, and finishing it with sour cream gives the base a light tang which mimics the "traditional" use of beet sour.
Ingredients
Beets, roasted, peeled and diced 7 ea
Oil 1/4 cup
Cabbage, chopped 1 ea
Carrots, chopped 4 ea
Tomatoes, chopped 2 ea
Garlic, sliced 4 ea
Onion, chopped 2 ea
Pot Roast, seared and diced 2-3#
Chicken Stock 3 qt
Water 1 qt
Sour Cream 2 cups, plus garnish
Bay Leaves 3 ea
Vodka 1/4 cup
Butter 2 oz
Salt and Pepper to taste
Avenue Spice 3 T
Caraway Seeds 2 T
Smoked Paprika 2 T
Mustard Seed 2 tsp
Garnish
Sour Cream, Parsley
Method of Procedure
Marinate your pot roast with 1 T avenue spice, 1 T smoked paprika, and and 1 T of caraway seeds overnight.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Season your beets whole with oil, salt and pepper, and place in a oven safe dish. Cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil then roast for 1 hour until you can push a knife through easily. Set aside and let cool. Once cooled peel beets with your hands and dice.
*Get a cast iron pan hot and sear your pot roast hard on all sides. Smoke hard for around 2 hours.
Dice your pot roast into manageable sizes.
Create a sachet with your bay leaves, mustard seeds, and 1 T of caraway seeds.
Saute your onions and garlic in butter until softened.
Add your diced pot roast and sear on all sides. Once seared hard add your vodka to deglaze the pan. Add your avenue spice and remaining smoked paprika.
Add your beets, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, and sachet then continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes while stirring.
Put your chicken stock and water into the pan and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for around 2 hours.
Remove 3 cups of the the soup and place into a blender. **Puree until liquid then incorporate back into the soup.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
**To serve, remove 6 oz. of soup into a separate pot and add 2 T of sour cream. Bring to heat while stirring. Garnish with sour cream and parsley.
*If you are not smoking your pot roast you can skip this step
**Another way to incorporate the sour cream is to take some of the pureed soup whisk it slowly into the sour cream. If you are serving it all at once I would recommend this way. If you are eating it in small batches I would recommend finishing it individually, because if you decide to freeze the soup, it will thaw better without the sour cream added.