Winter Borscht
Updated September 2, 2015
Natalie Behring for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 pounds beets, trimmed and scrubbed (do not peel)
¾ cup white vinegar
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
5 whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon sugar, more to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Mushroom and onion dumplings (vushka) (optional, see recipe)
Chopped dill, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
19 grams carbs; 4 milligrams cholesterol; 113 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 2 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 659 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 12 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Coarsely chop beets, preferably in a food processor. In a medium pot, combine beets, 4 cups water and vinegar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until beets are soft, about 45 minutes. Strain and set juice aside. (Beets can be used for another purpose, like salad.)
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a deep pot, combine carrot, celery, onion, stock, bay leaves and allspice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Strain and discard aromatics and vegetables.
- Step 3
Combine strained stock and beet juice and simmer 5 minutes. Add sugar, garlic and black pepper. Season to taste with sugar and salt. Serve with dumplings, if desired, and sprinkle with dill.
Private Notes
Comments
The photo above is not the result of this recipe. Unlike the wise reader suggestions to keep some vegetables for body, the final product is actually a wellflavored broth.
Very tasty. The only mod was that I used my Vitamix to puree the beets with their juice instead of removing the solids for a healthier soup. I preferred this cold to hot and probably would omit the garlic next time which distracted a bit from beet flavor.
I didn’t strain the beets or any of the vegetables out and still found it very good, but more like a meal soup that could stand on it’s own. I’d recommend doing it this way or perhaps adding half the beets and veggies in the final version, especially if you are having it without vushka.
what kind of salad would one make with the beet solids?
How do you "coarsely chop" beets in a food processor?
This didn't work for us. It was too acidic and bitter. If I were to do it again, I'd use a tablespoon of vinegar and peel the beets in case it was the skin that made it so bitter. Also, don't use allspice powder in place of the berries--another possible source of bitterness, and it clouds up the broth.