Borscht

Recipe submitted by: Aleksey Kildeev, Grade 11

Ingredients:

• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, divided

• 1 (560 grams) section bone-in beef shank with a lot of meat, or 450 gram beef stew meat, excess fat trimmed

• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 8 cups beef broth or beef stock, divided

• 4 large beets (about 680 grams), peeled and chopped

• 4 carrots (500 grams), peeled and chopped

• 1 large russet potato (170 grams), peeled and cut into 1.25 cm cubes

• 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage

• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill, divided

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 cup sour cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Procedure:

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes

1. Brown the beef, then cook the onions: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add the shank slice or stew beef. Let the beef brown lightly on one side, then turn over. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Let the onions cook and soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Add 4 cups broth and simmer until the beef is tender: Pour 4 cups of the beef broth over the beef and onions in the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prep and roast the root vegetables: Preheat the oven to 204°C. Peel and chop the beets, carrots, and potatoes into 1.25 cm pieces. Toss the beets and carrots with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and spread them out in a single layer on a foil lined roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Toss the potatoes with olive oil and make room for them in the roasting pan, and roast everything an additional 15 minutes.

4. Remove the meat from the pot: Once the beef has cooked through until tender, remove from the pot, and take the pot off the heat. If you are using a beef shank, remove and discard any bone, connective tissue, and excess fat. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces.

5. Skim the soup: Skim off any excess fat from the liquid in the pot.

6. Finish cooking the soup:

7. Return the pot to the stove and add the remaining broth, the carrots, beets, and potato. Add the chopped meat to the pot, the sliced cabbage, and a half cup of the fresh dill. Bring to a simmer, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the cabbage is cooked through. Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (I use about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but the amount you use will depend on how salty your beef broth is to begin with.)

The soup is best made a day ahead. (The longer the soup sits, the more it will all turn the deep red colour of beets.) Serve ladled into bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.

Aleksey's personal connection:

This dish is significant to my family and culture because it is closely related to the Slavic traditions of Eastern Europe. Borscht, which originated from Ukraine, is a dish that is eaten by many Ukrainians, Russians, and Polish because of the geographical and religious similarities between them. My family and I eat Borscht semi-regularly with us either buying premade soup or making it ourselves. It turns out delicious because of its customization and many variations, for example, vegetarian borscht can be made with more vegetables to substitute the meat.