Borscht

Ingredients

  • 1 large cabbage red/green

  • 12 cups beef/vegetable/chicken broth, any broth will work, I like beef bone broth

  • 1 large onion

  • 4 large potatoes

  • 3 medium carrots

  • 3 garlic cloves (or more, see above)

  • 3 bay leaves (or more, depends on how slav you are) :D

  • 1/4 cup dill or parsley or both

  • lard/sunflower oil

  • 6 oz can tomato paste

  • 1 tbsp white vinegar

  • Pinch of sugar / maple syrup

  • black pepper (to taste)

  • salt (to taste)

  • sour cream (sub yogurt)

  • (Optional) MSG (Use a lot more than you think you should)

  • (OPtional) Sour Dough/Rye toast

  • (Optional) Kielbasa Sausage/beans/beef any protein

Directions

  • Get your broth heating up in the pot you want a low boil, add your bay leaves in.

  • While waiting prep the veggies

  • Shred the cabbage

  • Dice/shred the onion (I prefer shredded gives it a nice texture)

  • Dice/shred carrots (^)

  • Matchstick the beets.

  • Cube potatoes (Can be peeled or unpeeled, I prefer unpeeled)

  • Once broth is boiling, add cabbage cover bring to a boil then reduce to low heat to cook for about 20 minutes

  • While that is happening you are going to saute the other veggies.

  • Add your oil get it up to about medium heat, add your onions and carrots, saute until the onions just start to brown, go ahead and throw that in the pot.

  • Add your matchsticked beets and repeat the process, it’s hard to tell when they’ve browned just try and dry them out a bit, don’t fret the red will come off the pan with a bit of scrubbing, once done toss them in the pot

  • At this point add your potatoes, tomato paste, mix it up then salt to taste, remember you want it a touch salty to compesate for the potatoes, and beets which will just suck up the salt, cook for about 20 minutes on low heat

  • While that is cooking it’s time to get your protein ready, I generally opt for kielbasa

  • Cut your kielbasa into small about 2 cm thick medallions.

  • put just a touch of oil in your pan, heat it up, fry the kielbasa until it just starts to get some good black bits.

  • Add kielbasa to pot, turn off the heat.

  • Add vinegar, sugar, garlic, pepper, and the main ingredient MSG.

  • Let it sit for about 10 minutes for the flavors to marry.

  • Add dill, and adjust any seasonings.