RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Borscht, Winter - meat
This is from an article in the NY Times, January 28, 1998, by Barbara Kafka (whose "Microwave Gourmet" is one of my favorite cookbooks). She writes: "Borscht, the ideal cold-weather soup, easily serves as dinner on a frosty night, and it adapts itself to a number of accompaniments. Borscht is actually a category of soup, as there are literally hundreds of variations: meat-based or vegetarian, hot or cold, elegant or rustic ... Cabbage is almost always a component of hot borscht, as it is in the recipes here. It may be white or red. I particularly like the red, because it adds a wine flavor. When red cabbage is used, the amount of vinegar called for the recipe may have to be increased, because this preserves the color. "... For Passover, cooks with a lot of patience can make a borscht that has rossl as its base (rossl is made by fermenting beets in water for a month). Discerning cooks prize this base for its special flavor and use it instead of water. "There is even a white borscht made with cabbage and the winter vegetables found in the other full-bodied borschts. "... Many if not most borschts are topped with dill: do not chop it too finely, or it will feel gritty in the mouth." WINTER BORSCHT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Total time: 3 hours 45 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings 2 pounds beef shin with bone, cut across in 2-inch pieces 1 small onion with skin, cut in half 2 medium carrots, peeled; 1 quartered, 1 grated 3 medium red beets, scrubbed well 6 tablespoons tomato paste 4 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 1/2 pound red cabbage, shredded 2 medium tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar 1 pound firm potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and cooked in boiling salted water until tender 2 teaspoons kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/3 cup chopped dill For the garnish: 1/2 boiled firm potato per person, optional Chopped dill 1. In a medium saucepan, cover the beef with 6 cups water. Stir in the onion and quartered carrot. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam and fat that rises to the surface. Lower the heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and measure the liquid; there should be about 4 1/2 cups. Reserve the liquid and the meat. 2. Return the beef and strained liquid to the pan. Bring to a boil. Add the beets, and return to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the tip of a knife easily pierces the beets. Remove the beets, and allow to cool slightly. Peel them, and grate coarsely. Return the grated beets to the soup. 3. Dissolve the tomato paste in 1/2 cup of the soup, and stir back into the pot. Stir in the garlic, grated carrot, cabbage, tomatoes, bay leaf, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour 30 minutes. 4. Remove the meat, and discard the bones. Slice the meat 1/2-inch thick, and stir into the soup, along with the cubed potatoes, salt, pepper and the 1/3 cup dill. Return to a boil for 2 minutes. 5. If desired, place a half potato in the bottom of each large bowl. Ladle in the soup. Top with a sprinkling of dill. Ruth
