• 3 beets (2 cut into bite size pieces one grated)
  • 3 carrots cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 small onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 2 small potatoes skinned and cut into bigger bite size chunks
  • 1/4 head of white cabbage shredded
  • 6 cups of stock
  • 3 tbl tomato paste
  • 1 tbl sugar
  • 2 tbl of fresh parsley
  • 2 tbl of fresh dill
  • 1/2 a lemon

i am almost afraid to tell you what this is…why you might ask? because borscht has a bad name. wait, don’t go away!

i was never a huge fan of beets until a couple years ago, even then the only way i would eat them was in salads. i would of never thought 10 years ago i would be eating beets in tarts, risotto or even spreads. but i am, and i love them.

here’s a little history for you. not only do i have russian blood but also polish. my great grandmother on my mom’s side is off the boat russian. my nana (great grandmother) on my dad’s, off the boat from poland. both immigrated here as young adults. with them they brought many traditions, one being food. when we went to visit nana she always had something cooking for us. she never owned a recipe book, which means most of her recipes are gone, but some of them like cheesecake my uncle has (hey uncle d, pass that recipe on!). one of the many dishes she made for us was borscht. my mom claims that she would never eat it, but i remember it, not eating it unfortunately, turning up my nose to it. i had no idea what i was missing.

i spent years after college in greenpoint (brooklyn) where they have a very heavy polish population. not only could you get the best pierogi or kielbasa, but borscht. not just red bloody borscht but borscht full of cabbage and potatoes, sort of like this one (it was a meal in a bowl). my favorite however was white borscht. served with a hard boiled egg. oh man, it was heavenly. during my first pregnancy with j, i craved it and would stop on my way home from work and grab a bowl (as well as doughnuts).

this recipe i came across just last night by accident. i just looked at the picture and knew i had to make it. the recipe looked awesome, it was seriously one of the best soups i have ever had. it was full of veggies and the broth, oh man, the broth, full of dill and parsley, just delicious. if you love cabbage, or remember your grandma making this, make it. you will thank me and the original blog i found it on.

by the way, if anyone has a recipe for white borscht, please pass it on. if you have a recipe you love for red borscht, pass that on too.

borscht     adapted from mango & tomato (russian borscht)
just a note: i made this into more of a one pot meal. for me, cooking in steps or different pots sometimes is just more complicated.
  1. in a dutch oven heat up a tbl of olive oil. add your beets, carrots, onion and garlic. saute for about 10 minutes until the vegetables start to really cook down and almost carmalize.
  2. Add stock, potatoes and shredded cabbage to the pot. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add paste, sugar, dill and parsley.
  3. continue cooking on a simmer for about 1/2 an hour.
  4. add lemon and season with salt and pepper.
  5. if you are used to a sweeter broth, add more sugar.
  6. ladle into a bowl and serve with a scoop of sour cream. it’s a meal in a bowl.
i wonder if i can make this in my crock pot and add stew meat?
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