Borscht From Kiev
Submitted by bob86
Authentic Ukrainian borscht from Kiev with beef chuck, ham bone, oven-roasted beets, cabbage, potatoes, and prunes for subtle sweetness. Topped with sour cream, dill, and crumbled bacon. Serves 12.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is borscht the way they make it in Kiev, and you can taste the difference in every spoonful.
A rich stock builds from beef chuck, soup bones, and a meaty ham bone simmered with turnip, celery, dill, parsley, bay leaves, and whole peppercorns tied in a cloth bag for easy removal.
The beets get roasted in foil until tender, which concentrates their earthy sweetness and keeps that deep crimson color intact.
Onions, carrot, bell pepper, and shredded cabbage cook separately in a cast iron skillet before joining the strained stock with potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, and a few chopped prunes that add a quiet, old-world sweetness balanced by a squeeze of lemon.
A touch of honey rounds out the flavor. Cubed beef and scooped bone marrow go back in at the end.
Serve in deep bowls with sour cream, fresh dill, chopped parsley, and crumbled bacon on top. Feeds a crowd of 12.
Chef Tips
- Roasting the beets instead of boiling them gives a deeper, sweeter flavor and preserves that brilliant red color.
- Tie your dill sprigs, parsley, peppercorns, celery, and bay leaves in cheesecloth so straining the stock is effortless.
- The prunes are a traditional Kievan touch. They dissolve into the broth and add a gentle sweetness you can’t quite place but would miss if it weren’t there.
- Make this a day ahead. Ukrainian grandmothers will tell you borscht always tastes better on the second day.
Ingredients
Directions
All ingredients marked with the { * } are to be placed in a small cloth bag. Tie the bag shut and place into the stock pot.
Place meat bones, meat, and water in alarge stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Skim the foam as needed. Add the remaining stock ingredients, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Wash, dry, and peel the beets.
Wrap them in aluminum foil and bake in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool, and dice ¼ inch.
Remove the ham bone, meat and marrow bones from the stock.
Set the marrow bones aside.
Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot.
Discard the solids.
Bring the stock to a boil add the tomatos, potatos and salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes on low heat covered.
Cook the onions, carrot, and Bell pepper in a castiron skillet for approx. 5 minutes.
Stir in the cabbage and continue to cook the vegetables for 10 more minutes.
Remove the begetables from heat and add to the stock.
Sprinkle the juice of a lemon over the beets and add them to the stock.
Add the tomatos, tomato paste, and honey to the stock and continue to remove the meat from the bones, strip the marrow out of the marrow bones, and cube the beef ½ inch and add all of this to the stock and cook for 15 minutes more.
Remove from heat and serve after adding a generous dollop of sour cream to each bowl.
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