Best Borscht Beet Soup Recipes

A BETTER BORSCHT (BEET) SOUP

Steps:

• Place pork hocks in a stock pot and cover with 6 cups cold water (or enough to really cover them. Cover and place over fire until the hocks come to a boil.
• While this is coming to a boil, chop your onions, celery, carrots and beans.
• When the pot has boiled there will be a lot of foam at the top of the pot, Pour everything out and rinse the pot and meat well, then move to step 4. This is so that you don't have floaty things in the soup later (personally I often miss this step and don't mind the results at all). If you decide to miss cleaning everything just move straight to step 4 right away. Otherwise, you need to add 6 cups (or more, you need enough to cover them) clean cold water before step 4.
• Add the garlic, seasonings and the chopped vegetables.
• Bring the pot back to a boil, turn down and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the pork hock is loosened and tender.
• Remove the pork hock from the pot and cool. Return the stock to the fire and continue simmering until you've moved to the next step. While the pork hock is cooling, chop the potato and prepare the first four beets.
• To prepare the beets, peel them, cut them lengthwise in half (through the stem and top), turn cut side down and slice into 1/8" thin slices across the width of the beet. Lay the slices down and cut these into 1'8" slices across the width of the beet. This method gives the prettiest presentation.
• Add the potato to the pot and return the soup to a slow boil, then add the beet slices. DO NOT LET THE SOUP BOIL ONCE THE BEETS ARE ADDED OR IT WILL LOSE IT'S COLOR.
• While this is coming up to heat, clean the pork hock and return them to the pot. Make sure to get all the ugly bits and fat, but leave the meat as whole as you can, better to shred it in you bowl! Trust me!
• Leave this to simmer very slowly until the potato is cooked and the beets are tender. Meanwhile, chop the beet stalks (if they are tender) and the leaves; and peel and grate the final 2 beets.
• Add the peas and tops/leaves to the pot. When the peas are cooked add the grated beets (this is more to thicken the soup and add back any color that may have been lost before; and also DH loves the addition of shredded beat to this cause that's the way his mom made borscht). Continue to cook VERY SLOWLY.
• Once everything is tender you can finally add the dill and 1/2 teaspoon of sour salt. Tasting is important here, I usually add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of sour salt myself, but I prefer it a bit sour.
• I taste all the way through because I love the way the flavor builds, but it is very important at the end. Adjust the dill, salt and sour salt carefully, with some practice you'll find a soup that everyone loves.
• Add more water if this soup begins looking dry, but it is a thick soup so doesn't require a lot of broth - cream will be added at the table.
• You can park the soup overnight in the fridge and remove all the fat that rises the next day. This soup is excellent on day 1 but even better day 2, and healthier when the fat is removed.
• The broth shouldn't be sweet (the sweetness will happen with every bite) and it should have a bit of a sour tang (I like mine quite sour)and a taste of dill (and quite dilly). The soup SHOULD NEVER be salty because the meat may call for some seasoning in the bowl.
• This soup is better the next day, and may be put in jars and canned (10 minutes in a water bath) or frozen (but I find the beans go off when it's frozen so would leave them out in this case).
• Add sour cream or whipped cream at the table as a garnish. More fresh dill is pretty and tasty as well.
• Ask my friend Katlin - he loves this soup!

GRANDMA'S BORSCHT (POLISH BEET SOUP)

Steps:

• caramelize the onion in some olive oil.
• Add the potatoes and fry for about 2 minutes, careful not to let the onions and potatoes stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a bit more oil if necessary.
• Add the vegetable stock and carrots. If you use fresh green beans, add them at this point. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender.
• Add the beets, green beans, bay leaf, and dill. Simmer for a couple of hours. Serve with sour cream if desired.

SUMMER BEET BORSCHT (COLD SOUP)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375. Line sheet pan with aluminum foil. Leave skin on beets lightly coat with olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes or longer until tender. After roasting, pull foil around beets to enclose, sit out to cool completely.
• 2. In large bowl whisk sour creams, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Peel cooled beets by rubbing the skins off or using paring knife(hint, use gloves for rubbing skins off to prevent staining of your hands.) Dice beets to 1/2 to 1 inch cubes. Add beets, cucumber, scallion and dill to soup mixture.
• 3. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours, overnight is better. Season with salt again if needed and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and dill sprig.

BORSCHT (BEET SOUP)

Steps:

• Crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Fill a large pot halfway with broth and bring to a boil. If using sausage add to broth, and bring back to a boil. Add the beets and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots, potatoes and garlic, simmer until tender (about 15 min). Add the cabbage and the can of diced tomatoes.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Simmer another 5-10 minutes, and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper and sugar) to your liking. Cover, turn off heat and let soup stand for about five minutes.
• Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley.

BORSCHT (COLD BEET SOUP)

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot, combine beets, onion, water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, partially covered for an hour, or until beets are very tender when pricked with a sharp knife.
• 2. Romove beets with a slotted spoon and slice thinly in julienne strips.Place in a bowl. Remove the onion from cooking liquid. Return the beets and any juice given off of beets to the cooking liquid. Add the lemon juice and the sugar. Return to a simmer and cook for an additional 3o minutes, partially covered. Taste for sweet and sour seasoning, adjusting to please your taste. Refrigerate and chill very well. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and add a cold piece of potato if you like.

COLD BEET BORSCHT (SOUP)

Steps:

• Note: Keep Buttermilk chilled.
• Cube and boil potatoes in salted water for 15 mins, drain and set aside to
• cool.
• Using a hand grater; finely grate the onion and cucumber into a large bowl.
• Thinly shred the beets, also using the hand grater, and add to bowl.
• Now, add the buttermilk, sour cream, chopped eggs, salt, and dill weed. Stir until all ingredients are well blended.
• Put some of the boiled potatoes in individual soup bowl, pour soup over, and
• enjoy. (Sometimes, if I have green onions available, I will slice them up
• and saute in margarine, and pour over the potatoes before adding the
• buttermilk.) -- YUMMY!

GRANDMA'S BORSCHT (BEET SOUP)

Steps:

• 1. Peel and cut your beets into thin shoe strings. Add onion, bay leaf, pork neck bones, parsley, salt, celery stalk and beets into a stock pot with water. Simmer until beets are tender.
• 2. Remove Stalk of Celery and bay leaf. Add cider vinegar a tablespoon at a time to the soup. VERY IMPORTANT! BE A TASTER! You need to taste the liquid for the tartness that you prefer, so be sure to only add a Tbsp at a time.
• 3. In a bowl mix the sour cream, flour and egg. Beat together. Add a little of the hot soup to this mixture (about 1 cup) adding it little at a time and beat well each time. You do not want to curdle the mix.
• 4. Turn heat down under the soup low enough as to no longer be boil at all. Add the cream mix in the bowl to the pot of soup VERY SLOWLY. BE CAREFUL that it DOES NOT boil and that you do not add it too quickly or else the mixture from the bowl will curdle.
• 5. Serve hot garnished with a fresh sprig of curled parsley on top. ENJOY!

OLGA'S BORSCHT (BEET SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to soften, stirring often. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes and juice, beets, beet tops, salt, cloves, bay leaf and sugar. Bring to a quick simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beets are very tender. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Using caution, puree 3 cups of soup in a blender until smooth, 1 cup at at time, placing puree in a separate bowl. Add puree to remaining soup in pot and stir well to incorporate. Reheat soup just until steaming hot and do not allow to boil. Remove from heat, add dill, lemon juice/zest, salt and pepper to taste, and stir well to blend. Ladle soup into warmed bowls, top with a generous dollop of sour cream sprinkled with dill and lemon zest. Notes: - recipe may be easily halved - soup freezes well and keeps 3 months - fresh spinach may be used in lieu of beet tops - requires considerable chopping time, so best to prep all veggies prior to beginning cooking process

BEET BORSCHT SOUP FROM THE OLD COUNTRY - THIS IS HOW I COOK

Steps:

• If you are using the caraway, toast it in a small skillet over medium heat until lightly colored. Set aside. (I don't like caraway, so I don't use it.)
• In a large heavy bottomed pot, combine beets and 1/2 t salt with 4 c of stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beets are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer until the veggies are fork tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer veggies to a medium bowl and set aside. Reserve cooking liquid.
• In a heavy bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, stir to coat with oil and saute one minute. Add the caraway-if using-1/2 t salt and saute until onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and cabbage. Add reserved cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender, 10-15 minutes. Add the reserved potatoes and beets, dill to taste, vinegar to taste, lemon juice, honey, tomato puree and raisins, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
• Uncover the pot and simmer slowly for 30-40 minutes. Add more stock if mixture gets too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more vinegar to taste. Serve in bowls, with a big hunk of bread and garnish with sour cream and dill.