BORSCHT

Borscht image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Yield Makes about 8 cups

Number Of Ingredients 12

4 medium beets, scrubbed well
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 dried mushrooms, such as morels and porcini (about 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup hot water
Mrs. Kostyra's Vegetable Stock
1/3 cup coarsely chopped celery leaves
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice or citric acid
Sour cream, for serving
Coarsely chopped dill, for garnish

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets on a piece of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold foil and parchment up to enclose beets. Place on a small baking sheet and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel and coarsely grate; set aside.
Soak the mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes. Drain through a fine mesh sieve; reserving liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
In a medium stockpot, combine the stock, beets, mushrooms, mushroom liquid, celery leaves, parsley, garlic, sugar, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Add enough lemon juice or citric acid until you've reached your desired flavor. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until cooled, up to overnight. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with dill.