RUSSIAN BORSCH - OLD TRADITIONAL RECIPE (BORSCHT)

RUSSIAN BORSCH - OLD TRADITIONAL RECIPE (BORSCHT) image

Yield 15-20 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

3 carrots
3 onions
2 beets
3 potatoes
1 small head of cabbage
herbs: dill and parsley (after mincing you should have about a cup of each)
1 whole chicken (preferably organic, it really makes a difference in taste)
2 8-oz cans of tomato sauce (homemade is best, of course)
olive oil (or sunflower oil)
1 tsp whole peppercorns
3-4 bay leaves
salt

Steps:

We will start with the broth. Fill the pot half way with water and put over high heat. Wash the chicken with all the giblets and throw it in the pot. Peel 1 carrot and 1 onion, cut them into 3-4 pieces and throw in a pot along with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Salt. As soon as the water boils, set temperature to med-low so that the broth simmers. In 15 minutes collect all the scum. Some prefer to change the water at this stage (pour out the old water and fill up the pot with clean water, you will get a cleaner broth). I prefer to leave the water and just collect all the scum, as I think that it makes a much tastier broth. The broth will simmer for a total of 1-1.5 hours, during which you will prepare the rest of the ingredients. To read step by step recipe with photos of the whole process, follow this link - http://ruslankuznetsov.livejournal.com/75850.html