A million years ago when I was a kid my parents were in one of those International Cooking clubs that were all the rage in the 70s. For one of them the group 'traveled' to Russia for their menu. My parents were picked to cook the soup course - borscht.
It is funny how certain memories from your childhood remain tucked away in the mass of your brain. I can remember eating this soup. It was a happy memory (as compared to a bevy of unfortunate liver memories) and from time to time I crave borscht.
I had planned to make this on Saturday night but 'someone' in this house threw away the beets! My lord Paul, people are starving out there - a wrinkled beet never hurt anyone!
Anyway, on Sunday I bought some beets and we were off. In the end it was perfect Sunday was a hellish fall day - cool, dark, windy, and wet. Perfect for a large bowl of comfort.
I made this recipe but followed the instructions for the Instant Pot. It makes a lot and I was forced to swap out the smaller pot for the large Instant Pot I keep for such emergencies. It's pretty easy - saute the meat, de-glaze the pot, dump everything in, put on the lid, pressure for 10 minutes (I did 15 because it was so damn full). When the pressure is released stir in the dill.
YUM!
Borscht
4 – 6 tsp. canola oil, divided
1 -2 lb. trimmed sirloin beef, chuck, or beef of your choice cut in 1/2 in. cubes
8 oz. mushrooms – sliced
4 med. beets (about 1 lb. ) – peeled and cut in chunks
1 c. carrots – thick sliced
1 c. onion – cut in chunks
1 c. celery – thick sliced
2 c. cabbage (red or green or combo) – pre-shredded or cut into chunks
4-6 small – med. white or red potatoes – large diced, rinsed (optional for those counting ww points)
1/2 c. red wine (optional)
6 c. low sodium beef broth
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1/4 c. fresh dill, plus more for garnish
sour cream
Put beets, carrots, onion, celery and cabbage in food process and chop.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over med-hi heat. Add steak and cook, stirring frequently till beginning to brown. Transfer to bowl.
Add 1 tsp. Oil to pot over med. Heat, add mushrooms and cook, stirring, till beginning to brown. 3-5 mins. Transfer to bowl.
Add remaining oil to pot. Add all the chopped vegetables. Cook, stirring, till begins to soften. (about 10 mins.)
Add wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add beef and mushrooms, broth, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, about 1/2 hour. Add potatoes, cook another 1/2 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Before serving. Stir in 1/4 c. Dill. Top each portion with 1 t. Sour cream and garnish with more dill, if desired.
May refrigerate up to 3 days before serving.
Instant Pot version:
Saute the beef until well browned on all sides. About 2 minutes.
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