This is one of my favorite soups that Roza makes. Usually I am not a big fan of soups because they are filling from the liquids but don’t pack the nutrients I desire. That is not the case with Borsh. This soup is packed with cabbage, beets, vegetables, and lean meat. Remember all of the recipes we use are made with local, fresh, organic ingredients. This is probably the biggest mistake people make when it comes to nutrition. The source of your food is one of the most important rules to follow. If you are eating “healthy” food that comes from a terrible source, you are better off eating “unhealthy” food from a good source.
Enjoy the Borsh and give the recipe a try.
Borsch Recipe
Ingredients:
1 small green cabbage – make sure the head is tight — chopped
2 lbs pork or beef with the bone in (a roast will do)
1 large carrot chopped into small cubes (1/8”)
1 onion, roughly diced
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 potato cut into bit size pieces
2 medium sized purple beets, chopped (1/16” – 1/18”)
Salt and Pepper
Optional: Sour cream
Chopped cilantro or dill
In a large pan/deep skillet, boil meat on medium head until well done (1 – 1.5 hours). Make sure the pot/deep skillet is deep enough to cover the meat with water. When the meat is done, and it should be tender, remove the meat from the liquid/broth, and cut it into bite-sized pieces (1/4” – ½” inch). Leave the broth on low heat to concentrate its flavors by evaporating some of the liquid. Ideally, you want about 1.5 cups of the broth left.
In a separate large skillet, heat the avocado oil. It should be a medium heat. When the avocado is hot, not smoking or burning, add the meat. When the meat is browned, then add the diced onions. Salt and pepper to taste. When the onions are soft, add the chopped tomatoes and carrots. Let the mixture cook over the medium heat for about 10 minutes. At this point add the broth, and bring to a simmer.Toss in the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.At this point add the beets. As you add the beets, the color will bleed from the beets into the sauce turning it a violet color. People call this soup “Violet Russian Soup” because of the purple color. the beets added, let the stew cook for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped cabbage leaves, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes longer.
The Borsch is now ready to serve. Serve it with sour cream, dill or cilantro as desired. If you want the dish to be more hardy, then serve with rice as a side dish. My mother would always serve it with rice, to make it more filling.
Bon Appétit!
