Basic Borscht

Borscht is a nostalgic dish for me, something that always brings back memories of days spent at my godmother's house, where there would often be a giant pot of borscht bubbling away on the stove. She was from an area in southern Russia very close to what today is southeastern Ukraine, so her borscht was a bit different from what's more often considered standard by Russians and Westerners alike.

Unfortunately, what follows here is not based on her method. When we were still able to spend a lot of time together it felt like the good times would never end, and I never ended up writing down what she did. My truly basic, sad excuse for borscht is instead a bit of a blend, bringing together a few recipes from various Ukrainian and Russian cookbooks and what memories I have of my godmother's method. I still miss my godmother's borscht, but more classically Ukrainian borscht has the added benefit of including beans - which are a nice bit of extra protein if you're making this vegetarian or vegan - and so I have included white kidney beans in my recipe.

I hope this recipe brings you at least a little of the warmth and love that my godmother's borscht always gave me when she was still with us!

Basic Borscht

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil*

1 medium-large onion (chopped)

2 ribs of celery (chopped)

2 large carrots (chopped)

4 to 6 cloves of garlic (minced)

8 cups of beef or vegetable broth**

2 cups of water

3 bay leaves

Dill (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

3 large beets (cubed)

2 cups of beet sauerkraut***

2 large potatoes (cubed)

1 can of white kidney beans (drained)

1/2 cup of chopped button mushrooms (if desired)

1/4 cup of tomato paste

*Depending on your taste of course, and whether you're wanting regular/vegetarian or vegan borscht.

**The beef broth reminds me of my godmother's borscht - outside Lent/Advent she would always begin by simmering big hunks of bone-in beef - but if you're vegetarian or vegan the vegetable broth makes an equally delicious borscht!

***Regular sauerkraut works well too, but I tend to prefer something with dill and/or garlic added to it.

Directions

1) Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the carrot, celery, and onion until the onion is translucent, then add the garlic and sauté another couple of minutes.

2) Add the broth, water, bay leaves, and seasonings and bring to a boil before adding the beets and sauerkraut and simmering for 10 minutes.

3) Stir in the potatoes, beans, mushrooms (if desired - I'm not a fan personally), and tomato paste and continue simmering for another 10 minutes.

4) Check to make sure the beets and potatoes have reached your desired tenderness, adjust the seasonings as needed (this is often where I add another truckload of dill!), and serve with a hearty dollop of sour cream and your preferred bread (rye bread would be the traditional pick here, but to each their own!). I'm a fan of borscht any day, but if you give it a day or two in the fridge the flavors will only improve!