Recipe Borscht!

[The Late Night Gourmet]

How I ended up with this recipe was quite amusing. I had the idea to use beets in place of potatoes to make a stew, and I decided to search for "Beet Stew"; Google kept "correcting" me, thinking I meant "Beef Stew". As it turns out, borscht is a beef stew. I've never had borscht before, so I'm very glad that this challenge gave me the first taste of it. This certainly won't be the last time I make it. Besides the beef, this stew is very much about the root vegetables: I used rutabaga instead of potatoes, along with the expected carrots and (of course) beets. It's very earthy, which I enjoy.

I also found some interesting things while researching this recipe. One recipe took great pains to explain what a potential disaster beets are to light-colored clothing, and warned to keep napkins handy. There were also warnings about handling beets to avoid stained fingers. I figure any potential cook (or diner) will figure this out. But, my biggest disagreement between the recipes I saw and how I decided to make mine was the cook time. One excellent recipe by a woman of Russian descent had a cook time of 4 hours! This, to me, is excessive. I think the idea was to give the beef time to soften up, but I didn't have any issues with mine, and mine was done in a little over an hour.

Ingredients

5 medium beets, totaling about 1.5 lbs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds stewing beef, cut in chunks
1 small head of red cabbage, shredded
1 small rutabaga, about 1.5 pounds, cut in small chunks
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
dill weed, ideally fresh and minced

Directions

1. Boil beets, leaving the skin on, for about an hour on medium heat. Allow to cool fully.

2. While the beets are cooling, heat oil in a large pot. Grate carrot using a box grater. Add onion and carrot to the pan, stirring occasionally, until softened. Season beef with salt and pepper, and add to the pot. Cook beef on all sides until just browned, and then remove from the pot and set aside. NOTE: it would probably be easier to brown the beef before adding the other ingredients, but this is what I ended up doing.

3. Add cabbage and rutabaga to the pot, and stir to coat. Stir occasionally for several minutes, until the cabbage softened.

4. Stir in the mushrooms and tomato paste.

5. Peel the beets, and shred using a box grater.

6. Add beef stock and beef chunks. Raise heat to a boil, then lower to medium. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir the beets into the pot.

7. Cook for another 30 minutes, then stir in vinegar. Adjust salt and pepper level as needed.

8. Finish with fresh dill if available, or use dry dill.

 

[Morning Glory]

This is a new thing to me - I've never come across borscht with beef chunks in it. Beef stock yes - that is the classic stock. And sour cream to serve. This seems more like a beef & beetroot stew than a classic borsht.

I reckon it must be a hearty stew!

 

[Morning Glory]

...you may find this article interesting: How to cook perfect borscht

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

This is a new thing to me - I've never come across borscht with beef chunks in it. Beef stock yes - that is the classic stock. And sour cream to serve. This seems more like a beef & beetroot stew than a classic borsht.

I reckon it must be a hearty stew!

Yes...it's very hearty. I did see other variations without the beef, but I really liked the idea of a beef stew with beets. More than one variation had beef in the stew, so I believed it was the "correct" way to make it.

And, I had planned to add sour cream, but I didn't have any when I completed the recipe.

...you may find this article interesting: How to cook perfect borscht

One thing that surprised me in my research is that several recipes had the beets added late in the process. The one you list here shows it the way I expected it to be: with the beets diced (uncooked) and sauted along with the other vegetables. I will probably do it that way next time, but I wanted to try it this way with this recipe (since all the experts seemed to agree on that method). I'm happy to say that it worked, and it was quite delicious.

I always smile when someone uses "perfect" or "best ever" in describing their recipe. This one looks like it would be excellent, and I really do like the addition of vinegar. But, since there are often many interpretations of all recipes, it's clear that "perfect" is a relative term.

 

[Morning Glory]

I always smile when someone uses "perfect" or "best ever" in describing their recipe.

I agree - but this is a long standing Guardian newspaper series so its not really a vanity project. The good thing about the series is that it researches different approaches from good sources. The author doesn't really pretend to be a top cook or chef. I think the term 'perfect' in this context is used in a rather ironic tone - its a British left wing newspaper...

 

[Morning Glory]

The Late Night Gourmet - I'm not a beetroot fan so in fact your version of borsht with chunks of beef appeals to me more than the straight beetroot sort!

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I agree - but this is a long standing Guardian newspaper series so its not really a vanity project. The good thing about the series is that it researches different approaches from good sources. The author doesn't really pretend to be a top cook or chef. I think the term 'perfect' in this context is used in a rather ironic tone - its a British left wing newspaper...

I think there's another clue in the final paragraph:

Is barszcz (Polish borscht) the best thing ever to come out of a beetroot, or a waste of a pair of Marigolds? Does it need meat, or are simple vegetarian versions truer to the spirit of the dish? And (deep breath) which country makes the best?​

I always heard of borscht as a Russian thing; this article describes the Polish variation. It doesn't surprise me that other parts of the former Russian empire have their own takes on the recipe (and that Russian vs. Ukrainian borscht disputes are as contentious as other disputes between the countries). I have also recently learned of different colored borscht (green. white), cold borscht, and even borscht that adds fish. I love beets, and I love stew, and it will be cold here for a long time, so I look forward to working my way through different variants.

 

[rascal]

Rutabaga aka swede?

Russ

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Rutabaga aka swede?

Russ

Yes...that's it. Did I just invent Swedish borscht?

 

[rascal]

I have a swede in my fridge ATM. Not a tourist, a vege!

Russ

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Update! Ever since reading the article morning glory linked, I've been intrigued about the addition of vinegar to the recipe. I've been experimenting with adding vinegar to the finished product, and I've found that I really enjoy it. So, I've modified the recipe to include it. The amount is my estimate of what I've been adding - about 1 teaspoon per bowl, making about 1/4 cup total - and the amount might be a bit much for some (the linked article shows 2 tablespoons, or about half that much). But, I love vinegar, so it's perfect for me.