Authentic Ukrainian Borsch

Yes, I spell it without the “t”!  Ukrainian and Russian people pronounce it  ”Borsch”, Polish people  -  ”Barszcz”.  The English way of spelling  ”borscht” just doesn’t sound right to me.  How do you feel if you were to hear someone say “Soupt”?  Sounds odd, isn’t it?  I also will claim that this version is authentic since this is how my family in Ukraine made it for generations; this is as hard-core Ukrainian as it gets  The only substitution I made was to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

This borsch is meatless as I made it for our Christmas Eve meal on Sunday.  I personally can’t eat this dish where beets lost their colour.  So if you follow each step in the directions below your borsch will have this deep ruby colour even after you’ll reheat it several times.  It always tastes better the following day!

If you are a meat-eater – make it with some succulent pork ribs, it will take your  borsch to another level of deliciousness

Ingredients:

• 3 medium beets (or 1 large beet), boiled, peeled and grated
• 3-4 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 green or red pepper, grated (I do it in a food processor)
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 5-6 cups water
• 1 medium cabbage, shredded
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sour cream and fresh chopped dill to garnish

Directions:

1. Boil the beets with their skins on until tender.  Let them cool, then peel and grate.  Add the vinegar, mix well and set aside. The vinegar will preserve the red colour in the hot borsch.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and pepper and cook until tender for up to 5 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage, diced potatoes, the can of diced tomatoes, and water until well blended.  Let it boil for 20 minutes or so.
4. Now you can add the beets, beans, and the raw garlic.  Cover and turn off the heat, let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Garnish individual bowls with sour cream and dill.

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