Grandma’s Doukhobor Borscht

Oh borscht! We used to wonder, how could such a humble soup require so many steps to prepare, and dirty so many pots and pans in the process?! The recipe we inherited, though delicious, used to confound us with the disjointed process and the seemingly endless need to chop and cook each ingredient in a precisely unique fashion.

It turns out, of course, Grandma never used a recipe herself.  She would whip up a batch of borscht in what seemed like mere minutes, by memory, steaming and bowled for any guest who came through to visit.  Here, we’ve streamlined the process as much as possible without diverging from intent of the dish.

For us, borscht has always felt like a family meal well served… so gather yours around, and enjoy!

Serve with a crusty bread for lunch, or Ukrainian Potato Pierogi for dinner.

Traditional Doukhobor Borscht

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: Sails & Spices

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 12 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 Small-Med Onion, diced & divided into ¼ and ¾ cups
• 1L (4 cups) Organic Tinned Diced Tomatoes
• 6 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter, divided
• 1 Green Pepper, diced & divided into three ¼ cups
• 1 Carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
• 1 Carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
• 3L (6 cups) Water
• 1.5 Tbsp Sea Salt
• 4 Med Potatoes, halved
• 1 Med Potato (1 cup), diced
• 5 Cups Shredded Cabbage, divided into 2 cups & 3 cups
• 1 Cup Cream or Coconut Cream, divided
• 1 Small Bunch Green Onions, diced & divided into ¼ and ½ cup
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Dill, divided
• 1 Tbsp Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Dice and divide the onion into both a ¼ and ¾ cup portion.
2. In the smaller of your two large pots (see notes below), bring to a simmer 1L (4 cups) of tinned diced tomatoes, ¼ cup diced onion, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, dice and divide the green pepper and carrot.
4. Grate the second carrot.
5. In the large stock or canning pot, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and sauté until translucent (not brown) ¾ cup of diced onion, ¼ cup of diced green pepper, and the grated carrot. Remove, and set aside in a glass bowl.
6. Into the large stock or canning pot, add 3L (6 cups) water, salt, the diced carrots, the halved potatoes, beet, celery, and half of the simmered tomatoes.
7. Bring to a covered rolling boil until the halved potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
8. Meanwhile, set aside the second half of the tomatoes in the glass bowl (with the cooked grated carrots) and rinse out the pot.
9. In the newly rinsed pot, sauté 2 cups of the shredded cabbage with 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and translucent.
10. Once the halved potatoes are cooked through (approx 20-25 mins) remove from the stock pot and mash them with ½ cup cream or coconut cream, ¼ cup green pepper, ¼ cup green onion and 1 tbsp of fresh dill.
11. Add to the stock pot the diced potato, remaining 3 cups of shredded cabbage, and ½ cup cream or coconut cream. Bring to a boil for 5-10 minutes.
12. Add the potato mash into the stock pot, stir. Bring back to a boil.
13. Add the remainder of the simmered tomatoes, sautéed carrots and onion, and sautéed cabbage.
14. To finish, add ½ cup green onion, remaining diced green pepper, 1 tbsp fresh dill.
15. Remove from heat and let rest 10-15 minutes.
16. Cracked sea salt and black pepper to taste.
17. Serve with cayenne at the table.

Notes

Helpful Kitchen Tools:
-Shredder or Grater
-5-6 small bowls for mis-en-place
-4 cup capacity measuring cup
-Large Stock or Canning Pot (12L capacity+) with lid
-Large Pot (8L capacity or so)
-Potato Masher
-Glass Bowl (6 cup capacity)
-2 Cutting Boards

3.5.3226