Russian Borsch

Here is the recipe of the most classic Russian recipe: borsch.

Every Russian family knows how to make one, but everyone has something different. My recipe has a little more complications than some others do, but everyone, I'm not kidding, everyone always eats it all and asks for more. This meal is the most popular among my friends and family comparing to anything else I cook.

You need:

Beef and/or pork with bones (1-2 lb.)

Beets (1 large or 2 small to medium)

Carrots (2-3 small to medium)

Cabbage (a half of small to medium cabbage-head)

Onion (1 medium to large)

Tomato (1 medium to large)

Red or Yellow bell pepper (1/2 to 1)

Potatoes (3 medium sized)

Spring (green) onions

Dill, parsley

Garlic, Whole black pepper, Cloves, Bay leaves, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Vegeta (a mixture of spices from Croatia and Poland), Khmeli-suneli (Georgian mixture of spices), vegetable or sautéing bouillon cubes (Knorr).

Fill a half of saucepan with water and bring it to boil. Add bay leaves (3-4), cloves (10-15) and whole black pepper (10-15 peas). Add meat. I like a lot of meat in my borsch, so I used 1.8 lb of beef and about 0.7lb of pork. Both with some bones. Bones make the taste of soup richer.

When water is about to boil, make sure to pick all the foam. It doesn't make soup taste worse, but clear bouillon is simply better and more appetizing. Boil at low to medium power for the next 40-60 minutes. Longer is better, so if you have plenty of time make your broth even richer by boiling it longer.

Cut onion into small pieces. Sauté onions until they are lightly golden.

Dice from half to whole bell pepper (I used a half) and add it to onions.

Peel and shred carrots. Add them to onions and peppers.

Peel and shred beets. One medium to large or tow small to medium beets should be enough. Accidently I had tree quite large beets and used them all. Sautee' vegetables for some time and take care of the broth.

Meanwhile, when meat and broth are ready, take the meat and spices out of the bouillon. I drained the bouillon to another dish and then placed it back in the saucepan.

Shred cabbage (I used a half of one medium-sized cabbage-head) and add it to the bouillon. I like very soft fully cooked cabbage in my borsch, but some people like it a little bit crispy. If you prefer it crispy, add it much later. If it looks like you don't have enough bouillon, add some water.

Dice tomatoes and add them to sautéed  vegetables. Continue cooking until tomatoes are soft. Some people prefer to take the tomatoes' skin off by rapidly placing them in the hot water. I just cook them and then a little bit mash them in the vegetable mixture. After tomatoes are softened, take the vegetable mix off the stove.

Peel potatoes and cut them in the bite-sized pieces. Add them to the broth. Add spices: garlic (fresh or powder), pepper, paprika. I use Vegeta, which is a mixture of spices and dried vegetables that you can find in any Russian grocery store. If you can, give it a chance, try it - you'll love it. It is already salty. I also put one cube of Knorr sautéing bouillon (which is also salty) and khmeli-sunel(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmeli_suneli - see what's in it and use any or all of this spices in your borsch, be creative!), you can also find it at the Russian grocery store - most big cities have these stores. I don't add salt, because my condiments have enough of it.

While your cabbage and potatoes are cooking, take care of the meat. Cut it into bite-size pieces. Then add it to the soup. Most housewives don't do this step. They just leave whole pieces of meat in their soup. I prefer to have even portions of meat in every plate I serve.

Add sautéed vegetables to the soup.

When potatoes are ready add chopped green onions, parsley and/or dill. I love dill in my borsch. Unfortunately, this time I only had green onions. Turn the stove off, cover saucepan with the lid and let it stay for additional 5 minutes - greens (onions, parsley and dill) will be ready.

Serve with sour cream and pumpernickel bread.

Enjoy!

Ala