Beet & Beef Borscht

Beet and beef borscht in a blue bowl with a glob of sour cream

When we make our meat beef borscht we make a little more than one meal for two people. In some cases we have second helpings and finish it and at other times we have enough left over for a lunch or snack.

Although most people think that the key behind the taste of borscht are the beets, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact there are many borscht recipes that don't even use any beets. The key to a very successful beet beef borscht lies in the flavor of the beef broth used as the base of the recipe.

We also deviate from most beet borscht recipes as we do not add any tomatoes! The story behind this is that Earl made the borscht and forgot the canned tomatoes (we're getting old) and we really liked the flavour of this batch of borscht. Earl insisted that he made the borscht as he always had and when he was going through it in his mind he realized that he forgot to add the tomatoes to the onion/carrot mixture! We have continued to make it without the tomatoes ever since.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In the bottom of a soup pot, on medium heat add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil.
  2. Add the shredded carrots and sauté for about 15 minutes, avoid over mixing the carrots. You want the carrots to become brown, but not burn and to leave a fond on the bottom of the pot.
  3. Remove the carrots and reserve. Lower the heat to medium low and add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil. Sauté the onions for about 13 minutes until they become brown. Avoid over mixing the onions. After 13 minutes add the garlic, mix and sauté for another couple of minutes.
  4. Add the beef broth to the pot and using a wooden spoon scrape the fond from the bottom of the pot. Add the reserved sautéed carrots, shredded beets, diced potatoes, sliced carrots, shredded cabbage, shredded leftover beef and the salt and pepper (this may seem like a small amount of salt and pepper but in our case the beef broth is already seasoned).
  5. Cover the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Cover and cook for another 45 minutes.
  6. Serve in soup cups or bowls with a glob of sour cream and some chopped bacon.

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Bon Appétit