Borscht
Borscht is an Eastern European soup that is a shocking shade of deep pink. In addition to its fun color, it’s also a beefy, beety, brothy bowl of goodness. I suggest wearing colorful socks while making this soup recipe.
Colorful Socks
Is there such a thing as soup season? Because I live in Southern California, my take is that soup season (or as I keep seeing on social media “soup szn”) is whenever socks are required for three or more consecutive days.
Colorful socks are a go-to gift. They are fun to give and equally fun to receive. My kids know they will each get a pair or two for Christmas so I like to look for crazy socks year-round.
I recently read that wearing colorful socks can be a form of nonconforming behavior that can affect how we think. Researchers call it enclothed cognition. The idea is that what we wear can make us stand out from the crowd while boosting confidence and performance.
Does wearing crazy socks really make you more successful? Not sure. But they bring a little bit of joy to a dreary day, especially during soup season.
One of my favorite soup recipes involves roasted beets.
Roasted Beets
Beets are a controversial subject. People either love them or hate them. I assumed I didn’t like them until I tasted roasted beets.
They are freaking delicious!
We all know that roasting vegetables, particularly root vegetables, draws out all the moisture leaving behind an intense flavor and deliciously caramelized edges. Beets are no exception. They develop an earthy sweetness when roasted and transform this borscht recipe into something special.
Lessons Learned
- This recipe takes 3 hours if you do it all in one go. If you want to divide the work, you can do the bulk of it a day ahead by prepping the meat and veggies. On the second day, you will need only 15-ish minutes to pull the soup together.
- The original recipe calls for 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced, added to the mix of veggies that are roasted. I have made the soup several times with and without potatoes and I assure you it is yummy both ways, especially when served with milk bread.
- Please do not skip the vinegar at the end. You will miss out on that finishing touch of deliciousness.
Hat Tips
Many thanks to Simply Recipes for the borscht recipe and to billow926 on Unsplash for the sock display photo.
Borscht
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 lbs beef neck bones or bone-in beef shank
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 8 cups beef broth, divided use
- 1 ½ lbs beets, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- ¾ cup chopped fresh dill
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it is lightly browned on all sides. Scooch the meat over and add the onions. Cook the onions for 5 minutes or until they are softened. Add 4 cups of broth to the pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 60 to 90 minutes until the meat is fork-tender.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F/204 C. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Add the beets and carrots in a single layer and drizzle with a teaspoon of oil. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the pot and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones and gristle. Return the meat to the pot. Add the roasted veggies and the remaining 4 cups of broth. Throw in the cabbage and half of the chopped dill. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
- Sprinkle in the vinegar and stir. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to your liking. To serve the soup, ladle it into individual bowls. Top with a spoonful of sour cream and garnish with remaining chopped fresh dill.
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