This is MY version of borscht. People take their borscht very seriously - this is my adaptation of the borscht my mom learned how to make when we lived in Moscow in the ‘70’s. I’ve made a couple of adjustments to her technique to cut down on salt and oil. This borscht is meant to be served piping hot and should be a beautiful, rich purple color. Enjoy!
This will serve a family of 5, with leftovers.
Ingredients:
2 pork chops on the bone, cubed into about 1” bite-sized pieces (keep the bones to flavor the broth)
1 large yellow onion or 2 small, diced
1 large carrot (you can absolutely skip this), diced
2 large or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed, kind of chunky, like
2” (don’t peel until you’re ready to cook or they will turn brown. A lot of people put their peeled potatoes in cold water to keep from turning brown, but I find that makes the potatoes soggy)
2 cans/jars sliced beets
2 cans/jars of small whole beets
2 tablespoons tomato paste (about 1⁄2 of a small can)
1 1/2 can sauerkraut (you can use 1 can...we just like it sour)
1 bunch fresh dill sprig or dried dill (about 2 teaspoons) - save some for garnish
6-7 cups of water
3 beef bouillon cubes (Knorr’s is the best) (I find the bouillon makes the soup salty enough, so I don’t add any additional salt, as my mom does) 2-3 bay leaves
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Sour cream
In a large Dutch oven (or a large soup pot), bring 6 cups of water plus the bouillon cubes, 1” cubed pork plus bones, 2” cubed potatoes, the diced carrot (if using), 1 can of sliced beets (keep the other can for lat- er), 2 cans of small whole beets, 1 can sauerkraut, tomato paste, the gar- lic, the fresh or dried dill and bay leaves all to a boil
Boil for like 3-4 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes, stirring frequently
Do not cover. Add 1 more cup of water if it starts to get too thick - but thick is okay, so is runny. It’s whatever consistency you like!
After 60 minutes, remove the pork bones and fresh dill sprig (if you’ve used fresh)
Add the last can of sliced beets (I do this to add back in that nice, deep color because it loses its color as it cooks). 1/2 can of sauerkraut
Serve it hot, with a dollop of sour cream, and garnish with fresh-cut dill or dried dill.
