borscht

The first time I ever had borscht was at the Russian Tea Room in NYC. It was meaty and had an amazing depth of flavor – the beets married with the beef perfectly. The restaurant itself may be kitschy and odd, but the food was outstanding. I tried another borscht not too long after that, I don’t remember where, and was sorely underwhelmed.

What I realized was that the trick to perfect borscht is the broth. You absolutely must have a highly seasoned, deeply flavored beef broth to really pull it off. My secret is using the broth left over from braising short ribs. Once you’ve braised the short ribs with plenty of veggies and red wine, remove the ribs and use and then puree the remaining mixture in the bottom of the pot and throw it in the fridge overnight. The next day chip off all the solidified fat on top and you’re left with the thickest, heartiest soup base you could ever ask for.

Some recipes call for shredding the short ribs and using them in the borscht, but I prefer not to do that. Better yet, make some short rib pirogues to go with it. If you don’t plan on making short ribs, you can always just use regular old beef stock. Just be sure to add a little extra bouillon paste to up the flavor.

Borscht

2 cups short rib broth (or replace with 2 cups beef broth)

4 cups beef broth

Beef bouillon paste (optional)

4 large beets, peeled and diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 onion, peeled and diced

Fresh dill

Sour cream

Heat the short rib and beef broth in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add beef bouillon paste to taste to get a very flavorful beef broth. Add the beets, carrots, and onion and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Puree with an immersion blender. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return to a clean pot. Serve garnished with fresh dill and sour cream.