Golden Borscht Food

ROASTED BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚. Scrub the beets and put them on a large piece of foil; season with salt and pepper, add 3 thyme sprigs and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until the beets are tender, about 1 hour. When the beets are cool enough to handle but still warm, slip off their skins and chop them into large chunks.
• Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic and remaining 3 thyme sprigs and cook, stirring, until softened and just starting to color, about 10 minutes.
• Add the warm chicken stock to the vegetables in the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs. Put the chopped beets in a blender and add the cooked vegetables and stock. Blend until smooth, adding more stock if the puree is too thick. Add the vinegar and honey; season with salt and pepper. Blend again to incorporate the flavors. (The borscht can be served hot or cold; for a chilled soup, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.)
• To make the garnish, grate the apple on the large holes of a box grater into a medium bowl; mix in the dill. Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl in a big dollop of sour cream. Top with the apple-dill mixture.

GOLDEN BORSCHT RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring the water to a rolling boil.
• Add the beets to the boiling water and bring back to a boil, simmer for 30-45 minutes until the beets are tender.
• Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and let come to room temperature.
• When cooled, puree beets and cooking liquid in batches using a food processor or blender.
• Serve borscht warm or chilled with a dollop of creme fresh and chopped fresh dill.

SUMMER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets with a small paring knife or rub the skins off with your hands. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.

BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put the vegetables and garlic on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil (or a doubled piece of regular), drizzle with olive oil, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt add the rosemary. Seal the foil to make a tight package. Put the package in a roasting pan. Roast until the beets can be pierced easily with a knife, about 1 to 1/2 hours. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them¿the skins should slide right off with a bit of pressure from your fingers. If they don't, use a paring knife to scrape off any bits that stick.
• Put 1/2 of the vegetables in a food processor with 1/2 of the broth and puree. Transfer the puree to a saucepan. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and broth. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper, and simmer over medium heat until the flavors come together, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the buttermilk and Worcestershire.
• Ladle Borscht into bowls and garnish with dill.

PAM'S GOLDEN BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• 1. Prepare beets by washing and then cutting off leaves about 2 inches above the beet, also leaving the root intact. Place in large saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to just boiling and cook until beets can be easily pierced with a knife (start with about 35 to 40 minutes) Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Slip off the skins, leaf stems and root and discard. Cut into 3/4 inch chunks and set aside in a bowl for use later. Reserve a few small cubes per bowl separately for garnish if desired. (This step can be done ahead or while you are making the soup. It is at your convenience. Just store the cooked beets covered in the fridge if doing this the day before)
• 2. While beets are cooking, in another large saucepan or small Dutch oven, melt butter and saute onion, celery, carrot, cabbage (and shredded potato if using)until softened and translucent. Add turmeric and/or saffron and stir in well. Add stock and soup (or fresh tomatoes) Stir in potato flakes now (if using instant flakes). Add bouquet garni and bring to a boil, turn down heat to medium or medium low and simmer stock, veggies and seasoning for 30 minutes. Add Beets and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
• 3. Remove soup from stoveand remove the bouquet garni and discard. Process soup until smooth. ( You have several choices for method: blender, food processor, immersion stick blender or food mill) Take care with the hot soup to assure you do not get burned by steam or splashing soup. Each method will give you a slightly different texture. I used a food mill to remove all lumps. Add sweetener (if desired), vinegar and hot sauce (optional) Stir well and adjust seasoning to your tastes. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little more stock. If too thin, stir a few more tablespoons of potato flakes into a half cup of warm water and add to soup to thicken.
• 4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped fresh dill weed, or swirl in some sweet cream and sprinkle with chopped dill or parsley and a few reserved beet cubes.