Gorkys Cafe Beet Borscht Food

BEEF BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the bacon in a Dutch oven or stockpot and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the fat begins to render, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• To the fat in the pan, add the onions and carrots, and stir to coat. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, dill seeds, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the red wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Return the meat to the pot and add the water, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer partially covered until the beef is tender, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, place the beets on a baking sheet and brush with the oil. Roast until tender and can be pierced easily with a knife, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Trim the stem and root ends and remove the skins. Coarsely grate and set aside.
• When the meat is tender and falling apart, add the beets, potatoes, and cabbage. Simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes. Season with additional red wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• Ladle borscht into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and pinch of fresh dill.

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.

BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place beets, onion, potatoes and cabbage in a soup pot. Add enough cold water to cover the vegetables completely. Add all other ingredients except sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for an hour and a half or so. Adjust seasoning to taste, add sugar and vinegar and simmer for a few minutes more. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

"BASIC" BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cut off beet greens from the beets but leave about an inch or two of the tops on the beets.
• **Option:mince removed beet tops to add later.
• Scrub the beets well.
• In a large pot, add beets and cover with cold water (about 3/4 full).
• Bring the water to a boil and boil this for about 15-25 minutes until the beets are cooked.
• Remove the beets from the water; save the water from the beets ("beetjuice").
• Remove the skins from the beets.
• Strain the"beet juice" (through a cheese cloth lined sieve) into a pot.
• Peel and grate the onion.
• Grate the beets (can use food processor for grating onion and beets).
• Put the grated onion and beets into the pot with the strained beet juice.
• **Option:you can add the finely chopped/minced beet tops, if you want to use them.
• Bring all to a quick boil.
• Add the salt, lemon juice, pepper (optional), and honey (optional), simmer until the honey has dissolved and all is well heated.
• Serve, garnished with a dollop of sour cream (optional).

GORKY'S CAFE GOLABKI (STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and start by making the sauce, by combining all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmering it for about 10 minutes, reduce the sauce until it is slightly thick, set aside.
• Cook the cabbage in a large pot of boiling water, until tender, takes several minutes; then cool and core the cabbage carefully, and separate the leaves.
• Combine beef, (or bulgar or buckwheat) rice, eggs, onions, carrots and salt and pepper, mix well; roll the filling into 8 balls; place each ball on the lower third of a large cabbage leaf; tuck in the sides and bottom of the cabbade leaf and place, steam side down, in a baking dish.
• Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls, cover, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until slightly browned.

GORKY BEET CAKE

Steps:

• Beat together eggs, sugar and oil until fluffy.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon in large bowl.
• Add egg mixture & stir well to blend.
• Add vanilla, beets & walnuts. Beat together 1 minute.
• Pour into a greased and dusted 9x13 pan (works well in a bundt pan also).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Cool.
• Serve with almond sauce on the side and drizzled over each serving, or dust with powdered sugar.
• For almond sauce:
• Blend together cream cheese, whipping cream & almond extract with mixer until fluffy. Blend in powdered sugar. Spoon onto cake or serve on the side.

GORKY'S CAFE BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cut off ends and stems of beets, and boil for 20 minutes or until tender-crisp; remove the skin while still warm by rubbing it with a cloth; then cut into 1/4-inch julienne pieces and set aside.
• Place 14 cups of water, vinegar, granulated and brown sugars, tomato paste, chicken broth, garlic, pepper and bay leaves in a large kettle, bring to a boil and skim off foam.
• Add onion, cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until onion is transparent, add cabbage, cook 15 minutes or until onion is transparent; add cabbage, cook 15 minutes longer; add potato and cook another 15 minutes, add beets and bring to a boil.
• Serve with pumpernickel or rye bread, and butter.