Mennonite Borscht Food

CABBAGE BORSCHT MENNONITE SOUP

Steps:

• Bring beef soup bones and water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, adding more water, as necessary, to maintain the 2 quart level. Remove and discard the soup bones, then strain the broth into a fresh pot, and return to the stove.
• Stir in the carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, parsley, allspice berries, bay leaf, star anise, salt, and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and return soup to a boil. Serve individual bowls of soup topped with heavy cream.

SUMMA BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place diced potatoes into a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the green onions, dill, and buttermilk; bring back to a simmer. Stir in the half-and-half before serving.

MENNONITE BORSHT

Steps:

• Place beef bone in a large soup pot and cover with water.
• Simmer for 1-3 hours.
• Cut the meat off the bone and discard bone.
• If time permits, let the broth sit in the fridge overnight so that fat hardens.
• Remove hardened fat and discard.
• Add onions, bay leaf, dillweed, parsley, peppercorns (place peppercorns in a spice ball, or else you'll have to fish them out at the end), carrots and cabbage.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add potatoes, salt and pepper.
• Simmer until all vegetables are tender.
• If broth is not flavourful enough, add some beef bouillon.
• Stir in tomato juice or soup.
• Continue cooking until soup is hot.
• Serve in soup bowls.
• If desired, add some sour cream or cream to your bowl.

SOMMA (SUMMER) OR KRUT (WEED) BORSCHT

Steps:

• To the water in a large soup pot, add the farmer sausage and cook for about 1 hour: this makes your soup stock.
• Remove the pieces of sausage and let cool, then remove the casing and cut up into bit size pieces.
• Add potatoes, onion greens, dill green, parsley, sorrel, bay leaf and peppercorns (in a spice bag or container) to the stock.
• Cook this until potatoes are done.
• Add the farmer sausage pieces back into the soup.
• Add salt to taste.
• Serve hot with heaping tablespoon of sour cream in each serving.
• Good served with fresh homemade brown bread.
• The farmer sausage can be substituted with a smoked ham hock.