I dropped in on my parents recently, around lunchtime. They’re both great cooks, so I wasn’t surprised to be asked to join them for a bowl of borscht rather than a ham sandwich.
The Ukrainian version my mom found on Allrecipes was my favorite in my somewhat limited borscht experience. I have tried Polish barszcz in Poznan and made my own.
The Polish version is a brothy-soup, with a strong, tart flavor and is served with a croquette on the side. In comparison, this Ukrainina verion is a hearty, stew-like soup and milder in flavor.
It has a wonderful flavor and texture, is a source of many healthy vegetables, but does involve a bit of chopping.
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Adapted from: Allrecipes
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For a vegetarian option, omit the sausage. For a vegan recipe, skip the sausage and the sour cream or substitute a vegan sour cream
Smacznego!
Lois
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A hearty beet soup
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bulk pork sausage (I made my own hot breakfast sausage)
- 3/4 cup red lentils
- 1 3/4 cup water, divided
- 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
- 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1/2 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
- 8 ounces diced tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- sour cream, for garnish
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces, drain and set aside
- Soak lentils in 1 cup of water, while cooking sausage and shredding vegetables (about an hour)
- Drain lentils, reserving water, process lentils with a few spoons full of the water in a blender or food processor. It should resemble a slightly watery hummus
- Add 8 cups of water to a large Dutch oven, add the sausage and bring to a boil
- Add beets, and simmer 15 minutes
- Add carrots and blended lentils, cook for 15 minutes
- Add cabbage and tomatoes, continuing to simmer
- Heat oil and onion in a frying pan, cook until the onion is tender
- Add garlic to onion and cook 1 minute; add tomato paste and 3/4 cup water
- Stir over heat until tomato paste and water are blended, transfer to soup pot
- Simmer 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and diced parsley
Notes
For a vegetarian option, omit the sausage. For a vegan recipe, skip the sausage and the sour cream or substitute a vegan sour cream
Keywords: borscht beet soup poland ukraine sausage
Lois B
The original recipe called for potatoes rather than lentils to thicken the soup. We wanted to try a starch with a lower glycemic index.
tralf