Borscht … the BEST Soup You’ll Ever Eat!

I LOVE making soups! Especially on those crisp fall evenings when you just need something warm to eat!

I’ve been asked by a few people lately who have eaten my borscht for my recipe. Oh course I joke that it’s a secret family recipe passed down by generations (which I don’t think it is … and if it is, sorry grandma and grandpa!).

I have a confession to make … I DON’T follow a recipe! lol.   I make it up as I’m going along. I feel that all beets, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, dill and anything else I use all tastes different each time I make it. So when I combine them all, I might need to add a little more salt, less pepper, or more beets to make it taste right. That’s why I LOVE to cook, and I’m a POOR baker. I try baking and adjust the recipe to my liking and IT NEVER TURNS OUT! … hmmm … I wonder why?!? Who knew baking soda and baking powder are different ingredients… ANYWAYS … back to BORSCHT.

The key to making Beet Borscht is FRESH INGREDIENTS! Buy local if you don’t have a garden to grow you vegetables in it. This time around, I used some beets from my garden, but I bought everything else from Brenneis Vegetable Gardens, a local farm where they grow their own produce!

Borscht takes awhile to make, so make ALOT of it when you do and freeze it. Meal prep is now done for the nights you don’t feel like cooking.  Instead of ordering out,  you just pull out a container from the freezer, thaw it out and dinner is served!

Here are the FRESH INGREDIENTS I bought to make my soup

Here is my recipe!

 

INGREDIENTS:

5 Medium Beets, peeled and shredded
6-7 Potatoes, cut into small cubes
10-12 cups of Chicken Stock
5 Carrots, peeld and shredded
1 Small Cabbage, shredded
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups Lentils
1 can Crushed Tomatoes
1 tbsp oil
Dill – lots of it!
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. You can either bake your beets in the oven for 1-1.5 hours at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, OR you can boil them on the stove for 1-1.5 hours, depending on how big they are. (Put the whole beet in the water so it doesn’t bleed out). After they have cooled, shred your beets during your cheese grater OR you can cut up your beets into bigger pieces. Up to you!

2. Cut up your potatoes in small cubes (I cut mine pretty small because I don’t like having big bites of potato in my soup). Boil the potatoes in about 12 cups of chicken stock. It just adds more flavour to the soup! (You can buy chicken stock, or make your own). Use a big pot for the potatoes because all your ingredients will eventually end up in this pot! Don’t over cook your potatoes! They will be too soft and mushy!

3. I shred my cabbage and carrots using my cheese grater. Watch those fingers! **CHEAT NOTE … sometimes I buy the coleslaw bag of already shredded cabbage and carrots and use that instead of shredding my own**

4. Saute your onion, garlic, carrots and cabbage in oil until soft.

5. For your lentils, you can use the ones in the can, or cook the lentils in a pot first and add them to the soup. Why do I add lentils? I add a protein source to my soup for a more balance meal. You could add beans if you wanted to instead.

6. Put everything together!
DON’T drain your potato water! This is the base for the soup. Add your shredded beets, your saute of onion, garlic, carrots and cabbage to the potatoes. Add your can of crushed tomatoes. Salt and Pepper to taste. LOTS of Dill!

PRESTO, you have Beet Borscht!

My ADVISE

Make your soup the way you like it! Add or take away ingredients … it doesn’t matter! It will all taste good in the end! This is why I don’t write cook books … I cook like my baba used to! Use your senses and everything will taste great!

Hope you enjoy it!