Borscht
I have a confession. I don’t like beets. When I traveled to Russia I was served borscht, a soup filled with beets and it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. When I returned home I decided to try it using golden beets which I prefer over the red ones. Surprisingly, it was delicious! Adding bacon and lots of other vegetables makes this soup hearty and very tasty. My Ukranian friend, Elena, also makes borscht with golden beets, which is a big endorsement since she’s one of the best cooks I’ve ever known!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
Borscht:
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 cup celery (2 stalks), diced
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly into half-moons
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 head of Napa cabbage, chopped
2 or 3 medium sized gold beets, peeled and diced
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Process
In a large pot, add the bacon and cook over medium high heat until just crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside on a plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan, and add celery, onion, and carrots. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, cabbage, beets, and broth. Simmer over medium high heat for 40 minutes until beets and cabbage are tender. Add dill, salt and pepper (to taste), and serve.
