There are several different kinds of borscht (борщ) which roughly speaking is beet soup. Beets are the unifying ingredient in most variations, although there are some soups called “borscht” which do not contain beets such as Green Borscht–a sour soup made with greens and vegetables. More often than not when you hear someone refer to borscht they mean a characteristically red, sweet-sour beet soup.

Borscht originated in Ukraine and has spread throughout much of Eastern Europe with many, many regional variations. You can find it with served hot or served cold, meat or fish and without, with potatoes and without; the variety is limitless. Ethnic labels can be contentious however in my mind I like to differentiate between a Ukrainian stew-like borscht that we will look at here from a Russian broth-like borscht which we will explore in the future. I distinguish them thus because that was my actual experience with these soups.

I have no doubt there are Russian households who serve the heartier version I’m labeling “Ukrainian” here just as there are certainly Ukrainian families who prefer a sparser version that I’ll refer to as “Russian borscht.” In the end the names are really inconsequential but the culinary experiences are indeed quite distinct. I’d love to hear in the comments your own traditions and experiences with borscht.

Getting started

An old saying advises that a proper Ukrainian borscht should be so thick a wooden spoon will stand upright in it. That has been my guiding principle whenever I’ve made this recipe. I take considerable liberty when preparing borscht so know that the process shown here is only one variation on a general method that I will outline, which is this:

1. Cut up meat into cubes; brown in heavy pot.
2. Add carrot, onion, celery root and parsley root to make a stock. Simmer until meat is tender then discard vegetables and skim any foam.
3. Meanwhile bake beets, then peel and julienne them.
4. Julienne vegetables for the stew and sautée; add to soup pot.
5. Add beets, sliced cabbage, and cubed potatoes to the pot.
6. Season and simmer until everything is tender.

Whenever possible I make my own stock for borscht. You don’t have to, of course. You could use commercially prepared chicken, beef or vegetable stock. I’ve even used turkey stock that was in the freezer from the last Thanksgiving turkey. Celery root is usually pretty easy to find but if you can’t just make your stock with celery.

The challenge can be finding parsley root. It looks like a turnip but will have parsley greens growing out the top. I’ve found my local supermarket carries it regularly but I live in a culturally diverse neighborhood. The very same retailer in other neighborhoods usually doesn’t have it. You could substitute parsnips but they are milder and won’t add a whole lot of flavor. Better to add a little turnip and fresh parsley greens to your stock. (Incidentally whenever I buy parsley root I cut off the greens right away because they feed off the roots. I save the parsley greens in a glass of water kept in the fridge and use them in my cooking anywhere parsley is called for. The trimmed roots will last a really long time in your vegetable crisper by the way. Use them anywhere you would other root vegetables, including the borscht).

I like to include a mixture of pork and beef in my borscht, even if it’s leftover meat from another meal. I once made a borscht from the remains of a standing rib roast. That prime rib meat made the richest, most delicious soup I’ve ever had! You really could add any chunks of meat you like, even poultry or sausage. When making borscht to photograph for this post I tried using some sausage for the first time. It was a hot sausage so added some spiciness that isn’t usual for this recipe. If I try sausage again I’ll probably go with a milder variety like a Polish kielbasa.

The recipe for Ukrainian borscht here is a guide…feel free to experiment using different vegetables and meats. I’ve added turnips, rutabagas, celery, parsnips before. You could add mushrooms if you like them. I make my borscht with red cabbage though most recipes call for green. I want my borscht as red as possible (I even use every drop of beet juice in the foil after roasting) so I figure why not use red cabbage to add an extra bit of color.

Making the stock

• 

• 

First I brown the meat I’m going to use with a little fat in the soup pot. I often use a large enameled cast iron dutch oven for this. After the meat is browned, I put in the flavoring vegetables (carrot, onion, parsley root, celery root), add enough water to cover and season with some peppercorns, bay leaf and salt. Simmer this mixture about an hour then strain the broth, reserve the meat and discard the spent vegetables. Put the meat and broth in another container so you can use the same pot for sautéing your vegetables in the next step.

Some recipes call for a beet kvas or a sour stock made by adding some rye bread and left to ferment a few days. I don’t typically use this ingredient as I add a bit of vinegar near the end to sour my borscht. We’ll explore taking this extra step in the future.

Prepping the soup vegetables

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I like to julienne all the vegetables for my borscht. To julienne is simply to cut them into narrow sticks. If the vegetable pieces are long, I’ll cut them crosswise into shorter lengths so that they fit better in a soup spoon. I even do it to the potatoes although other recipes tell you to cube the potatoes. It really makes no difference in the end; cut your potatoes as you like. In my borscht, the meats are in cubes and the vegetables in strips. In my soup anything cubed is a piece of meat! Once everything is dyed uniformly red by the beet juice you might like to distinguish what’s what so shapes can help.

You’ll roast your beets and cut up your vegetables while the stock is simmering. Beets are so easy to roast: just wrap them in foil and bake for about an hour at 350°F. Put the foil-wrapped beets in a baking dish or beet juice may leak in your oven. I don’t like any juice to go to waste because I put in the soup (the more beet juice, the deeper the ruby color of the soup). When the beets are tender, remove from the oven and let cool before handling. As they bake and cool you can slice up all your other vegetables. Removing beet skin is very easy after roasting. It just slide off under gentle rubbing. I like to wear gloves when handling cooked beets; they’ll stain your fingers and your cutting board.

Making the borscht

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here’s where it all comes together. Return the cooked meat and reserved broth to the pot. Grate the tomatoes into the stew; discard the skins. (Or just coarsely chop the tomatoes peel and all–I’ve done it both ways and I can’t say it matters. I rarely fuss with peeling tomatoes for anything). Add more water to just barely cover all the ingredients. Season with some salt and pepper, crushed garlic and other seasonings that you deem appropriate (bay leaf, parsley, celery leaves, etc). Simmer this soup for a couple hours until everything is as tender as you like it. Near the end add some cider vinegar (or really any vinegar you have on hand) to taste.

I believe any dish made with tomatoes is better the second day so if you have the patience, wait to eat your borscht tomorrow. But who am I kidding? You’re going to want to dish up a bowl as soon as it’s ready. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill weed. For an extra special and authentic treat, make some buttery, garlicky yeast rolls (pampushki z chasnikom пампушки з часником/пампушки с чесноком) to accompany your borscht. We’ll try making that recipe together someday, too.

Let me know what you think and any variations you have tried or would like to try!