Hot Ukrainian Borscht
By Annie PetitoPublished on December 5, 2022
Time
3¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Broth
1 (2-pound) boneless pork butt roast, well trimmed and cut in half1 onion, halved1 large carrot, sliced 1 inch thick2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon table salt 10 cups waterSoup
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces½ small head green cabbage, halved, cored, and sliced thin crosswise (5 cups)1½ teaspoons table salt, divided¼ cup vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped fine 8 ounces beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded (2 cups)2 carrots, peeled and shredded (1½ cups)1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste ⅓ cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more for servingBefore You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. For efficiency, prep the vegetables while the broth cooks, or make the broth ahead. In step 2, the chilled fat hardens on the surface of the broth and is easy to remove with a spoon. This soup benefits from being made in advance—at least a few hours before eating and up to three days. Serve with bread. Garnish with sour cream, if desired.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Adjust heat to simmer and cook, covered, until pork is tender, about 2 hours, occasionally skimming foam off surface.
- Transfer pork to large plate or cutting board. Discard onion, carrot, and bay leaves. When pork is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces (it's OK if meat starts to shred). Skim fat from surface of broth. (Alternatively, cool broth completely and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate pork separately.)
- Reserve ½ cup broth. In Dutch oven, bring remaining broth to boil over high heat. Add potatoes, cabbage, and ½ teaspoon salt. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook, covered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beets, carrots, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste (mixture will be thick) and cook until fragrant and tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add reserved broth, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits.
- Add beet mixture to Dutch oven and stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in pork, dill, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Portion borscht into bowls and garnish each serving with more dill. Serve. (Borscht can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 4 months.)
for the broth
for the soup
Time
3¾ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Broth
Soup
Ingredients
Broth
Soup
Ingredients
Broth
Soup
Why This Recipe Works
The markers of classic Ukrainian borscht include beets for their earthy sweetness and vivid color, as well as green cabbage, carrots, onions, and potatoes—staple crops that grow abundantly in Ukrainian soil. Pork is the cuisine's default protein, for building up a meaty backbone. And a souring agent such as vinegar, lemon juice, or tomatoes invigorates the broth. Slowly cooking collagen-rich pork butt yielded a full-bodied broth with succulent meat for chopping and adding back to the soup. Shredding the beets and carrots helped the hard roots cook as efficiently and varied their texture from the chunkier potatoes. We also separately sautéed the beets and carrots before simmering them so that the high heat helped them soften quickly and intensified their savory sweetness. Loads of tomato paste, briefly sautéed with the beets to deepen its flavor, plus a last-minute shot of lemon juice, brightened the earthy, meaty broth. Letting the soup rest as long as possible before serving gave the flavors time to meld.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. For efficiency, prep the vegetables while the broth cooks, or make the broth ahead. In step 2, the chilled fat hardens on the surface of the broth and is easy to remove with a spoon. This soup benefits from being made in advance—at least a few hours before eating and up to three days. Serve with bread. Garnish with sour cream, if desired.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Adjust heat to simmer and cook, covered, until pork is tender, about 2 hours, occasionally skimming foam off surface.
- Transfer pork to large plate or cutting board. Discard onion, carrot, and bay leaves. When pork is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces (it's OK if meat starts to shred). Skim fat from surface of broth. (Alternatively, cool broth completely and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate pork separately.)
- Reserve ½ cup broth. In Dutch oven, bring remaining broth to boil over high heat. Add potatoes, cabbage, and ½ teaspoon salt. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook, covered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beets, carrots, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste (mixture will be thick) and cook until fragrant and tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add reserved broth, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits.
- Add beet mixture to Dutch oven and stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in pork, dill, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Portion borscht into bowls and garnish each serving with more dill. Serve. (Borscht can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 4 months.)
for the broth
for the soup
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