Borscht
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 24, 2009
Time
4 hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Beef Broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra as needed1 large onion 6 pounds beef shanks, meat cut from bone in large chunk½ cup dry red wine 2 quarts boiling water 2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon saltSoup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped2 garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons tomato paste ½ small head cabbage, green or red, shredded (about 5 cups)1¾ pounds beets, peeled and grated (about 5 cups)5–6 tablespoons red wine vinegar 4 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 bay leaf ¾ pound small red potatoes, (each 1 to 1¼ inches in diameter), scrubbed½ cup fresh dill, chopped1 cup sour creamBefore You Begin
This hearty, thick, ruby-red soup gets its color from beets. It is known for its characteristic sweet-sour flavor. The sour comes from the addition of vinegar, which also helps to preserve the soup, giving it a long shelf life. It benefits from being made at least a day before eating and will still be excellent five days after it is made. Hold off boiling the potatoes until you are serving the soup. Serve with the traditional accompaniment of sour, dark Russian bread or black bread. Note that the cabbage and beets will rise to the surface of the stock when first added to the pot. As they cook, the vegetables will release their water and sink down.
Instructions
- Heat oil in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
- Brown beef and bones on all sides in 3 or 4 batches, about 5 minutes per batch, adding extra oil as necessary, up to 1 tablespoon. Transfer to bowl with onions.
- Add wine to now-empty pot and cook, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, until reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Return browned beef, bones, and onion to pot; reduce heat to low; and cook, covered, until beef releases juices, about 20 minutes.
- Increase heat to high. Add boiling water, bay leaves, and salt to pot; return mixture to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meat is tender and broth is flavorful, 1½ to 2 hours, occasionally skimming foam off surface.
- Strain into large bowl, discarding bones and onion. Transfer beef to separate bowl and shred into bite-size pieces. Skim fat from surface of broth and set aside. Broth can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Heat butter in now-emtpy large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and stir in ½ cup of stock to dissolve tomato paste. Add remaining stock, cabbage, beets, 4 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until vegetables are soft and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. (The soup can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
- Meanwhile, place potatoes in medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and add remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Cook until paring knife or metal cake tester inserted into potato can be removed with no resistance, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes, cool slightly, and cut into quarters.
- Stir shredded meat into pot and remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar, and ¼ cup dill. Place 4 potato quarters in individual soup bowl and ladle soup over potatoes. Top with 2 more pieces of potato, generous dollop of sour cream, and generous sprinkling of dill. Serve immediately.
for the beef broth
for the borscht
Time
4 hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Beef Broth
Soup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Beef Broth
Soup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Beef Broth
Soup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our best borscht recipe, we used our standard beef stock recipe, first browning the meat and then simmering it in water until we were left with a rich and flavorful stock. Next, we tackled the beets. We felt that raw beets did the best job of flavoring and coloring the stock. We also found that beets grated on the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding disk of a food processor blended more easily with the other ingredients in our borscht recipe.
Before You Begin
This hearty, thick, ruby-red soup gets its color from beets. It is known for its characteristic sweet-sour flavor. The sour comes from the addition of vinegar, which also helps to preserve the soup, giving it a long shelf life. It benefits from being made at least a day before eating and will still be excellent five days after it is made. Hold off boiling the potatoes until you are serving the soup. Serve with the traditional accompaniment of sour, dark Russian bread or black bread. Note that the cabbage and beets will rise to the surface of the stock when first added to the pot. As they cook, the vegetables will release their water and sink down.
Instructions
- Heat oil in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
- Brown beef and bones on all sides in 3 or 4 batches, about 5 minutes per batch, adding extra oil as necessary, up to 1 tablespoon. Transfer to bowl with onions.
- Add wine to now-empty pot and cook, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, until reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Return browned beef, bones, and onion to pot; reduce heat to low; and cook, covered, until beef releases juices, about 20 minutes.
- Increase heat to high. Add boiling water, bay leaves, and salt to pot; return mixture to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meat is tender and broth is flavorful, 1½ to 2 hours, occasionally skimming foam off surface.
- Strain into large bowl, discarding bones and onion. Transfer beef to separate bowl and shred into bite-size pieces. Skim fat from surface of broth and set aside. Broth can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Heat butter in now-emtpy large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and stir in ½ cup of stock to dissolve tomato paste. Add remaining stock, cabbage, beets, 4 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until vegetables are soft and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. (The soup can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
- Meanwhile, place potatoes in medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and add remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Cook until paring knife or metal cake tester inserted into potato can be removed with no resistance, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes, cool slightly, and cut into quarters.
- Stir shredded meat into pot and remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar, and ¼ cup dill. Place 4 potato quarters in individual soup bowl and ladle soup over potatoes. Top with 2 more pieces of potato, generous dollop of sour cream, and generous sprinkling of dill. Serve immediately.
for the beef broth
for the borscht
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments