Borscht with Beef and Kielbasa
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 29, 2009
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 medium onion, chopped medium2 medium carrots, chopped medium2 medium garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 quarts homemade beef stock, strained and skimmed of fat2 cups meat from stock, shredded into bite-sized pieces½ small head cabbage, green or red, shredded (about 5 cups)1 kielbasa sausage (½ pound piece)1 ¾ 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 1 ¼ inches in diameter), scrubbedGround black pepper ½ cup fresh dill, chopped1 cup sour cream
Before You Begin
Many grand borscht recipes contain several kinds of meat. Although duck and goose require too much labor, we found it quite easy to add smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, to our basic recipe. Because this kind of sausage comes precooked, you need only warm it in the soup.
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and stir in 1/2 cup of the stock to dissolve the tomato paste. Add the remaining stock, cabbage, beets, 4 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are soft and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Add the kielbasa about 20 minutes before the vegetables become tender. (The soup can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
- Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Cook until a thin-bladed paring knife or metal cake tester inserted into a potato can be removed with no resistance, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes, cool slightly, and cut into quarters.
- Stir the meat into the pot and remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup dill. Place 4 potato quarters in each individual soup bowl and ladle some soup over the potatoes. Remove the sausage from the pot and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the slices in each individual bowl with the potatoes. Top with 2 more pieces of potato, a generous dollop of sour cream, and a generous sprinkling of dill. Serve immediately.
Yield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped medium
2 medium carrots, chopped medium
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quarts homemade beef stock, strained and skimmed of fat
2 cups meat from stock, shredded into bite-sized pieces
½ small head cabbage, green or red, shredded (about 5 cups)
1 kielbasa sausage (½ pound piece)
1 ¾ 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 1 ¼ inches in diameter), scrubbed
Ground black pepper
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
1 cup sour cream
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped medium
2 medium carrots, chopped medium
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quarts homemade beef stock, strained and skimmed of fat
2 cups meat from stock, shredded into bite-sized pieces
½ small head cabbage, green or red, shredded (about 5 cups)
1 kielbasa sausage (½ pound piece)
1 ¾ 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 1 ¼ inches in diameter), scrubbed
Ground black pepper
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
1 cup sour cream
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped medium
2 medium carrots, chopped medium
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quarts homemade beef stock, strained and skimmed of fat
2 cups meat from stock, shredded into bite-sized pieces
½ small head cabbage, green or red, shredded (about 5 cups)
1 kielbasa sausage (½ pound piece)
1 ¾ 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 1 ¼ inches in diameter), scrubbed
Ground black pepper
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
1 cup sour cream
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
Many grand borscht recipes contain several kinds of meat. Although duck and goose require too much labor, we found it quite easy to add smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, to our basic recipe. Because this kind of sausage comes precooked, you need only warm it in the soup.
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and stir in 1/2 cup of the stock to dissolve the tomato paste. Add the remaining stock, cabbage, beets, 4 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are soft and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Add the kielbasa about 20 minutes before the vegetables become tender. (The soup can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
- Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Cook until a thin-bladed paring knife or metal cake tester inserted into a potato can be removed with no resistance, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes, cool slightly, and cut into quarters.
- Stir the meat into the pot and remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup dill. Place 4 potato quarters in each individual soup bowl and ladle some soup over the potatoes. Remove the sausage from the pot and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the slices in each individual bowl with the potatoes. Top with 2 more pieces of potato, a generous dollop of sour cream, and a generous sprinkling of dill. Serve immediately.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
More Like This
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments