First recipe was for pierogi, now we’re on to borscht. I promise that not all posts will be Eastern European themed.
I make a pretty simple vegetarian borscht with not too many ingredients and not too many steps.

 

I’m sure there are a lot of different definitions of borscht, but I see it as a beet soup with some acid and dill. That acid can be lemon juice or vinegar (you’ll see which I choose soon!), and for some reason I see it as really transforming beet soup into borscht.

  • 1 white onion
  • 2 large carrots (peeled)
  • 3 large beets (peeled)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dill
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 container vegetable stock (32 oz)
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Grate the onion, carrots, and beets together. I use a large cheese grater – I’m sure you could also use a fancy kitchen device that is too large to fit into my tiny Brooklyn kitchen. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in your soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and beets together with a pinch of salt and heat until softened (~10 minutes). Add chopped dill, stir, and then add vegetable stock. Bring to boil, and then simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Next, the swirl. Swirl in the vinegar and the butter until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may also want to add more butter and/or vinegar depending on your palate.

Then serve! The butter helps offset the need for sour cream (I am married to one of the only Hungarians who does not appreciate sour cream), but it’s good to serve something like that (maybe Greek yogurt) with your soup. Maybe you could also serve it with some pumpkin pierogi.