With the rainbow of fresh root vegetables at the farmer’s market, now is the perfect time for borscht!
What? In this kind of heat?
You bet!
My family has two distinct borscht recipes: winter and summer.
Winter borscht is built around the complex flavours of the thick bone broth, while the summer one — the lighter variety—is all about the veggies fresh from the garden.
Here is just-like-my-grandma-used-to-make-it summer borscht recipe.
This vegetarian version is just as delicious and incredibly versatile – you can heat it for a warm supper or enjoy it at room temperature on hot summer days. The power is in your hands to experiment and find your perfect borscht! Don’t be afraid to add your own twist and make it truly yours.
Borscht is usually ready in about an hour. And don’t worry, it’s not a complicated process. It will be faster if you can find some helping hands – but those are often hard to come by in the summer. But even if you’re cooking solo, you’ve got this! The steps are straightforward, and the result will be worth it.
Start by gathering your supplies:
Get some beets—with greens, preferably— you’ll need about three medium ones; carrots, also around three – I usually aim for an equal ration of chopped beets and carrots.
You’ll also need:
Potatoes – aim for the same amount of chopped potatoes as beets and carrots;
One good-sized onion;
A sweet bell pepper;
About half of a cabbage;
A few cloves of garlic;
Green onions or any other herbs you like. I use parsley, mint, dill, and basil, but this is not written in stone.
Few fresh tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes (no spices!)
At home in Russia, we made our own canned tomatoes for borscht. My cheat trick is to use a can of diced tomatoes (14-oz can), preferably without added spices. If you prefer fresh tomatoes, you can use those as well.
Grab some sour cream and Rye bread:
These little additions will make your tasting experience more authentic.
Borscht Prep Method:
In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil and add one medium-sized chopped onion; three to four medium-sized beets, cut in long strips ( you can chop them, too—it’s just that my Grandma always did the strips), and three to four medium-sized carrots, chopped. Stir until they turn nice and golden.
Meanwhile, fill 2/3 of a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. You know how old recipes are – a pinch of that, a handful of this; we’ll adjust the consistency once we get going.
Once the water boils, reduce it to a simmer and add salt to taste, as well as cubed potatoes ( I don’t peel mine). If you have a potato allergy, turnips will do just beautifully. Let them simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the sauteed beet–onion–carrot mix.
Add the bell pepper and cut it into long, thin strips.
While the ingredients are cooking, shred the cabbage.
I prefer to do it by hand—a processor shreds things too fine, and they overcook. Add enough cabbage to a pot to get the consistency of a stew—not too thick, though. From here, you are on a home run.
Let the broth simmer for about 5 minutes, and then add 3/4 to a whole can of diced tomatoes—keep tasting it to get just enough tartness.
Chop the beet greens ( if using) and add them to the pot. Wait 2 – 3 minutes.
Very finely chop your herbs, green onions, and garlic; add the mixture to the pot, let it come to a gentle boil, and then turn off the heat immediately.
Cover it with a lid and let it rest while you set the table.
Here is the traditional way to eat borscht:
Cut a slice of rye bread and rub it all over with a slice of garlic; ladle your soup into a bowl; add some sour cream and fresh dill, and enjoy!
