Borscht: A Vibrant + Nourishing Winter Soup
Lately, I have been trying to find unique ways to warm and nourish my body. Eating root vegetables like carrots and beets help me feel vibrant because of all their vitamins and minerals, and also deeply connected to the winter season. Roots are so resilient, and this is likely why they give us a grounded feeling with each bite.
Borscht soup has been made popular by Ukrainian and other Eastern European countries, and for good reason. It tastes sweet, tangy, and super fresh. You feel light, yet completely satisfied after a bowl of it. It can be served cold in the summertime and warm in the winter. Here in Florida these roots can be found locally in the wintertime.
MATERIALS
food processor or heavy duty blender
big pot
big saute pan
a big bowl or extra pot
a spatula to saute
and a big witch spoon to stir the soup
INGREDIENTS
1/2 of a medium sized red cabbage
1 yellow onion
1 large or 2 small lemons
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
3 large beets
un salted butter or olive oil to saute
6 cups or more of bone, beef, or veggie broth (more/less for desired consistency)
salt and pepper
sour cream
fresh chives, parsley, or dill to garnish
METHOD
Chop up the beets, carrots, cabbage, garlic, and onion into smaller pieces.
Bring the pan to a medium heat and add your oil or butter.
Saute all the veggies listed above until they are pretty soft. While this is going on bring your broth to a simmer.
Once the veggies are soft, place them all into your blender with some broth and blend to your desired consistency. Many people like chunky soups, but this time I blended it quite a bit for that smooth taste. There are a lot of veggies in this recipe, so I had to do this in two phases. After the first blend put the blended veggies in a bowl on the side.
Once you have blended all the veggies, pour the remains from the blender and your side bowl into the broth. Allow it to cook on low for 15 minutes while stirring and adding in squeezed juice from you lemons, salt, and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, pepper, and any fresh herbs you might have handy!
Serves about 5-6 hungry people. Should take you around 45 minutes to complete the whole process, but you will have beautiful soup for days.