Why is it
that at the mention of “borscht,” the initial response of so many is “Eew!” Borscht is one of the best things
going. I recall that when Becca
was little, I made a lovely big pot borscht, and she declared that she hated
borscht and wasn’t going to eat it.
I pointed out that she couldn’t hate it as she had never had it, and
furthermore, she liked soup in general and also liked other beet dishes. No matter! She did not like borscht. I said that I would give her a bowl of it and she should at
least try it. She agreed to take a
taste. I left the room for some reason,
and when I returned, she said she had tasted it, and in fact, had eaten it all
up. Minutes later, I pointed out
that she had not eaten it at all, but has surreptitiously returned her portion
to the pot. She was astonished,
and could not imagine how I could have known this. I told her to take a look at the soup in the pot and see
what she noticed. She realized
that the borscht, formerly a brilliant ruby red, now had a pinkened area in the
middle where her soup, along with its sour cream, had mixed in with the rest. She
was impressed with my Holmesian interpretation of clues.
I mentioned
to her that Ana and I were going to make borscht, and her initial response was,
of course, “Eew!. But then she
said that she actually liked borscht, and was thinking back to her initial
introduction to it. I had
completely forgotten about this incident, but I did remember how, as a three
year old, she insisted that she had eaten gazpacho before, and hated it. By the
time she was four, she finally agreed to taste it, and ever after, gazpacho was a big favorite.
Brilliant Borscht
2/3 cups Great Northerni beans, soaked overnight
1 large onion chopped,
4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped,
3 fist-sized beets, peeled and diced,
2 large carrots, ditto,
1 medium potato, diced (no need to peel),
2/3 cup chopped celery,
1 bunch chard, torn and with ribs removed
24 oz (?) can of diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth, chicken style (including the bean
soaking liqud)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste ( don’t stint on the pepper)
Dill – fresh if available, dried if not.
Parsley, flat leafed,
about ½ cup
Yogurt for topping
Dill for topping on the yogurt
In your largest pressure cooker, sauté the onions until
golden, add the garlic and give it a few more stirs, till the garlic softens.
Add the ingredients – vegetables and stock, setting aside the
parsley and yogurt.
Bring pressure cooker to high pressure and cook 10
minutes. Quick release pressure
and check to see that beans are thoroughly cooked. If not (as was the case with us,) either bring to pressure
and cook another minute or two.
Add the parsley and simmer for another minute or two.
Top the soup with a blob of yogurt or sour cream and sprinkle
on some delightful dill.
Normally, borscht has cabbage, but I was trying to clear out my vegetable bin and avoid a trip to the store. Hence, no cabbage in this one.
2 comments:
I like to add some mushrooms to my borscht, now that I eat it.
Yum. I've always loved beets, ever since I discovered that they came in something besides cans from the grocery. I've never had borscht with beans, this will be on my "to cook" list soon!
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