How To Cook Borscht Like a Russian Grandma
Topped off with a spoonful of sour cream and eaten with a side of black bread, red borscht is the perfect afterschool snack. Photo Credit: Ilana Kolomiyets
By ILANA KOLOMIYETS
Quarantine is rough, but it has its bright spots. Despite being overwhelmed from online learning and not seeing friends for weeks, I’ve also had the opportunity to try new activities that I was never able to find the time for during “normal” life. Having a love for eating home-cooked food, I decided to learn how to make a personal favorite dish that my grandma has been cooking for me for as long as I can remember: borscht.
Borscht dates back to the fifth century. The very first version was created in Ukraine out of a simple broth of two ingredients that were prominent in the country: cow parsnips and any plants found in the fields. The recipe for this early borscht spread throughout Eastern Europe, with each country (or kingdom, at the time) having its own variation of the soup.
To this day, the recipe for making borscht varies based on the country. For example, Russians, Belarussians, and Ukrainians make the most common version, red borscht. It’s cooked in a chicken broth base with beets (the main ingredient that gives the borscht its color), as well as other seasonal vegetables and meat (usually chicken or beef). In Poland, borscht has religious symbolism, as it is eaten during Easter. The Polish make white borscht, consisting of sausage, eggs, potatoes, and other seasonal vegetables. In Hungary, the traditional soup that draws roots to borscht is goulash, a type of stew with meat and vegetables. All Slavic people grew up eating their traditional borscht, the perfect dish for every season of the year, as well as a nutritious meal.
Being Russian, I grew up eating red borscht. Up until seventh grade, my grandma picked me up from school every day, and once we came home, she would give me borscht for lunch. Even though I’m responsible for getting home by myself nowadays, my grandma calls me daily to ask how my school day went (and to make sure that I ate borscht of course).
During lockdown, I finally asked her for her recipe, and it turns out that I haven’t been eating traditional soup my whole life. My grandma’s recipe is slightly different from the traditional red borscht because I grew up a picky eater, and even though I enjoy a greater variety of food now, I got used to the version she has cooked for me my whole life. Knowing that the result tastes good, I’ve decided to stick to my grandma’s version.
Just like in any other recipe, the first step is to gather the supplies. You will need kitchen tools for peeling, grating, cutting, slicing, or any possible way you can think of cutting a vegetable. This is another benefit to making borscht, by the way. You can learn about 20 new ways to cut vegetables. After gathering supplies, it’s time to go on a shopping spree for ingredients. The most important ingredient for making borscht is red beets, so if you forgot to buy them, your red borscht won’t be very red. You will also need to buy cabbage, potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, and celery. For approximately three liters of borscht (about 6-8 servings), you would need three vegetables each, except for the cabbage, which you only need one of. To make my grandma’s version, which is without meat, three ounces of tomato paste is a great substitution to add flavor to the soup. To add spice, you will need half a lemon to squeeze and a small garlic clove.
Once all the ingredients are gathered, the process of making red borscht is a little lengthy (it can take one to two hours), but it’s really simple. Although traditional borscht is cooked in a chicken broth base, using water with some salt can work as well. While the water is boiling, you can start to prepare the vegetables. After washing all of them, you will find enjoyment in standing over your cutting board for approximately an hour cutting and grating every single vegetable you’ve prepared.
Everything has to cut into tiny pieces (except for the beets and carrots, which have to be grated), and once the water starts boiling, all the cut vegetables can be dropped inside. When the beets become thoroughly cooked, the color of the borsch will slowly turn red. After the borsch gets its desired ruby-red color, all the spices can be added to enhance the flavor. This is the time to add the clove of garlic (cut into very small chunks), squeezed lemon juice, and tomato paste. After mixing the vegetables and spices in the water, check that your potatoes and carrots are tender enough, and the borscht is ready to eat. Traditionally, it is topped off with a spoonful of sour cream and eaten with a side of black bread.
Even though traditional borscht is cooked with meat and chicken broth rather than my substitution of salted water and tomato paste, my version is great for anyone who likes a light meal or is looking for the perfect snack. Borscht always tastes best on the second day after making it because that gives the vegetables time to enhance its flavor, so that’s the perfect day to gather your family and serve them this amazing dish!