Title
Borscht
Description
Borscht is a sour soup common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word "borscht" is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients, which give the dish its distinctive red color.
Ingredients
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, divided
1 (1 1/4 pound) section bone-in beef shank with a lot of meat, or 1 pound beef stew meat, excess fat trimmed
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
8 cups beef broth or beef stock, divided
4 large beets (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and chopped
4 carrots (1 pound), peeled and chopped
1 large russet potato (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill, divided
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Brown the beef, then cook the onions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add the shank slice or stew beef. Let the beef brown lightly on one side, then turn over.
Add the chopped onions to the pot. Let the onions cook and soften, about 5 minutes.
Add 4 cups broth and simmer until the beef is tender:
Pour 4 cups of the beef broth over the beef and onions in the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prep and roast the root vegetables:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Peel and chop the beets, carrots, and potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the beets and carrots with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and spread them out in a single layer on a foil lined roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Toss the potatoes with olive oil and make room for them in the roasting pan, and roast everything an additional 15 minutes.
Remove the meat from the pot:
Once the beef has cooked through until tender, remove from the pot, and take the pot off the heat. If you are using a beef shank, remove and discard any bone, connective tissue, and excess fat. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces.
Skim the soup:
Skim off any excess fat from the liquid in the pot.
Finish cooking the soup:
Return the pot to the stove and add the remaining broth, the carrots, beets, and potato. Add the chopped meat to the pot, the sliced cabbage, and a half cup of the fresh dill. Bring to a simmer, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the cabbage is cooked through.
Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (I use about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but the amount you use will depend on how salty your beef broth is to begin with.)
The soup is best made a day ahead. (The longer the soup sits, the more it will all turn the deep red color of beets.)
Serve ladled into bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.
Photos
Recipe Website Links
Vegetarian Recipe
This site offers a vegetarian alternative recipe of the soup.The ingredient listed is of precise portion.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia has a detailed description of the origen, history and regional modifications of the Borscht recipe. The information helps a lot to thoroughly learn about this culturally rich plate.
Skinnytaste Recipe
This website has a very precise instruction. It lists the variations of Borscht if someone does not like or does not have certain ingredient, which is really helpful.
Stylistic Reference Website Links
Simply Recipes
This recipe website is very precise, with important information highlighted on the front page (cooking time, genre, etc.) The pictures also align with the overall style of the website.
Airbnb
The description of Airbnb housing is very clear to read, with the help of unified fonts, underlined links, simple color palette and icons.
Yummly
The recipe page of Yummly is relatively playful - constrasting theme colors, good amount of web design, and extra but helpful information such as calories and links to order ingredients.