Recipe: Borscht

By Joe Bender

In the winter months, I love making this rich stew of beets, turnips and cabbage, topped with dill and a generous dollop of sour cream. The vegetables are readily available at the Co-op and the stew is filling, warming and oh so satisfying on a cold evening. This version is meaty, though it can just as easily be made vegetarian. Just omit the beef and first two hours of braising and use vegetable or mushroom broth. This dish is infinitely flexible, so you can easily adapt it to whatever’s in the fridge. Top a bowlful with dill and a bit of sour cream and you’re in for a treat! 

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:

• Beef short ribs, a pound or a little more (optional)

• 2 large beets, cubed

• 1 medium to large turnip, cubed (about the same amount as the beets)

• 2 large carrots, cubed

• 1 large onion, cubed

• 2 cups red cabbage, sliced 

• 2 bay leaves

• A pinch of chile flakes

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 

• 1 bunch fresh dill

• 5 juniper berries, smashed (optional)

• Sea salt

• White pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Sour cream

Directions: If using meat, start by braising the short ribs. If you’re making the stew vegetarian, you can skip these steps. Instead, sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil with the herbs and spices, deglaze with the soy sauce and wine, add broth and move on to the next paragraph. 

Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Heat the oil in an oven-safe pot over medium-high heat and sear the short ribs until browned on all sides. Add the chile flakes, bay leaves and juniper berries to the pot for a few seconds until fragrant. Deglaze with the soy sauce and a bit of the wine, then add the rest of the wine and enough stock (and water, if needed) so that the shank is about three-quarters submerged. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, transfer to the oven and braise for two hours.

While the shank is braising, prepare the other vegetables. Cut the beets, rutabaga and carrot into large (1/2 to 3/4 inch) cubes. When the two hours have elapsed, add the cubed vegetables to the pot, stirring to coat them in the braising liquid and return the pot to the oven for another half hour. Add the onions and cabbage and braise in the oven for a final 15-20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the shank to a board, coarsely shred the meat and return it to the pot. You can return the bone to the pot as well, or scoop out the marrow to eat on a slice of toast. Coarsely chop about 1/2 cup of the dill and add to the soup. Season with salt and a pinch of white pepper to taste. Serve with a generous garnish of more dill and a spoonful of sour cream.