RUSSIAN FOOD NETWORK

Project form

Please fill out the form below, print it to turn it in, in HARD COPY,and also send ELECTRONICALLY, on the due date you selected on the sign up sheet. The Russian Food Network Event as a follow up to your Russian cooking experience will take place during class time as indicated on the syllabus. Please duplicate your recipe and bring it in for the event.

Recipe:

Classic Ukrainian Borsch Recipe

Prep time:20 mins

Cook time:1 hour 40 mins

Total time:2 hours

Author:Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Skill Level:Medium

Serving:10-12

Ingredients

  • 2 large or 3 medium beets, thoroughly washed
  • 2 large or 3 medium potatoes, sliced into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 Tbsp of cooking oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • ½ head of cabbage, thinly sliced (see picture)
  • 1 can kidney beans with their juice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 10 cups water
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 5 Tbsp ketchup
  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tbsp chopped dill

Instructions

  1. Fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add 2 - 3 beets. Cover and boil for about 1 hour. Once you can smoothly pierce the beets with a butter knife, remove from the water and set aside to cool.Keep the water.
  2. Slice 3 potatoes, add into the same water and boil 15-20 minutes.
  3. Grate both carrots and dice one onion. Add 4 Tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet and saute vegetables until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Stir in ketchup when they are almost done cooking.
  4. Meanwhile, thinly shred ½ a cabbage and add it to the soup pot when potatoes are half way done.
  5. Next, peel and slice the beets into match sticks and add them back to the pot.
  6. Add 6 cups chicken broth, lemon juice, pepper, bay leaves and can of kidney beans (with their juice) to the pot.
  7. Add sauteed carrots and onion to the pot along with chopped dill.
  8. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is done. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I usually don't have to add any unless I use low sodium broth.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or real mayo.

Photo of the prepared dish:

A synopsis of your research on the recipe and the area where the recipe originated:

Borscht (or borsch) is a soup made from beets and other root vegetables that is very popular among many ethnic groups and countries across eastern Europe. The soup as it is known today is believed to have originated around the 15th century. Despite being thought to have originated in Ukraine, there is a popular legend that says borscht was first made by Cossacks during a siege of the Azov fortress (in modern day Russia) by the Ottomans. Borscht can be served either cold or hot, and it is often topped with sour cream and herbs such as dill or parsley as a garnish. It is a dish that is often just made with whatever ingredients are readily available. Typically, it is made with several root vegetables and cabbage, but it can also include tomatoes, sorrel leaves, leeks, chicken, pork, beef, or hard-boiled eggs. Borschtis known for its distinctive red color, but there are variations that are clear or even green.

Your description of the experience of preparing and tasting the recipe (any ingredients you needed to substitute, any changes you made to the recipe… does it remind you of something you tasted before? What would you serve to accompany it? Etc.

I decided to use a recipe for Ukrainian borscht. Of all the different variations of the recipe, I figured it would be good to try one from its place of origin. Cooking the dish was relatively straightforward and simple. It was mostly chopping and cutting different vegetables and letting them cook in the pot. Because this was the first time I have ever made borscht, I decided to follow the recipe exactly. It turned out just fine, but after trying it I thought of a few changes that I might make in the future just to suit my particular taste. For instance, I think it would be better without adding kidney beans and adding more pepper and salt. If possible, I would definitely accompany it with homemade bread, perhaps with sausage on the side. Borscht does vaguely resemble a classic vegetable soup, but it is quite a bit heartier and the broth has a very distinct, slightly sour taste.

Like a wine recommendation to accompany a dish, make a recommendation of a reading from Russian literature that would accompany the making or tasting of the dish you prepared. Perhaps the reading would suit the mood of the dish, its spiciness or its sweetness… perhaps there was a mention of one of the ingredients or the dish itself in the reading… etc. You may select from the stories read or presented in class, or some other Russian work with which you are familiar.

I would recommend the chapter “Bela” from Lermontov’s A Hero of our Time. This chapter shows the diversity in the Caucasus region. Russia today is composed not only of Russians, but of numerous other ethnic groups as well, each one with their own distinct views and culture. Borscht is also a very diverse dish as there are countless variations of it. Traditionally borscht has been common among many different ethnic groups in eastern Europe such as Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, and Belorussians. Just as the Russian Federation is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic groups, each one bringing with them their own culture and ideas; borscht is enjoyed by a wide variety of people who bring their own variations to create a dish unique to each individual who makes it.