May Meat Challenge - Emerald's Russian Borscht

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My Story

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When I lived in Berkeley 30 years ago I used to go to a Russian restaurant on College St. near Ashby.  For $6 they would bring me a huge bowl of hearty Russian borscht, which is more like a stew than a soup, with a basket of fresh, warm dark pumpernickel bread and a bowl of fresh, cold butter.  That would be my dinner about once a month.  Then that restaurant closed.  I have spent years since then replicating that delicious soup, mostly in crockpots.  But the one I just made last week was so excellent, I decided to finally write down the recipe and share it because this is a great soup.  It is a far cousin to Jewish borscht which is a thin beet broth with sugar in it and a dollop of sour cream.  I have put vegan sour cream and yogurt in my Russian borscht which is awesome too, but it is fantastic without anything, and doesn't need any bread either.  I do like Jewish borscht too, but Russian borscht is the one I make every 1-2 months.  

Emerald's Delicious Russian Borscht

large soup pot with a tight lid and a steamer basket

4 medium large purple beets (as many as will fit in the pot)

1 large onion, yellow or red - chopped medium

equal amount of celery - sliced or chopped

4 large carrots - sliced or chopped

equal amount of Yukon Gold or red potatoes - cubed medium

2 bunches of cruciferous vegetables (collards, kale, chard, and/or red cabbage) - chopped large to medium

salt such as Himalayan pink salt & fresh ground pepper to taste (I like my soups salty and I use a lot of pepper)

1-2 tablespoons of dried parsley (don't skimp on that either)

olive oil (optional)

filtered water

Soak and wash the beets, enough to get the dirt off, but do not puncture the skin.  Leave most of the tail on, and some of the crown removing only the top parts of the leaves.  You don't want the beets to leak out their flavor or nutrients while you steam them.

Add your steamer basket to the pot and fill with filtered water up to the bottom of the steamer.  The bottoms of the beets can be sitting in a little water, but don't submerge the beets to keep the best flavor.  If you have a different kind of steamer that will work too.  Be sure to use enough water so that the pot doesn't dry out but steam the beets, not boil them.

The beets will take 45-60 minutes to cook on the lowest setting that keeps them steaming.  Test them with a fork into the crown only.  This prevents the flavor from leaking out of the beets.  When a fork can easily go into the largest beet, they are done.  Put the beets aside to cool before peeling them, and put the liquid aside for the broth.  The easiest way to peel beets is with your hands.  The peels will slide off and your purple hands will wash off.

In your now empty pot, saute the onion in some good quality olive oil such as Bragg's.  Add salt and pepper and dried parsley to the onion.  When the onion is transparent and cooked, add and saute the celery.  Then add and saute the carrots, and then the potatoes.  When those veggies are mostly cooked, add the greens and other veggies that you choose.

While the veggies are cooking, peel the beets and then chop them into about 6 pieces each.  Add the beets to the other cooked veggies and add the beet broth you saved from steaming.  Fill the pot the rest of the way with water.  But if you use a lot of veggies like I did you will barely have room for the broth.

Bring to a gentle boil, turn down to medium low, then low or simmer, and let it simmer 15-30 minutes.  Taste it to adjust the salt and seasonings.  Let it cool, and have your first serving.  Unless you are feeding a family, there will be lots left over that will taste even better the next day.  When you reheat it, only warm the serving you are going to eat.  This will keep in the fridge for 5 days if you keep it consistently cold.  This soup doesn't freeze well, but if you can't eat all of it within 5 days freeze it anyway.  Beets, potatoes and carrots change their texture when they're frozen but they still taste good.

This soup has a lot of fiber and magnesium so it is great for digestion.  Lots of other minerals and vitamins too.  I make something like this for myself every week so my soups and stews are full of self-love and nurturing.  Warm food is comforting on a deep level.  I love eating this dark purple color.  This soup cleans me out like nothing else, and makes me feel strong and vibrant.  I hope that you will try it and please let me know how you like it.

Love,

Emerald      

PS. If you spill beets or beet broth on your clothes you can easily get that out with hydrogen peroxide (the one in the brown plastic bottle).  Hydrogen peroxide will disintegrate the beet stain and it will be gone completely.