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Borscht – Russian Beet Soup


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 Amanda Love's Cooking 

 Delicious, Healthy Seasonal Recipes 
from the "The Barefoot Cook"

 

This soup marries the healing elements of both beets and broth. Borscht is a traditional Russian dish and is known to be very fortifying on a cold winters’ day. Beets and bones, the main ingredients of this soup, are both rich in minerals. Beets are both cleansing and building at the same time.

 

Upon hearing that a friend had her baby, the first thing I thought to bring her was a jar of borscht. I knew this healing soup would serve to build her blood, replenish her with iron, warm her body and nourish her nerves and digestive tract with an easy to digest food. Beets are known to strengthen the heart, improve circulation, purify the liver and promote menstruation. They are good for constipation and are rich in silicon. The greens are delicious too and can be cooked like spinach or Swiss chard. Homemade broth is extremely healing as well. (If you will refer back to the January magazine, you will find the recipe and information for bone broth—also referred to as stock). I highly recommend using beef broth for this soup, but you can also use chicken, buffalo or vegetable stock as well.

 

Ingredients:

1 quart of organic, homemade broth (preferably beef or bison)

1 tablespoon butter

3 or 4 medium size beets – thinly sliced

1 onion – thinly sliced

1 cup of shredded red cabbage

1/8 cup minced parsley

1 tablespoon Sherry (optional)

Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Salt and pepper

Sour Cream (optional)

 

Instructions:

Over medium low heat, melt butter in a medium size soup pot. Add onions and beets and cook until soft – about 7 or 8 minutes. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Stir in broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Than add fresh cabbage, parsley, nutmeg, and sherry. Simmer for a couple minutes more, season with additional salt and pepper, serve and enjoy. Add a dollop of crème fraiche or sour cream if you like.

 

 

 

 

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