Pull out your largest saucepan and fill your home with wonderful aromas as this magnificent and hearty winter soup boils and bubbles!
Ingredients
2 sirloin steaks
1 smoked pork hock
and/or
1 large smoked ribs (cut into pieces between bones every two or three bones)
4 medium Beetroots (washed)
1 (large) can sliced beetroot
1 to 2 medium (brown) onions, finely diced
2 to 3 carrots, grated
3 to 4 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced into bite size pieces
½ head of a small cabbage, sliced/chopped
2 to 3 tomatoes, skinned/peeled/diced
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 bunch chopped dill
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, pressed/chopped
½ tsp pepper
1+ tbsp salt
4+ tbsp olive oil
1+ tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 to 3 tbsp tomato paste
1 to 2 tbsp butter
2 cans (x 450g) red kidney beans
1 can baked beans (in tomato sauce)
½ cup lemon juice
Method
1. Place the sirloin steaks in 3.5 litres of cold water
Add 1 tbsp Salt
Bring to boil on medium to high heat
Ensure you remove the foamy substance (crud) as it is formed
Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat enough to ensure gentle boil (low to medium heat)
Partially cover the pot
Cook for about 45 minutes
2. Once cooked, remove the steak and cut into 3cm (bite size) pieces
Leave the bone out and, return the meat to the water
(Make sure you have removed the foamy substance – crud – from the water by now)
3. Add the pork hock (and/or ribs) to the water and let it continue to cook on low to medium heat
4. As (1) above is happening, place the beets in another pot, with enough water to just cover the beets
Only par-boil the beets, say for about 5 to 10 minutes
5. Remove the beets from the water
Peel them, and grate them (in a food processor is fine)
6. Filter the beet water (to remove any residual dirt particles) [you can filter through a paper table napkin], and pour all the beet water into the main pot with the beef and pork hocks/ribs
7. Place the grated beet in a frypan, with 4 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp white vinegar. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add 1 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp tomato paste
Continue to sauté and mix thoroughly for about 10 minutes.
8. Once softened, remove from the frypan and set aside.
9. In the same frypan (don’t bother washing it) sauté the onion in butter for about 3 minutes.
10. Add the grated carrot and sauté for another 5 or so minutes until softened. Feel free to add a little more olive oil if it appears a little dry.
11. Once the meat (beef and pork hocks/ribs) have been cooking in total for about 60 to 75 minutes, place the potatoes into the soup pot and cook for about another 10 minutes.
12. Add the cabbage, sautéed beets, onion and carrot, and chopped tomatoes.
Cook for another 15 minutes (or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork)
13. At this time you can add the sliced beetroot, together with its juice.
If you like you can chop/dice or grate the canned beetroot to your liking before you put it into the soup pot.
14. Add the bay leaves, pepper, and more salt to taste.
15. Add the red kidney beans (without juice) and the baked beans with sauce.
16. Add ¼ cup of lemon juice to taste.
Wait 10 to 15 minutes, and if it needs more (according to your taste) add the rest of the
lemon juice.
17. Chop the parsley, dill, and pressed garlic and stir them into the soup. (You may wish to keep the dill for garnish instead – your choice.)
18. Immediately cover the pot and remove from the heat and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. (This will allow the flavours to meld.)
19. Serve hot and garnish with dill (if you like) and/or with sour cream if you wish
20. Enjoy.
NB: Borsch is usually much more tasty on the second and third days, once all the flavours have fully melded.
Please send your recipes to LauraM@igssyd.nsw.edu.au as our “IGS recipes from around the globe” continues!