Yummy fall soups. Coming up. Right now.
I just love making soups (if you didn't already know that). There is something about it that's very satisfying in a way that cooking other things isn't. Some people love baking, but me, I'll stick with soups. Last winter my goal was to eat more veggies, so it send me experimenting with new ones and ways to use them. I bought some beets and then had to figure out what to do with them. We tried them roasted (in the oven with a cover on the pan) and enjoyed them alot that way. But then I remembered borscht. That yummy Russian soup that was cheap, nourishing and uber-healthy.
My sister-in-law Reidun gave me her recipe, so I tried that. It was good, but it needed something more. I googled it and found a recipe from a lady from Azerbaijan which looked fabulous. But a ton of work. I think I'll pass. I then got information from my sister Rebecca, who had got a recipe from an extended family member (Svetlana, who is from Russia) who is an excellent soup maker apparently, which gave me some good tips too. I then tried to put it all together to make an easy, yet delicious soup. (here's the Classic Russian Borscht from Azerbaijan recipe)
Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition. They cleanse the liver and blood (and we could all use a bit of that), are high in minerals and fiber and lots of other vitamins too. They help fight cancer and tumors and can be stored for a long time, which makes them a great year-round vegetable. They also have some carbohydrates in them, so will give energy if it's low. 15 great reasons to eat beets
Cabbage is a wonderful vegetable to get acquainted with too. It's good for many of the same reasons that beets are, but their nutritional values are a bit different. Great for livers, cleansing, vitamins and minerals. 20 Best Benefits Of Cabbages For Skin, Hair And Health
Parsnips are another new one for us. They look like a carrot, but taste very different. Mild in some ways, spicy in others. Tasty for sure! (We like them roasted in the oven as well.) All three of these mentioned veggies are high in fiber, and cleanse the body as well as promote weight loss and prevent cancer. We could all use more of that! Health Benefits of Parsnips
Here's the recipe I came up with. It still takes a bit of work (grating veggies mostly, which I hire out to our eldest), but is one of those things that actually tastes better the next day and the next, so making a big pot is highly recommended. I usually make it in my Dutch oven so that I can brown the meat and get more flavor out of it. But a slow cooker works too. The Russian lady's recipe has you make the broth the day before, but if you simmer your roast all day first, you'll get a lovely broth (with all it's health benefits). She also tells you to chill it and not even eat it on the day you make it, but to reheat the next day. (I can't seem to do that after smelling that awesome smell all day!) The measurements are very easy to increase or decrease, which is another great reason I love making (any kind of) soup. Just use what you have and it'll be fine!
Savory Borscht
1 pot roast with a bone in it (the bone adds minerals and flavor)
4-6 medium beets, grated
4-6 carrots, grated
2-4 parsnips, grated
1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped
4-6 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper (about 1 tsp. of each)
lemon juice (optional)
beef bouillon (1 cube/tsp. per cup of juices)
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
3-5 T. fresh or 3 T. dried parsley
sour cream (dollop in each bowl)
To make in Dutch oven, sear meat on high heat until browned on all sides. You can do this either on the stove top or in the oven (400-500*F for about 15 min in oven). Turn down heat (350*F) and put the lid on it, then bake as you normally would for a pot roast until falling-apart tender. This could take all day, depending on how big your roast is. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper the roast well before you get it baking.
While you're baking/simmering your roast, you'll want to prep your veggies. Onions and celery can be chopped by hand or with a food processor. Add them to the roast and let them cook all day too. You should end up with lots of juices simmering in with your roast, and that will be the base for your soup.
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| Saute the onions and celery if you want a more flavor, not necessary though. |
Near the end of your roast cooking time (last hour), you can add the bouillon and garlic and your root veggies and put the lid back on and simmer them all together (move Dutch oven from the oven to the stove at this point). Grate your beets, carrots and parsnips (using a food processor or crank hand grater). I do not recommend grating these by hand, as it may take all day. You'll have about 8-10 cups of grated veggies when you're done. (Save 1 handful of beets to add at the very end for color, as the beets will lose much of their color while they're simmering.) About 1/2 hour before serving, add your shredded cabbage. Then about 15 min. before serving, remove the roast from the pot and let it sit on a plate/cutting board until it's cool enough to shred and then put it back in the pot, and you're going to add that last handful of beets and parsley and finish simmering it up.
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| Enlist your strong 8 year old son to do the grating, with the meat simmering nearby. |
At this point, you'll taste and see what it needs (if anything). It should be a nice even combination of sweet with a hint of sour. If it tastes too sweet, you can add the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. at a time. You may need more bouillon, garlic, salt, or pepper. Celery salt and dill are good too.
Other things you can add: potatoes (add with cabbage), apple (add with root veggies), turnips or rutabagas would be good too. You could use a different kind of meat if you like (I've even used ground beef, but the texture was not great), but a slow roasting one is best. Add more broth if you want it "soupier", leave the lid off if you want it less watery. It's all good!
Dollop sour cream onto each bowl before serving.
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| Starting the roast in the morning in the slow cooker. |
(To make in the slow cooker, just simmer your meat on low all day, and then start the veggies (beets, parsnips, carrots) cooking about an hour before mealtime, and follow the rest of the times accordingly.)
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| Enjoy! (we didn't have any sour cream tonight, so went without) |
So that's it. Greg actually craves this soup alot. He thinks it's something in the nutrition of it that his body needs, since he feels much better when he has some. We always serve this just by itself, but you could add some bread if you need to.
