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Add a photoI found this recipe on Food 911: Tastes of Russia and had to make it. I do not like beets, but my family does. I loved this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 6 cups chicken stock, heated
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- Sour cream, for garnish
Directions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Scrub the beets and put them on a large piece of aluminum foil; season with salt and pepper, add 3 thyme sprigs, and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until the beets are tender, about 1 hour. Set aside. When the beets are cool enough to handle but still warm, slip off their skins, and chop them into large chunks.
- In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Put in the onion, carrots, garlic, and remaining 3 thyme sprigs and cook until softened and just starting to color, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs. Put the chopped beets into a blender and add the cooked vegetables and most of the stock. Blend until smooth, add more stock if the puree is too thick. Add the vinegar and honey; season with salt and pepper. Blend again to incorporate flavors. Borscht can be served hot or cold.
- To make the garnish, grate the apple on the large holes of a box grater and mix in the dill. Serve in bowls, garnished with a big dollop of sour cream and topped with the apple and dill mixture.
- I read the reviews of this recipe on the Food Network page, and many people said it's not authentic borscht. I tried it anyway.
- I did make some changes:
- I didn't roast the beets, I boiled them. I had a lot of beets and beet greens from the Farmers Market and wanted the broth from the beets for other things (I'm frugal like that). I boiled the beets (about 3 pounds) in an 8-quart stockpot on the stove top for about 90 minutes (adding water to keep the beets covered as needed).
- When the beets were soft, I drained out the beet liquid through a strainer into a large (6-quart) container and allowed to cool, then portioned out in labeled, dated ziplocking bags in 2 cup portions, and into the freezer it went.
- Once the beets were cooled, I removed the skins and threw those in the crockpot with the vegetable broth I was making (which also got strained, and put into labeled, dated ziplocking bags in 2 cup portions in the freezer).
- I used 1 pound (about 3) beets for the borscht recipe.
- I didn't feel like dragging out the blender, so I used the food processor to make this recipe. Turned out just fine.
- No fresh thyme, so I used dried crushed thyme. I'm not a big fan of thyme, so I don't keep it fresh in my home. I think the dried crushed kind worked just fine, or can be left out completely.
- I used the liquid from cooking the beets instead of the chicken stock. We loved the taste.
- Add the cooking liquid with carrots and celery very slowly to either the blender or food processor. Given my unlucky experience with adding hot liquids to the blender or food processor, I allowed the beet broth, celery and carrots cool completely before adding.
- I served the borscht cold. Hubby raved about it and ate 2 good sized bowls. I don't really like beets and I absolutely LOVED this version of borscht. It was delicious and the sour cream, dill and apple really make it. I used a little lemon juice on the grated apple to keep it from turning brown. The tartness of the apple contrasts nicely with the creaminess of the sour cream and the sweetness and bit of sourness from the borscht.
- This makes a LOT of borscht. You may want to half the recipe when trying it for the first time.
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 373g | |
| Recipe makes 6 servings | |
| Calories 200 | |
| Calories from Fat 123 | 62% |
| Total Fat 13.96g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat 1.98g | 8% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 428mg | 18% |
| Potassium 483mg | 14% |
| Total Carbs 16.43g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.1g | 14% |
| Sugars 10.7g | 7% |
| Protein 3.76g | 6% |
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Menus and Pairings
Goes Well With: beef stroganoff, vodka
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