When I left the house today to cook a pot of borsch with my parents, my eldest said “don’t forget to pack a Mason jar and bring some home for me.”
It’s a monthly staple in our house as beets are known for their rich iron content and in the development of healthy red blood cells.
Eaten hot or cold, and rich in red colour from the beets, borsch is the national soup of Ukraine.
I’ve always been a firm believer that food tastes better when others cook it, and I am not sure there are any other borsch makers that I can find that compare to my parents, Jean and Peter Kozelko.
Before I arrive, the consomme or broth is already on the stove simmering for an hour. Borsch always begins with a piece of meat you have in the fridge. Today, it’s turkey leftovers with 12 cups of water. Chicken and ribs have also been used as a base.
Borsch has always been in my parents’ veins. They have been eating it pretty much from the time they were born.
“In the old country, you could put anything in it and let it sit on the stove without much minding. A pot would be made and shared with the family and the farm hands and always with beets,” Jean said.
Western Ukraine is known for its beets and potatoes. The eastern region, where the fighting with Russia is ongoing, is known for being the bread basket of the world.
It’s time to add tons of stock to the borsch broth.
“Carrots are always added first, as they take the longest to boil,” my mom said.
After three or four minutes, the meat is skimmed from the top of the soup pot, and the diced potatoes are also added.
This is followed in sequence by raw cabbage, a can of diced tomatoes and cooked beans with two minutes between each new addition.
Some spices such as dill, garlic, salt, pepper are added at this time.
Partially cooked and skinned beets are also added, along with cooked beans while boiling the pot on low heat.
According to my parent’s token Ukrainian wedding gift cookbook, Heinz tomato juice is very much a Canadian borsch staple.
While optional, a small can of Heinz tomato juice is added and the soup is ready to go in 10 minutes flat. The cookbook by Savella Stechishin is dedicated to the Ukrainian-Canadian women on the 65th anniversary of settlement in Canada. In the book is written “some Ukrainian Canadian homemakers add a small quantity of canned tomato soup to flavour and thicken the borsch slightly.”
It also says “a good borsch should be pleasantly tart, but not sour.”
Before eating, a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of vinegar is mixed into the soup.
The borsch is a 25-minute process. Once moved by a ladle to a serving bowl, it is optional to add a dollop of sour cream to its surface.
Of course, my batch is taken home in glass jars for lunch and is chock full of iron with memories of the past and strong iron to fuel me for the future.
Baba’s Tried, Tested and True Borsch Recipe
The soup begins with one pound of whatever meat you have in the freezer or fridge.
- Add 12 cups of water.
- 1 cup of finely chopped celery, carrots and onions (all optional based on what you have)
- One teaspoon salt, pepper and finely chopped dill
- Simmer for one hour in a covered pot.
- Remove meat and skim stock.
The vegetables are prepared. Add in the order of the most dense vegetables first. Cooking time for this part is about 25 minutes.
- 2 cups carrots in thin strips
- 3 medium potatoes cubed
- 2 large beets cut in thin strips
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup strained tomatoes
- Any other vegetables you like may be added. I happen to like beans.
- Add spices, chopped garlic and dill, salt and pepper to taste.
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- One tablespoon of either vinegar or lemon juice
- One small can of tomato juice.
- The meat used in stock may also be shredded and added in.
“Smachnoho”, in other words, Bon appetit!
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.