Oh, my darlings! I have missed you. The last few weeks have been exceptionally busy and although I’ve made several false starts at an update, it just hasn’t made it up on the blog. So I will jump back in with this episode of show and tell.
I got up this morning, watched Coronation Street, drank a pot of tea, ate some toast, and took my herbs and vitamins. And then I went outside, where it is a beautiful windy but warm fall day here on the prairies, to harvest my carrots and beets, and a few other stragglers. The chard is still standing proud as it withstands seemingly impossible amounts of frost, but everything else is picked. The beets and the smaller carrots are in the washing machine (note to self: remember to take them out!) getting clean, thereby saving my energy for the chopping which will follow the washing and precede the annual borscht-making.
Borscht in the fall is a family tradition. My mom made it when we were growing up, and I’ve always liked it. There are many variations, but here is my recipe:
2 Tbsp. butter
1.5 cups chopped onion
1.5 cups sliced potato
1 cup sliced beets
1 large carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
3 cups cabbage, chopped
1 tsp. caraway seeds (optional – many people hate these)
4 cups stock or water
2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
bunch of fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill – I like lots, so I pile it in while cooking and then fish out the big fresh dill stems before serving
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp honey
1 cup tomato puree (optional)
Saute the onion in the butter until the onion turns clear. Add everything else except the vinegar and honey – add those at the end – and simmer until veggies are tender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Easily veganized and adaptable for various other diets – since I don’t eat nightshades anymore, I leave out the potato and tomato puree. I’ve put in sweet potato in the past and that has worked well, although since it cooks faster than carrots or beets, I usually put it in about halfway through. You can add chopped greens, too – beet greens or chard – to bulk it up. I also tend to love the vinegar taste, so I often add a bit more toward the end. Also, when I make it to freeze, I use less liquid – just enough to cook the veggies, and then add stock or water when I use it. That way it takes up a lot less room in the freezer. Genius!
