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April is indeed the cruelest month. Here on BeetEater Street, the weather can fluctuate from a hot, balmy day into a blizzard in a matter of hours! While we anxiously await some stable Spring weather, it’s hard to decide whether a warm, hearty stew is in order, or a light, summer soup. What cuisine could possibly accommodate such ambivalence?
This simple, wholesome soup is a comforting and versatile meal during the bi-polar weather of early spring!
During our last snowstorm in late March, Mr. T came up with the perfect solution: Borscht! Borscht can be served hot or cold and was a staple comfort food around Mr. T’s Polish-American home growing up. And with Yuri’s Night fast approaching, this classic Eastern European soup seemed like an appropriate segue into Spring. Mr. T first made this soup for me many years ago, and it changed my attitude towards beets forever.
But you’re the BeetEater, how could you have ever disliked beets?
Well, that’s an excellent question, dear reader. I never really warmed up to those canned “salad-bar” beets, and just thought all beets were sickly sweet, gelatinous junk-food. But Mr. T’s Borscht was different – he used fresh beets combined with other fresh root vegetables to make this simple, wholesome and satisfying medley. What’s that you say, dear reader?
Whole foods are more delicious and satisfying than processed canned foods?
Who woulda thunk it? My first taste of this stunning stew is probably where my transition into a BeetEater began!
While I think some traditional borscht recipes have a sour flavor, Mr. T’s borscht is mildly spicy. He uses about a quarter-cup of black pepper in a 3-gallon batch, which tastes unexpectedly exciting! I think this flavor is especially pronounced when the borscht is served cold. A dollop of your favorite vegan sour cream (recipe coming soon!) is a cooling and complimentary counter-balance to the peppery spiciness. If you are sensitive to spice, I recommend starting with a minimum of 2 tbsp of pepper, tasting, then adding a teaspoon at a time until you find your tolerance level. Believe me – you do not want to cheat yourself out of delicious, peppery flavor contrasting with the cool, smooth tanginess of the sour cream!
When Mr. T and I make this stew, we use an enormous 4-gallon stockpot and make enough of it to feed an army! Then we freeze about 3/4 of it in bags for easy defrost dinners to eat later. You can ladle the soup into 1-gallon freezer bags, but instead, we normally vacuum-seal the soup into bags using our FoodSaver. We absolutely love our food saver, and it has paid for itself many times over by helping us minimize food waste and allowing us to shop and cook in bulk.
If you follow the recipe below, be prepared to store the leftovers in some way! But if you cut this recipe by about 1/4, you’ll make about 6-8 servings, which is more than enough for a dinner for 2 with even some leftovers for lunch the next day.
Mr. T’s Out-of-This-World Borscht! (For Hungry BeetEaters!)
Ingredients
- 2 Bulbs of Garlic chopped, pressed or minced
- 24-36 oz of tomato paste
- 1-2 gallons of water enough to cover the veggies, but it’s ok if some stick out over the waterline
- 2-4 tbsp black pepper this is not a typo – lots of pepper is key!
- 2-4 tsp salt to taste
- 1/2-1 whole cabbage shredded or chopped into bite-sized chunks
Root vegetables, chopped into bite-size chunks
- 4-6 large fresh beets
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1 lb of radishes
- 1-2 lbs of carrots
- 1 lb parsnips if available
- 2-3 large onions
- optional Any other root veggies you have on hand or are in season
Instructions
- Fill your stock pot about 70-80% full with the mixed and chopped veggies and cover with water. It’s okay if some of the veggies stick up over the water because as they cook down they will become submerged and will cook evenly.
- Add the tomato paste and garlic and mix to combine.
- Place the stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Mix in any veggies that are still sticking out of the water, then add salt and pepper
- Simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour or more, until the potatoes and beets are tender and can be pierced with a fork. Taste them and determine how crispy or well-done you like your veggies. You may adjust the cook time depending on your desired level of tenderness.
- Serve hot or cold with a dollop of vegan sour cream.