VERONICA HINKE

author • speaker • journalist • coach

Recipes & Food Styling

Old Country Borscht

Dec 20, 2020 | Beets, Food Styling, Holiday Dinners, Recipes, Soups

Old Country Borscht
On one of his hundreds of visits to Chicago from Wausau, Wisconsin, my dad fell in love with Russian Tea Time in The Loop. He LOVED the creamy stroganoffs, the rich caviar, but it was the hearty, flavorful borscht that stole his heart and kept him coming back time and time again.
My Old Country Borscht is another colorful, flavorful Christmas dinner idea.
The secret to my Old Country Borscht is RED wine vinegar — or even SHERRY vinegar. Most recipes call for white wine vinegar.
My brother had herring for my parents for their wedding anniversary every year, and my Grandma Weizenicker’s table at holiday time was never without good herring. Makes a great side with this Christmas Borscht!

Makes 4 servings

1 ½ tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium beets, cleaned, peeled and diced

2 large carrots, cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large celery sticks, cleaned and thinly sliced

½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 medium russet potato, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 can crushed tomatoes

8 cups vegetable stock

½ tablespoon sugar

4 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon pink Himalayan sea salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup non-dairy sour cream

½ cup fresh dill, chopped

In Dutch oven over medium heat on stovetop, melt butter with olive oil.

Place beets, carrots, celery, cabbage, potatoes and onions in Dutch oven, and sauté until the onions are translucent, approximately 20 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, sugar, and vinegar.

Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Boil everything in Dutch oven for about one minute, then lower flame to low.

Place lid on Dutch oven; and let it all simmer for about 1 hour.

Add sugar, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, dill and herring on saltines.

To serve, pour the soup into soup bowls. Garnish each bowl of soup with ¼ of the non-dairy sour cream.