1 cup navy beans, dry
2 1/2 lb lean beef
1/2 lb slab bacon
10 cup cold water
1 bay leaf
8 whole peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 large red onion
1 tsp salt (opt)
8 beets for soup
2 small beets
2 cup green cabbage, shredded
2 large leeks, sliced
3 medium potatoes, cut into eighths
1 can (1 lb 13 oz) tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
1 lb kielbasa (opt)
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream (opt)
Directions
Cover beans with water and allow to soak overnight; cook until tender;
drain; set aside. Place beef, bacon and water in large soup pot;
bring to a boil. Skim fat from surface. Add bay leaf, peppercorns,
garlic, parsley, carrot, celery, onion and salt. Cover and simmer
over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
Scrub beets for soup and cook in boiling water until tender, about 45
minutes; drain and discard water; cool. Peel and cut each beet into
eighths. Scrub small beets; grate; cover with water to soak.
Remove meat from soup; set aside. Strain soup into another pot and
add cooked beets, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste,
vinegar, sugar, beef and bacon. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes.
Cut kielbasa into chunks and add with navy beans to soup. Simmer 20
minutes more.
Mix flour and butter together to form paste. Stir into soup to
thicken slightly. Strain raw beets, saving liquid and discarding
beets. Add beet liquid to soup.
Additional sugar or vinegar may be added for sweeter or more sour
flavor. Slice meat and arrange in individual soup bowls. Pour hot
soup with vegetables over meat. Garnish each serving with a dollop of
sour cream, if desired.
Serves 10.
Posted by Fred Peters.
Servings: 10 servings
Borsch Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Russian; Soup
The History of Recipes
Recipes as a concept can be traced far back into the far past, in fact as far back as the Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that is, mostly, these early cook books were just basic hieroglyphic recipes for preparing meals.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe found, according to experts are a few tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `wonderful`. Progressing into Roman times 25BC a roman called Apicius created some documents showing how to cook the recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also tells us how the ancient chefs were skilled in the use of many aromatic flavors, including some that we all recognise like thyme, rue and dill. Continuing our culinary historical journey, we find some interesting books from the fourteenth century - a recipe book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these books are unconnected to the indian food that is served today, but rather descriptions of the types of meals cooked for the rich people of those days. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought back a variety of foods, spices and herbs from the Middle-East, including spices like coriander, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes created an eruption in publications on food, the majority of which still exist in academic collections. Over the succeeding few hundred years, the powerful and rich strove to offer the best banquets, and as a result the best chefs and their recipes became highly prized. However, it wasn`t until the 19th century that fine cookery and cookery books really came of age. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, devoted much of their lives to collating, trying out, and recording recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. When we get to the twentieth century, cookbooks are greatly in demand due to increased literacy, people having increased spare time and disposable income. The TV revolution gave us TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting us all to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Borsch recipe.
