2 lb beets
1 large carrot
1 medium parsnip
1 medium turnip
2 large celery ribs
2 medium onions
1 large bay leaf
3 peppercorns, use 4 if desired
3 dried boletus mushrooms, or
1/2 lb chopped mushrooms
1 ; liquid from the cooked mu
1 qt beet kvas, or
1 tsp sour salt, crystalized citric acid i
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper, or to taste
2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
Directions
Soak boletus overnight. Cook in a little water until tender. Cool,
reserving the liquid, and chop finely. Scrub the beets and cut into
quarters. Cover with water and cook over low heat until tender,
about 1 to 2 hours. Cool and pour off the liquid, reserving it. Slip
off the peels. (Wear rubber gloves to prevent purple hands.) This may
be done a day in advance. Peel and cut up the other vegetables. Add
the bay leaf, peppercorns, and boletus or mushrooms to the
vegetables, with enough water to cover, and cook, in a large aluminum
pot over low heat, until tender. Strain the beet liquid into the
vegetables. Shred the beets in a processor or on a medium grater, and
add. Simmer for about 10 minutes and strain into a large pot. To
keep the broth clear, do not press the begetables. Add the beet kvas,
mushroom liquid, pepper and salt. bring to a gentle boil, then turn
the heat low. Taste, the flavor should be tart, mellow, and full. For
more tartnes, add fresh lemon juice or sour salt. Keeps well in the
refrigerator. Reheat gently; do not overcook or the color will turn
brown. To serve, pour over 3 or 4 vushka (dumplings) in soup plates
and garnish with the fresh dill.
NOTE:
The next recipe in this series will be for Vushka.
Servings: 10 servings
Pisnyi Borsch (Meatless Beet Soup) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Meat; Russian; Soup; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as an idea can be tracked far back into the far past, at least as far into history as pharonic Egypt, and possibly even further. However, sadly, these ancient cookbooks were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts in ancient history are a few tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. Later on, in The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few scripts detailing recipes cooked by the Romans. In his publication, Apicius tells us how the meals were divided into appetizers, main meal and desserts, something that is very familiar to us today. He also describes how the chefs of Roman times used a wide range of spices, including some familiar names such as basil, rue and asafoetida. Continuing our culinary historical journey, we find some recipe books which were published in the 1300s - a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these two books are unconnected to the indian curry that appears on menues today, but instead recipes for the types of food prepared for the rich people of the period. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods and spices from Arab cuisine, including spices such as coriander, basil and rosemary. These new foods and spices led to an eruption in books on cookery, some of which are kept safe in private collections. The TV revolution gave us TV cookery programs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everybody to search through thousands of recipes just like those on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Pisnyi Borsch (Meatless Beet Soup) recipe.
