Ingredients
32 oz beets, diced canned
3 cup water
1 celery stalk
1 carrot, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 tsp peppercorns, whole
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 dairy sour cream or dill sprigs
Directions
Drain beetsm reserving liquid. Set beets aside. In a large saucepan
combine beet liquid, water, celery, carrot, bay leaf, garlic,
peppercorns and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer
15 minutes. Remove vsegetables and seasonings with a slotted spoon.
Stir in reserved diced beets, lemon juice and sugar. Continue cooking
10 minutes or until heated through. Serve topped with sour cream
and/or dill sprigs. Makes 8 servings.
Tops Grocery Store Ad flyer. November 12, 1991 "Polish Christmas Eve"
Servings: 8 servings
Christmas Borscht Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Christmas; Holiday; Russian; Soup
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to follow the history of written cooking instructions back into distant history, in truth as far back into history as early Egypt, and possibly even further than that. Interesting though that is, sadly, these early cookbooks were just simple pictorial recipes for food preparation.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to experts in ancient history is a collection of clay tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel exhilarated and blissful. During Roman times 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a number of scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, he recounts how the meals were split into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and afters, a very modern way of dining. Aspicius tells us how the ancient chefs made use of a wide range of spices, including some familiar names such as basil, rue and dill. Later, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new foods and herbs from Arab cooking, such as rosemary and coriander. The introduction of these new culinary ideas created an explosion in cookery books, the majority of which are now in academic collections. During the succeeding few centuries, the wealthy families of Wesstern Europe tried to serve the most extravagent meals, and as a consequence, cooks and their recipe collections increased in prestige. However, it wasn`t until the 19th century the formal cooking and cookery books rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, testing, and writing down popular recipes of the day. By the time we get to the twentieth century, recipe publications are increasing in popularity mostly as a result of more people being able to read, people having more free time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Christmas Borscht recipe.
