Borsch

Colorful and Flavorful Borsch – Loaded with Vegetables

Borsch! This iconic soup, is brimming with earthy flavors and a vibrant ruby-red color. Beets, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes are stewed in a rich beef broth, making this soup soul-warming for sure.

Borsch 1200 3

Chronicles of Borsch

Borscht is famously known as beet soup. Is it true? Not really. The beetroot is one of the components of this soup and contributes a vibrant red color and earthy flavor. But its really all of the vegetables stewed in a rich beef broth which make this soup colorful, appetizing and delicious.

Even thought the name and origin of the word “borsch” is from Slavic cultures, it was adopted and embraced by Armenians in the 1800s.

My grandmother perfected this recipe, and for three generations we made this dish unchanged and unabridged.

 Beets Cabbage Borsch from above.

Grocery and Pantry List

Cabbage, beets, carrots, potatoes.

The vibrant Colorful and Flavorful Borsch owes its rich taste to a well-crafted beef broth. This traditional soup combines earthy beets, tender vegetables, and savory beef broth to create a perfect harmony of flavors. A homemade beef broth enhances the borsch, making every spoonful hearty and nourishing

  • Beef and beef broth: The rich beef broth is the backbone of this dish. Even my son who is vegetarian likes the borsch with beef bone broth.
  • Onions: Red onions are my first choice but any onions will do. For the recipe onions should be diced.
  • Carrots: Carrots are peeled and chopped in match stick size. You can them by hand or use food preparation tool to get even sticks.
  • Beets: Use red beets. The beets are the contributor for the vibrant and crimson color of the borsch. I use one beet to infuse color so I cook it a while separately. For the soup, peel and cut the beets the same size as the carrots.
  • Cabbage: White cabbage is used for this recipe. You can use savoy cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, remove the core, and slice into thin shreds.
  • Potatoes: Waxy potatoes are best (yukon gold or red). Russets tend to be too soft/mushy.
  • Tomatoes
  • Seasoning: Along with the salt and pepper, bay leaf and allspice go into this recipe. Both go into the soup when you add the broth.
  • Parsley

As I mentioned earlier, borsch is a rich beef and vegetable soup. You can make vegetarian and vegan versions while omitting the beef (and beef broth) and using only olive oil for cooking.

Recipe Steps at a Glance

  • Make the broth
  • Pre-cooking beet for color
  • Prep the vegetables
  • Sautéing the vegetables

How to Make Step by Step

Step 1: Make the broth

To make the borsch, start with making a beef broth by using both the bones and country style boneless ribs. To bring the flavors out, first roast the beef bones in the oven. Once they brown nicely, place them in a stock pot and pour cold water over them. Once they come to a boil, skim the foam off and discard. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Step 2: Pre-cooking beet for color

Wash and scrub one small beet and cut off both ends. Place in a small sauce pan, with a couple of inches of water. Let it cook alongside the borsch for 20-25 minutes. You will add this at the end to the borsch, both the whole beet and the liquid. This will ensure you have a vibrant and rich red borsch.

Step 3: Prep the vegetables

Borsch 700 1

Dice the onions , julienne the carrots and the beets, and shred the cabbage. Keep them separate, as they will be used in different order. Cube the potatoes and submerge them into a bowl of water to prevent oxidization. Slice the tomatoes and chop the parsley.

Step 4: Sautéing the vegetables

In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat the butter or the oil and sauté the onions for 4-5 minutes until they are translucent.

Next, add the beets and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and keep stirring for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The cabbage goes next. Keep stirring and sauteing for another 5 minutes. Add a few tablespoon of water or broth if the bottom feels dry. You don’t need to brown the veggies, but rather soften them a bit. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt with every addition. This will season all the vegetables and draw out the moisture.

Step 5: Adding the broth

Adding broth to the vegetables.

Add the broth to the pot and let it come to boil. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat, drain the potatoes and add to the pot. Nestle the precooked beef morsels into the soup, then bay leaves and allspice go in next, followed by the tomatoes and half of the chopped parsley. Let the borsch simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.

The finishing touch is to add the beet and the liquid that you cooked separately. This will ensure the vibrant and lively color of the borsch. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.

The borsch is ready to serve. Add the remaining chopped parsley to the soup and a dollop of sour cream into individual portions.

There is also a saying that borsch is better the second day; and it’s always true. Overnight, all the flavors macerate in a broth and the pre-cooked beet oozes and exudes the crimson color.

Best Way to Serve

Plate of borsch with a dollop of sour cream.
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream
  • Add more chopped parsley
  • Borsch is even better the second day

Tips and Wisdom from Cafe Osharak

  • Beets give the deep gorgeous ruby color to the borsch. To maintain the dark red color you will need to add a small precooked beet to the soup at the end. You don’t want to peel the beet, but scrub really well before cooking.
  • Sautéing the vegetables seals in flavor and juices.
  • Don’t add all the vegetables at the same time. Sauté them in batches. This way they will cook evenly.
  • If you are preparing the vegetables ahead of time, try storing them separately.
  • If you peel and cut the potatoes ahead of time, keep them in a bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration.
  • Add fresh parsley at the end of the cooking and also for garnishing. It will give an immediate burst of flavor.
  • You can make the borsch fully plant-based; use a vegetable broth and cook without meat.
Beets-Cabbage-Borsch-Finished-12s_19_1_1

More Recipes to Try From Cafe Osharak

If you try out this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Let me know if you find it delicious and straightforward to prepare. I’m here to answer any questions and welcome any suggestions. Also, don’t forget to explore other recipes from Cafe Osharak that you might love!

Check out more soul-warming soups.

Borsch – Colorful with Flavor Loaded Vegetables

Borsch! This iconic soup, is brimming with earthy flavors and a vibrant ruby-red color. Beets, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes are stewed in a rich beef broth, making this soup soul-warming for sure.
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Borsch
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Course
Soup
Cuisine
Armenian

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • 1 onion small
  • 2 beets small
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 cabbage small head
  • 3 potatoes
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 4 allspice
  • 3 tomato
  • 3 tablespoon parsley chopped separated
  • sour cream for garnishing

Instructions

  • Prep the vegetables.
  • Dice the onion.
  • Julienne the beet, carrots, and cabbage.
  • Cut the potatoes in chunks and leave them in a bowl of water to keep them from oxidizing.
  • Slice the tomatoes.
  • Chop the parsley.
  • Scrub the second beet (the smallest beet), trim it's ends.
  • Place the beet in a small cooking pot with 2-inches of water and cook on slow heat, cover. We are extracting the color from this beet to add to the end of our cooking.
  • In a cooking pot, sauté the onions in oil or butter. Cook until translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
    1 teaspoon tomato paste, 2 tablespoon butter, 1 onion
  • Add the beets and sauté for a few minutes.
    2 beets
  • Next, add the carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes.
    3 carrots
  • Season with salt and pepper.
    salt, pepper
  • Put in the cabbage and sauté with the other vegetables.
    1 cabbage
  • Add the beef broth and meat and bring it to a boil.
    6 cups beef broth
  • Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and add the potatoes, tomatoes, bay leaves, and allspice.
    3 potatoes, 2 bay leaf, 4 allspice, 3 tomato
  • Cook for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are done.
  • Add the beet that has been cooking separately, with the cooking water into the whole pot.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley and dollop of sour cream.
    3 tablespoon parsley chopped separated, sour cream

Notes

  • Beets give the deep gorgeous ruby color to the borsch. To maintain the dark red color you will need to add a small precooked beet to the soup at the end. You don’t want to peel the beet but scrub really well before cooking.
  • Sautéing the vegetables it insure seals in flavor and juices.
  • Don’t add all the vegetables at the same time. Sauté them in batches. This way they will cook evenly.
  • If you are preparing the vegetables ahead of time, try storing them separately.
  • If you peel and cut the potatoes ahead of time, keep them in a bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration.
  • Add fresh parsley at the end of the cooking and also for garnishing. It will give an immediate burst of flavor.
  • You can make the borsch fully plant based. Just use a vegetable broth and cook without meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 759mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4048IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg
Servings: 8
Calories: 152kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @osharak.cafe or tag #osharak.cafe!

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