Russian Borscht

This is the original Russian borscht, meaty and brimming with tomatoes and cabbage. The beets in this version are roasted instead of boiled, for added flavor. For a complete meal, serve with black bread and butter. This description from the cookbook is really true. This smelled so wonderful as it was cooking. We used our usual whole wheat bread and it truly was a meal.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scrub:
12 ounces of beets (I used my housemother's prepared, frozen beets given by a church member instead of baking the beets.)
Wrap the beets together in aluminum foil and roast on a baking sheet until they can easily be pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, peal, then slice and cut into thin strips.
While the beets are roasting, prepare:
1 pound boneless beef chuck, cubed, or 1 1/2 pounds pork spareribs, cut into single ribs (we used the pork as we had that in the freezer, remember to defrost first! :-)).
Lightly dredge with:
All-purpose flour
Heat in a soup pot, over medium-high heat:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive instead.)
Add the meat and brown on all sides. Stir in:
4 1/2 cups Beef broth, or water
One 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, drained and chopped (I used fresh ones from our garden, halved and sliced)
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the meat is almost tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in:
2 cups shredded green or red cabbage (with a small cabbage, this will be approximately a quarter of a head).
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste (if you open a can of paste, plan to use the rest in something later in the week.)
Simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables and meat are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the beets along with:
2 tablespoons vinegar (whatever you have)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon, salt, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Thin the soup with water if necessary (ours did not need it.). Ladle into bowls.
Garnish with:
Sour cream
Snipped fresh dill

I had always pictured this soup with potatoes or with turnips or rutabagas for some reason. Maybe I am thinking of a different soup. Perhaps because it is Russian? I also had always had the image of this as a stodgy or thick soup, it is neither. It is just a wonderfully tasty vegetable soup. Once the soup was done, I fished out each sparerib and chopped them into bite sized pieces. If you have hungry children, or perhaps a hungry spouse, try this sometime as you are able. This is a very filling meal. It even filled up this perpetually hungry boy after only a bowl and a half! Our boys, who are never usually hungry while they are sick, and they were sick tonight, they ate what they were given. They enjoyed the soup even! :-)

I am glad and thankful for the member who gave us the beets. As he came to the door and handed off a sack full of the biggest beets I have ever seen (the size of softballs!) and said, "Make some soup." So, when we put the soup away tonight, we made up a package for him as well.