Festive Borscht for Christmas

There is a special recipe in our Borscht collection that symbolizes the end of the year, holiday cheer and Yule time. This borscht is traditionally cooked around Christmas and the combination of all ingredients and spices fills the air with warm aromas and makes the season even more festive. 

Soak your beans for 5 to 8 hours. Pre-boil them for approximately 1 hour before adding to your borscht. You can also use canned beans instead of regular ones, it’s up to your preference.

Start out by washing the meat carefully and placing it into the pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Add salt. Remove any foam that might appear on top of the boiling broth. Cook the broth for around 1 hour. When the broth is done, strain it, separate the meat from the bones and return the meat into broth. Bring it back to a boil.

In the meantime, peel potatoes, beetroots, carrots and onions. Cut potatoes, carrots and beets into thin strips. Cube the onions. Shred your cabbage into long strips as well. Pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it up. When the skillet is hot, add beets and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, turn the heat down to low, mix well, cover with a lid and keep cooking for another 10 minutes.

Heat another skillet with some oil, add onions and carrots and sauté these vegetables on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

When your broth begins to boil again, add cubed potatoes and shredded cabbage. Cook for 15 minutes. Then add sauteed beets and precooked beans. Cook for another 5 minutes. Then add your sauteed carrots and onions and peeled and sliced apples. Now, to the interesting part! Add a pinch of cinnamon to add that nice warm flavor. Cook for around 10 minues and add minced garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Boil for 2 minutes, turn the heat off and let the borscht stand for 20 minutes before serving.

When serving, add chopped parsley, green onions and a dollop of sour cream to every bowl.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

You will need:

For broth:

• Water – 10 cups
• Bone-in lamb OR bone-in beef – 14 oz
• Salt – 1 tablespoon

For borscht:

• Beetroot – 8 oz
• 4 medium potatoes
• Fresh green cabbage – 8 oz
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 3 medium apples
• Beans – 1 cup
• Garlic – 3 cloves
• Tomato paste – 2 tablespoons
• 5 peppercorns
• Bay leaf
• Cinnamon – 1 pinch
• Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons
• Salt – to taste

To serve:

• Chopped parsley
• Chopped green onions
• Sour cream