Kyiv Borscht

Wash beef brisket under cold running water and place into a deep pot. Add 7 cups of hot water and 2 cups of beet brew. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low and skim off any foam that appears on top. Cover with a lid and keep simmering for 2-3 hours. Add salt 30 minutes before the broth is done. Take the brisket out and separate meat from the bones, put the meat aside and cover with a lid. Strain your broth through a fine mesh and return to a pot.

Soak beans in water for 5-8 hours beforehand. Then, strain the beans, return to a pot and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer on low heat until done. Add salt 5-10 minutes before the beans are done.

Peel beetroots. Cut into thin strips, place into a heavy bottomed pan, add shredded lamb brisket along with 1/2 of broth and sauté everything for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

If you are using tomatoes for this recipe, it’s time to get on with their preparation. Cut them into cubes, put them into a pot along with some butter and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strain.

Peel carrots, 3/4 of total amount of onions, parsley and celery roots. Cut these vegetables into strips, add into a shallow pan and sauté with butter until onions turn translucent.

Cut cured pork fat into cubes. Chop the rest of the onions and parsley, and add everything into a mortar. Grind everything together until it becomes a paste.

Peel apples, cut the centers out and chop nicely.

Peel and chop potatoes and shred your cabbage. Bring your broth back to a boil. Add prepared potatoes and cabbage and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add sauteed beets and lamb, sauteed vegetables and tomatoes, chopped apples, beans, cured fat paste, bay leaves, paprika. Add the rest of beet brew and salt to taste. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

When serving, add thinly sliced boiled beef first, then ladle hot borscht over. Add a healthy dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

You will need:

• Water: 6-8 cups
• Beet brew – 2 cups (Learn how to make beet brew)
• Bone-in beef brisket – 10 oz
• Salt – 1 1/2 teaspon

For Borscht:

• Chopped lamb brisket – 7 oz
• Beets – 7 oz
• Fresh green cabbage – 8 oz
• 2-3 medium potatoes
• 1/2 carrot
• 1 parsley root
• 1/2 celery root
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 tart apple
• Beans – 2 tablespoons
• Tomato puree – 1/2 cup OR
  4 tomatoes
• Butter – 2 tablespoons
• Cured pork fat – 1 oz
• Chopped parsley – 2 tablespoons
• Sugar – 2 tablespoons
• Paprika – 1 teaspoons
• 2 bay leaves
• Beet brew – 1 cup
• Salt – to taste

To serve:

• Sour cream
• Chopped parsley

Options:

1. If you cook this borscht in summer, you can cook both lamb and beef together, for 1-1 1/2 hours. If you are using young beets, cut them into strips and sauté separately for around 30-40 minutes. Add lamb into borscht along with sautéed beets and other vegetables.
2. You can use the same amount of veal instead of lamb.
3. If you are using tomato puree and not fresh tomatoes, you can sauté them together with the roots. Add tomato puree when onions turn translucent and keep cooking for 10 minutes.
4. You can use 3 garlic cloves instead of onion to grind with cured pork fat.
5. You can use the fat from the top of your broth in order to cook onions and roots.
6. You can use fermented apples instead or fresh ones (Fermented Apples Recipe)
7. If you want to add a nice deep flavor to you borscht, you can add 3.5 oz of dry red wine to your borscht around 5 minutes before it’s done.

This Borscht is also known as:

Kyiv Borscht with Apples, Kyiv Borscht with Apples and Beans, Kyiv Borscht, Borscht with Beet Brew, Borscht with Apples, Belorus Borscht, Borscht Kyiv Style.