Rich People's Borscht - Signe and Genna Grushovenko

Artist Contributor: Signe and Genna Grushovenko

Website: https://www.grushovenko.com/

What made a perfect quarantine recipe? In our opinion: Slow cooking (you’re home anyway, why not take advantage?). Soulful. Frugal. Nutritious. Traditional is a plus since we’re all craving connection.

So, we have the perfect one…borscht. In Ukraine, your borscht is like a fingerprint. Every household, and even each member of the household, has it’s unique variation. This recipe is an adaption of Genna’s beloved mother Elena’s version. We’re calling it ‘Rich People’s Borscht’ as the Ukranian versions usually eat more like a soup and our American version is so packed with goodies it eats more like a stew!

Ingredients:

A bone-in boston butt
½ large onion
2 carrots
1 large beet
8 oz unsalted tomato sauce
2 large potatoes
2 T butter
½ a small head of cabbage
peppercorns and bay leaf
salt & pepper and vinegar to taste
sour cream and dill for serving
at least one shot of vodka

Directions:

Cut away the best of the meat for another use and then boil the meaty bone for around an hour with peppercorns and bay leaf.
Cool the meat, remove it from the bone, and shred it.
Strain and reserve the broth.
In the meantime, prepare the mise en place by grating one large carrot and half the beet, julienning the other half of the beet and the cabbage, and dicing the onion, the other carrot, and the potatoes.
In a large stock pot, return the meat to the broth, add the diced carrot and potatoes and add water to make your pot 2/3 full.
Create a zazharka (Ukrainian mirepoix) in a separate skillet by sautéing the onion in the 2 T of butter until golden brown and then adding in the grated vegetables, tomato sauce, and a little water. Cook until the liquids have mostly evaporated.
When the potatoes are al dente, add the cabbage and cook for a few more minutes.
Add the zazharka to the borscht.
Cook until the vegetables are all to your desired doneness, then add salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste.
Serve hot topped with sour cream and dill or parsley. Vodka is the preferred beverage pairing.

Nazdarovya (to your health)!

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