BEET & PORK RIB BORSHT

When I married my Ukrainian , I vowed I would learn to make the favourite childhood dishes his Baba spoiled him with. One of those dishes was the iconic sweet & tangy red beet soup.  To be perfectly honest, the first time she placed a bowl of the dark reddish pink soup in front of us, I was slightly grossed out.  Pink soup?!?!  To be polite, I tasted a small spoonful and was instantly sold.

According to several members of the family, my version is very similar but even better than Baba’s was.  There really is no one way to make borscht as every family and/or cook makes it differently. I use pork riblets (the small sweet and sour cut), cabbage, onion, potatoes, carrots, garlic, peas and dill, and instead of the common addition of sour cream, I use heavy whipping cream.  Finding the perfect balance of sweet and sour using vinegar and sugar (we like ALOT) is the key to this delicious soup.  Some like it sweeter, and some like it more tangy….feel free to adjust to your family’s preference. The addition of fresh dill and heavy cream just before serving finishes off this hearty and earthy soup to perfection. 

I have served this soup many times to many of our out of town friends and I often hear from them that they have been craving a bowl since they left.  Let me know what you think of my version.

NOTE: When I don’t have fresh beets or don’t feel like going through the work and mess of peeling and shredding them,  I have been using a bag of my Freeze Dried Shredded Beets per batch and you would never know the difference! 

Makes 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb pork riblets (sweet & sour style cut) 

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper or Her Copper Kitchen’s House Seasoning 

8 cups beef broth

3 cups shredded raw beets (or one package of Her Copper Kitchen’s Freeze Dried Shredded Beets)

3 carrots, diced

2 onions, diced

1 cup shredded green cabbage 

1 cup frozen peas

2 large potatoes, in 1” cubes

6 tbsp vinegar (or more to taste preference)

1/4 cup white sugar (or more to taste preference)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp dry) (or more to taste preference)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (or more to taste preference)

1. Season pork with salt and pepper or Her Copper Kitchen’s House Seasoning .  Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot and sear pork ribs on each side.

2. Add beef broth and boil for 1 hour.

3. Add all vegetables except peas and continue to simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender.  

4. Add peas, vinegar, dill, sugar and salt & pepper.  This is the time to adjust the vinegar, sugar, S&P to your taste preference. 

5. Simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Slowly add whipping cream, stirring to combine.

7. Serve