Living Magazine Winter Living Magazine 2015/2016 | Page 30

RUSSIAN
VEGETARIAN BORSH
INGREDIENTS:
• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 1 large beet
• 1–2 carrots
• 1 large onion
• 1 sweet ripe tomato (cut it into 4–8 pieces)
• 1 medium size cabbage
• 6-ounce can tomato paste
• Bullion cubes of choice
• Fresh cut dill
• Fresh cut basil
• 1 drop Oregano essential oil
• Fresh cut parsley
• Olive oil
• Ground pepper
• Salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup of dried white beans canned or soaked in
water overnight (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Fill large pot half way with water
2. Chop up potatoes, place in boiling water.
Note: If you are using soaked beans, put them in at the same
time as potatoes. If you are using canned beans, wait until
you add the beets to the boiling pot.
3. Grate beet, carrots, onion; put them in a frying pan with
1–2 tablespoons of olive oil, and start frying. Add tomato
paste and cook the whole thing.
Note: Add a bit of water just to keep it from burning. You
want this to really cook into a glop. Once done, set it aside.
4. Chop cabbage then add to boiling water once potatoes
are 50 percent cooked.
5. Once cabbage is about 50 percent cooked, add bullion
to your pot (to taste).
Note: Do a taste test as you add the bullion cubes. Keep
adding till you achieve desired taste.
6. Add cooked beet, onion, carrot mixture to the soup.
This is a good time to do a taste test and add fresh tomato
pieces into the soup and a small pinch of sugar to balance
out the acidity.
7. Bring to a boil again for 3–5 min., Check your vegetables
to make sure they are cooked, but not overcooked.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: The theory here is to keep tasting your soup as you go
and adjust it to your liking and taste.
9. Turn off heat; add fresh chopped herbs with essential
oil; cover. Let soup sit for 25–30 min. before serving. This
allows the soup to meld and build flavor. Borsh is always
better on the second day.
10. Serve hot with spoonful of sour cream and fresh bread.
Note: Dip a toothpick into the essential oil bottle and stir
into your recipe until you reach the de