On the odd occasion when I want to go out of my way to please my husband in a culinary manner (whether for purposes of evil or for good) I trot out a massive kettle of steaming borscht. The Old Man takes great comfort in a bowl of pink soup laced with sour cream, and because I am probably ramping up to something important, I am all too happy to oblige. (”Oh hey! Look!  Whadda know? Your favorite borscht! Enjoy, my precious, gracious Lord &  Thane. Eat! Eat! Mmmm! Good? Oh yeah. Before I forget… you might not want to use your toothbrush again, dude. When I was mad at you last night, I used it to wash the toilet…”)

In our house, borscht belongs to a powerful food pantheon, inhabited by other precious Ukranian-Russian food items such as golubtsy (cabbage rolls), piroshki (a bread/meat pastry), and properly prepared tea. We consider it soul food, and it is in our blood. When autumn begins to shorten the days and cool the air, we conjure up the foods of our ancestors.

No two borscht recipes are created equal, and there are as many variants as there are mean old babushkas. There are cultural differences (Russian style, Ukranian style, Mennonite style, Jewish etc.) in the ingredients and preparation, as well as seasonal ones. My grandmother’s borscht is dairy-free, and has a meat-based broth. My mother-in-law and her sisters preferred a version that included sauerkraut and sausage chunks. My own variation is adapted from a local Doukhobor recipe, acquired years ago when I was a student. It has served me well for nearly 15 years, and unless North America suddenly has a shortage of cabbage, will continue to do so for many more.

The Borscht That Saves Marriages (Doukhobor Borscht)

NEEDS:

6 medium potatoes — quartered
1 medium beet — diced
16 cups water
1/8 pound butter — divided in two
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/8 pound butter — divided in two
1 cup onion — chopped
6 cups tomatoes — chopped
1/4 pound butter — divided in two
1/4 cup water
8 cups cabbage — chopped and divided
3/4 cup carrot — diced
1 stalk celery — diced
2 medium potatoes — cubed
3 green onions — finely chopped
1 medium green pepper — diced
5 tbsp fresh dill — chopped
black pepper — fresh ground

METHOD:

• In a large pot, boil 6 quartered potatoes and beet in salted water until done for mashing. Remove to mixing bowl, reserving water.
• Mash potatoes and beet with 1/4 cup butter and whipping cream.
• Sauté onions with the other 1/8 cup of butter in a large skillet until transparent.
• Add tomatoes, stirring to prevent burning until cooked. Set aside.
• In another pan, melt 1/4 cup butter in 1/4 cup of water, then add the carrots, one half of the cabbage and some of the onion-tomato mixture. Sauté 10 minutes then let stand.
• Return the reserved potato-beet water to a boil in a large soup pot and add the cubed potatoes. Boil 2 minutes then add the celery, remaining cabbage, green pepper and green onions. Boil until the vegetables are cooked.
• Stir the remaining onion-tomato mixture into the mashed potatoes, then add mixture to the soup pot. Reduce to just below a boil add the dill and black pepper. Let stand off the heat, covered 1/2 hour before serving.

Best when topped with sour cream (full fat) and snipped dill.

Serve with a thick sour rye bread – either buttered or fried.

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