Hey there! Sorry for the long break from this lil blog, but I went and gave birth to this adorable hearbreaker:
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| Copeland Barry Alexander |
Between this sweet muffin, my oldest daughter starting Kindergarten and my middle daughter starting preschool, we've been a little busy!
I'm working on some new posts and will respond this afternoon to the tons of comments and questions you've left me. If you left me a comment, check back soon :)
Alright, onto the borscht...have you ever eaten it before? My family is Polish so I grew up eating it, especially in the late summer or early fall when there is tons of fresh veggies to be harvested from the garden. We would go to my Grandma's house where she'd make a huge pot of it and then we'd be eating bowls of the magenta soup blushed with a dollop of sour cream for days upon days. This is our family recipe full of beautiful vegetables, a touch of smokiness from some Farmer sausage and that great earthy finish at the end with some fresh dill.
Recipe by My Dad/Grandma
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Serves 4-6
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups beets, peeled and diced
1 lb farmer sausage, diced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
Fresh dill
Sour cream (for serving)
In a large soup pot over medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and the onion and celery. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the carrots, potatoes, beets, farmer sausage, chicken stock, water and bay leaves. Bring up to a boil then turn heat down to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
At the end stir in a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh dill. Taste and season with salt and pepper. When serving, ladle soup into bowls and then place a dollop of sour cream on top.
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THE RESULTS?
Growing up I ate this soup so often I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until last summer when my Dad came to visit me and brought me bags and bags of his garden bounty that I was reminded of this soup. I asked my Dad to teach me to make it, and my husband and I were slurping it up by the bowlful. "How did I not remember how good this was?!" I exclaimed.
Farmer sausage is a pork sausage that's got a bit of smokiness. A similar sausage or even bacon would be a good substitute if you can't find it. You can for sure leave it out and have it just be a vegetable soup, which is often how my Grandma makes it, but I LOVE the bits of smokey, salty pork sausage in there. Obviously, for a vegetarian soup, leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
Meal Ideas:
- Borscht + Herb and Cheddar Biscuits