I’m calling it Something Like Borscht. Why? Because it’s borscht-like! Something Like Borscht bridges the shoulder period between cold-soup season and bright, vibrant spring foods.
Depending on where you come from in the land of borscht, this may look different, and I don’t want to claim authenticity of something that doesn’t come directly from the source. But it’s beautiful, vibrant, and full of comforting goodness.
When I first set out making Something Like Borscht, I was having a conversation with a Russian friend of mine. She was adamantly telling me that borscht is not just “beet” soup. It should not be silky smooth. It should be chunky with lots of root vegetables, potatoes, onion, carrots, of course, beets, and sometimes beef. When I showed her a picture of my first batch, she laughed and said, “That’s beautiful, but my mother would say, that’s not borscht!” My silky smooth try did not make the cut.
This version fills my need for savory soup, and just might fall into the borscht category.
Why I Love Something Like Borscht
Something Like Borscht hints at the freshness that’s right around the corner. If you omit the beef from this recipe, you have a beautiful, almost light soup that can be served hot when it’s still playing winter, and chilled when the sun starts to show its face.
Cooking Method
To make this soup hearty, a complete meal in itself, I chose to include beef chuck (stew meat). Most recipes will call for the browning of meat in stews and soups, but this step is not always necessary. The browning of meat creates caramelized flavors that would make the soup deep and rich. This borscht is not that, but you could add that step if you want a meatier flavor.
I start with a pound of beef chunk cut into 1″ pieces. You can easily purchase stew meat that is already cut for you. I place this in a pot with 6 cups of water and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat. This creates a light beef broth. If you want it beefier, you can use prepared beef stock, add in cut-up beets, potatoes, carrots, and cook until everything is tender and the soup has thickened slightly. Top with horseradish-sour cream and enjoy!
Make It Your Own
- Sub golden beets for red
- Skip the fennel
- Cabbage is great in borscht
- Add in any root vegetable you love, parsnips, celeriac, sweet potato, etc
- Omit the beef, and serve this chilled
- Add in a hearty grain like Farro
Things You Need From Your Pantry
- Fennel seeds
- Onion
- Carrots
- Potatoes
Things You May Need To Grab From The Store
- Beef chuck
- Beets
- Fennel
- Prepared horseradish
- Sour cream
More Soup Recipes
- Miso Ramen with Kabocha Squash
- Red Curry Kabocha Squash Soup
- Not My Momma’s Lima Beans and Ham
- Thanksgiving Leftover Porridge
Something Like Borscht
Course: SoupsCuisine: RussianDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes1
hour30
minutesIngredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, medium dice
1 large bulb of fennel, trim stalks and reserve fronds for garnish, core, medium dice
1 Tablespoon fennel seed
1 lb beef chuck cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups water, plus more as needed
1 lb beets, peeled, medium dice
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, medium dice
3 medium carrots, medium dice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/4 – 1/2 cup prepared horseradish
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or heavy-bottom soup pot) over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the fennel seed and toast for another minute.
- Add the beef chuck to the pan, and stir to combine. Season with 1 tsp of salt. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the rest of your root vegetables, beets, potatoes, carrots, and garlic. Season with 2 more tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Bring back to a simmer and continue to cook until the beef and all the vegetables are very tender. They should easily slide off the tines of a fork when pierced. Taste the borscht and adjust for seasoning.
- Mix the sour cream and horseradish, starting with 1/4 cup. Taste and add more to your liking. I like a good hit of horsey! Serve your borscht with a good dollop of the sour cream and horseradish sauce, and fennel fronds.
Notes
- I don’t peel my carrots; I make sure they are scrubbed really well. Beet skins tend to be tough and fibrous, so these are best peeled.
