I love eating borscht in the winter, after it has been raining for days, when it’s cold and damp and I need something hot and comforting with sustenance.
But, the truth is, the very best time to make borscht is right now, late summer. Farm markets and home gardens are filled with vegetables at their peak of flavour and nutritional value. Ingredients guaranteed to yield the most beautiful pot of borscht.
Beets are the key ingredient simmered in most borscht — and that includes my recipe. They give the soup its characteristic purple/red colour, add an earthy, sweet flavour and supply good nutrition. Beets are low in calories, high in vitamin C and folate, and their leafy tops contain vitamin A.
When buying beets, opt for firm, evenly coloured ones with smooth skins and lively-looking tops. If you plan to store beets for more than a day or two, before refrigerating them trim off tops and store the greens separately as they will draw moisture from the root.
My borscht recipe incorporates some of those beet tops, but you’ll likely have some of them left over after making the soup. Keep them for another dish, preparing them as you would spinach.
For example, you can steam leafy-green beet tops until tender, toss with a little melted butter and serve them as a side dish for lamb or fish, or use as a stuffing for an omelette, quiche or chicken breast. You can also chop and add raw beet tops to soups, pastas or stews, cooking them until tender. And, if the leaves are young, you can use beet tops raw in salads.
My somewhat chunky borscht contains other locally grown produce, including corn, beans, garlic, carrots, potatoes and dill. Top bowls of borsht with a dollop of sour cream and maybe, for a spicy accent, a spoon of horseradish, and you’ll create a nice Sunday supper.
Cool and freeze any leftover borscht to thaw and reheat later in the year. On a much cooler day, when the rain is lashing your windows, you’ll be happy you made some borscht on a glorious late summer day.
Summer Vegetable Borscht
Beets and a medley of other vegetables combine in this hearty soup flavoured with dill.
Enjoy some now for a summer supper with slices of buttered rye bread. Cool and freeze the rest to enjoy later in the year.
Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking time: About 70 minutes
Makes: Eight to 10 servings
8 medium beets with tops, washed well (see Note 1)
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup diced or sliced carrot (see Note 2)
1 cup diced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
3 cups tomato juice or vegetable juice, such as V-8 or Garden Cocktail
1 1/2 cups diced white or yellow potatoes, skin on or peeled
1 cup fresh corn kernels (see Note 3)
1 or 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 cup sliced green beans, cut into 1 to 2-inches pieces
1 to 1 1/2 cups packed, chopped beet tops
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus some for sprinkling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• sour cream or thick yogurt to taste
• horseradish to taste (optional)
Trim the beet tops, leaving about one inch of stem attached to each beet. Chop enough beet tops to get the amount required for this recipe. Save the remaining beet tops for another use (see story for suggestions).
Place the beets in a pot and cover with at least two inches of cold water. Set beets over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat until beets gently simmer, and then cook beets until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Drain beets well. Cool the beets in cold water and then peel; the skins should just slip off. Cut the beets into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a large pot set over medium to medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion and garlic and cook five minutes, until softened. Add the four cups of stock, juice, cubed beets, potatoes, corn and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.
Add the beans and beet tops and simmer soup five minutes more. Add a bit more stock if you find the soup too thick. Stir in the 2 Tbsp dill and heat through a few minutes. Taste the borscht and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
To serve, ladle borscht into bowls and top with a dollop of the sour cream or yogurt, a sprinkling of fresh dill, and, if desired, a small spoon of horseradish.
• Note 1: I bought two bunches of beets for this recipe, with each bunch having four beets on it. Each beet was about 21Ú2 inches wide.
• Note 2: In this recipe diced means to cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes. The size of carrot will determine how you cut them. Large, wide ones are better diced. Long and slender carrots can simply be cut into 1/2-inch thick slices.
• Note 3: One medium-to-large cob of corn will yield the amount of kernels needed. To cut the kernels off a cob, after shucking and thoroughly removing the silk, grab onto its stem end. Set the tip of the cob in the centre of a wide, shallow bowl, and then use a sharp paring knife to cut and slide the kernels off the cob and into the bowl.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
