Russian Borscht
Ingredients
- 6 medium-size beets with tops
- 2 cups finely-shredded spinach
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 540 ml can chopped tomatoes, undrained and cut up
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried dill weed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 cups bite-size pieces cooked beef or pork
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
Method
- 1. Trim leaves from beets, leaving 2.5 cm of stem attached. In 6-litre Dutch oven, cover beets with lightly salted water. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 45 minutes or until tender; drain. Cool slightly. Peel beets by slipping off skins while still warm. Cut beets into 3.5 cm x 0.5 cm sticks. Measure 4 cups.
- 2. In same pot, melt butter over moderately high heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until tender.
- 3. Add spinach broth, tomatoes, marjoram, salt, dill weed and pepper. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 5 to 10 minutes or until spinach is tender. Stir in cabbage, beef, vinegar and sugar. Carefully stir in cooked beets. Simmer, covered, 5 to 7 minutes more or until heated through.
Serves 8
