The Beginning

Beginnings are hard, don’t you think?  Whenever you are starting a new family, a new career, or… a new blog for a writing internship project, things can get difficult very quickly.  I think I have been “writing” this blog in my head for almost two years, but now, when I am faced with the prospect of actually sharing my thoughts with the world, each word seems surprisingly intimidating.

I am drawing upon my memories, thoughts, events, and places that brought me to this small space on the web and I am remembering that hazy August day almost twelve years ago when scorching Southern heat enveloped my tired body at Oklahoma City International Airport. Sweaty palms, blue exchange student t-shirt, and a small backpack. My head was spinning. I kept repeating to myself, “I am in America, I am in America.” Nervous, tired, and happy, I breathed the air of the country I was about to explore from the perspective of a naïve seventeen-year-old Belarusian who fearlessly left her home country to explore the United States of America.

I anxiously searched for the faces of my host family in the excited and colorful crowd.  Oh, there they were! Balloons and flowers, first hugs. Then, heat, dirty van, screaming children, nausea, a stop at the Golden Corral, my first bite of shrimp, and the place I would need to call my new home for a year-long stay in a small town of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.

Despair, tribulations, and a new host family would happen later, but at that time, I quickly started to realize that there wouldn’t be a picture of quiet and peaceful suburban leaving in my exchange student tale.  I learned quickly that a culture shock proliferated throughout my body, reached my confused and tired mind, making me long for that indescribable smell of my home and… my mother’s borsch.

I know that I am entering a very sensitive territory here. According to food historians, borsch, or borshch, or even borscht, is a traditional Ukrainian soup. Its first recorded recipes date back to the fifteenth century when a wild leafy plant called borschivnyk was used to make that simple peasant dish. Since then, many countries adapted the recipe by adding the most colorful range of ingredients such as wild mushrooms, prunes, dumplings, and even millet meal.

Today, there are almost 30 “official” versions of this sweet and sour delicacy, but I think that it would be safe to say that every family has its own unique recipe for borsch. So, this recipe is just my take on this renowned dish, derived from several versions used in my family. Filled with earthy flavors of roasted beets, sautéed onions, carrots, and potatoes, then kissed with a hint of tomato paste and finished with a dash (or two) of vinegar, this soup has become one of my family favorites. Every time I make borsch, my stepdaughter proudly announces that it was the first dish she had seconds of and my four-year-old son says that this “purple” soup is very delicious.”

Welcome to my world!..

 

 

Masha’s Belarusian Borsch (Hot Beet Soup)

 

Ingredients:

• 3 olive oil, divided
• 5 to 6 black peppercorns
• 2 dry Bay leafs
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup potatoes, diced (about 2-3 medium size red or Yukon gold potatoes)
• 1 1/2 cups onion (about ½ large onion), chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped, optional
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 2 cups baked red beets (about 4 medium size beets), grated
• 1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup cabbage (about 1/3 of a large cabbage) or beet greens (optional)
• 1 cup tomato puree or 1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 4-5 cups chicken or beef broth, depends on desired thickness
• 1 ½- 2 tsp salt
• 1 to 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or 1/2 Tbsp of white vinegar (adjust to taste)
• Fresh or dry dill and sour cream for serving 

Method:

 

1.    Preheat oven at 400 F. Clean and scrub the beets. Dry the beets with a paper towel and rub with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Wrap each beet in foil. Bake beets for approximately 45 min to one hour until a skewer can be inserted easily into a beetroot. Peel the beets.

2.    Grate the beets using a grating plate in a food processor or using large holes of a box grater.

Tip: This step can be done ahead of time, especially if you happen to cook something in the oven at the same time (e.g., baking potatoes or roasting different vegetables).

3.    Heat 2 Tbsp oil in Dutch oven or large sauce pan over medium heat. Add bay leafs, peppercorns stirring constantly for 30 seconds.  Add onion. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds.

4.    Add celery, carrots, cabbage/beet greens and potatoes Stir, cover, and cook over medium low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add beets, peppers, and tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste is evenly distributed.

5.    Add 4-5 cups of broth. Cover and simmer for 20-25 more minutes.

6.    Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add vinegar adjusting acidity to your liking.

7.    Serve hot. Garnish with fresh or dry dill and a dollop of sour cream.

Note: Homemade beef broth is the best option for this soup, but good quality store-bought chicken or beef, or even vegetable broth will work just fine.