Borshch

Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom!

Russian Orthodox church still lives according to the old Julian Calendar, which is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian Calendar, which is adopted by most countries in the world (and by the Russian government). Russian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on January 7th.

And so I have a recipe today for Borshch. (Also spelled borsch and Borscht.) It is a type of hearty Eastern and Central European vegetable soup, the beetroot being the defining ingredient. It is served at the holidays.


1 cup fresh or dried mushrooms
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 large onion - chopped
1/2 cup tomato juice
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 peppercorns
2 cups beets, sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup diced carrots
lemon juice (to taste:tart, not sour)
1 potato, diced
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dill (fresh or frozen)
8-9 cups water
1 tsp. parsley (fresh)

Saute onion in oil until transparent. Add mushrooms- saute slightly and set aside. Cover beets, carrots, potato, parsley/dill with water and cook until barely tender. Add cabbage and cook until slightly tender. Add onions, mushrooms, tomato juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice with caution since you want the borshch tart, not sour. Bring to boil and serve.