Meatless Beet Soup, Pisnyi borsch

for Sviata Vechera

from Festive Ukrainian Cooking by

Marta Pisetska Farley

As a preface to the recipe, Marta Farley’s book is a must have for those interested in the cuisine, customs, traditions and histories of lands other than ones own. I present a recipe from it that is important to me. Sviata Vechera, January 6, 2006; the Holy Christmas Eve meal in which I am profoundly thankful to have been able to participate.

“Fermented Beet Juice

 Burakovyi Kvas

Beet kvas is an unduplicatable flavoring for borsch. It adds a mellow, mild tartness and imparts a beautiful intense color. Though not at all complicated to make, it takes a little forethought to set it out after Saint Andrew’s December 6 (O.S.) to be ready for Sviata Vechera.

3 pounds of beets

3 tablespoons coarse salt (not table salt; it has additives)

1 slice sourdough bread

2 – 3 quarts water

1 square cheesecloth and string

1 gallon glass jar or stone crock

4 quart jars or 8 pint jars

Scrub beets, pare, and cut in quarters. Place in a clean jar and sprinkle with salt. Boil water and pour into jar. Cool, add bread to aid in fermentation, cover with cheesecloth and tie with string.

Set in a cool place to ferment for about 1 week. (Do not ferment kvas in hot humid weather; it will decompose, not sour.) Remove mold as it appears. Flavor develops in 1 or 2 weeks.
 
Remove bread, mold, and cheesecloth. Taste; it should be sourish but mild, not brackish. Pour into clean dry jars, cover and refrigerate. Discard beets. Keeps well in refrigerator.”

{Note – I started the kvas on or about December 15 and refrigerated it on the last day of December. It was as described, mellow with a mild tartness.}

“Meatless Beet Soup

(Pisnyi borsch)

In Ukrainian cuisine, borsch is a national dish. Its numerous adaptations have led to a plethora of forms. It may be a combination of many winter vegetables, with meat and sour cream, or it may be as simple as beet kvas with meat stock and shredded beets, garnished with mushroom dumplings, or just the broth from beets, kvas, and stock with vushka.

There are regional disputes as to the most authentic form of borsch. This elegant version was popular in the Kievan region in the 1830s.

2 pounds beets

1carrot

1parsnip

1turnip

2 celery ribs

2 medium onions

1 bay leaf

3 – 4 peppercorns

3 dried boletus or ½ pound chopped mushrooms (optional)

1 quart beet kvas; 1 teaspoon sour salt (crystallized citric acid) if not

     using kvas

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper or to taste

2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill

Soak boletus overnight. Cook in a little water until tender. Cool, reserve liquid, and chop fine.

Scrub beets and cut into quarters. Cover with water and cook over low heat until tender, about 1 to 2 hours. Cool and pour off liquid {reserve}. Slip off peels. (Wear rubber gloves to prevent purple hands.) This may be done a day in advance.

Peel and cut up the other vegetables. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, and boletus or mushrooms to vegetables, with enough water to cover, and cook in a large non-aluminum pot over low heat until tender.

Strain beet liquid into vegetables. Shred beets in a processor or on a medium grater, and add. Simmer for about 10 minutes, and strain into a large pot. To keep broth clear, do not press the vegetables {discard vegetables}.

Add beet kvas, mushroom liquid, pepper, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn heat low. Taste; the flavor should be tart, mellow, and full. For more tartness, add fresh lemon juice of sour salt. Keeps well in refrigerator. Reheat gently; do not overcook or the color will turn brown.

To serve, pour over 3 or 4 vushka (see following recipe) in soup plates and garnish with chopped dill.”

This is exactly how I made the borsch. My three comments are bracketed {  }.

For vushka, yes indeed vushka were made also but for that recipe and how to make vushka I urge the reader to go to Amazon.com and order a copy of Festive Ukrainian Cooking. Vushka are necessary! The book is a bargain.

Is it Christmas already, August 2, 2007 – getting close, January 7, 2008 for many many Ukrainians.  Enjoy, David