Is this Borstch, often written in English as Borshch or Borsch?

YES!

My Ukrainian-English Dictionary says that borstch is beet soup. People get all upset as though borstch is a religious sacrament or rocket science. It’s neither; it’s vegetable soup based on beets. The beets can be chopped, diced, sliced, grated, pureed, used only to make a beet broth or fermented beet kavas for the soup. That’s all; borstch is based on beet roots and must contain said vegetable or its juice in recognizable quantity.

It’s true, before considering this I let Polish Zur in. That’s ok for one exception. It has a tradition much longer than borstch, it’s interesting and it’s good.  :) D

Oh, the following is borstch even though it’s not a Ukrainian or Russian recipe. Borstch has jumped the borders and is now a free international spirit.

This version comes from Tyler Florence via the television program, The Food Network and the recipe can be found on foodnetwork.com.

“Roasted Beet Borscht” as inspired

 on TV and the website.

Ingredients as shown on the website

1 pound beets (roots)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 sprigs fresh thyme

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups chicken stock, heated

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Sour cream for garnish

Instructions as I write them

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

The beats are roasted thusly: Scrub the beets and put them on a large piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle the beats with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as seems appropriate to your taste. Place 3 thyme sprigs among the beets.  Bake until the beets are fork tender, not hard or firm, about 1 hour. Set aside.

When the beets are cool enough to handle but still warm, rub off their skins, and chop them into large pieces.

In a large pot over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Put in the onion, carrots, garlic, and remaining 3 thyme sprigs and cook with stirring until softened and just starting to brown slightly, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender. About 20 minutes.

Remove the thyme.

Put the chopped beets into a blender and add the cooked vegetables and most of the stock. Blend until smooth; add more stock if the puree is too thick.

Add the vinegar and honey and check to see if it needs to be reseasoned with salt and pepper. Blend again to incorporate the flavors. The soup should have a mellow tart flavor.
 
Borsch can be served hot or cold.

To make the garnish coarsely grate the apple and mix in the dill.

Serve into bowls, and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and top with the apple and dill mixture.”

Use a Granny Smith apple because it’s firm and somewhat tart, good for cooking and eating from the hand. And it doesn’t turn brown as quickly as other varieties.

I think this is good, a very nice version even though it isn’t five hundred years old from Eastern Europe. Judge for yourself!