Soups: Borsch (борщ), Schi (Щи), Uha (Уха), Okroshka (Oкрошка)

Borsch (борщ)

Perhaps at the beginning we should explain that to some Russians, and that includes some brother Ukrainians and Belarussians, Borsch is not soup.  At the same time, soup is not borsch to these folks.  Borsch often is catagorized as a soup for convenience, and to most Westerners it looks and tastes like a very delicious soup, but if you want to stay clear of arguments, never speak of Borsch as a soup unless your Russian host says otherwise..

So, with that bit of cultural information clear, we can proceed to the most popular “liquid meal” in the Russian diet.  When I first introduced the idea of Borsch in my on-going capacity as Editor of Culture & Language for Russian Ukrainian Adventures (http://RussianUkainianAdventures.com) readers emailed quite a variety of borsch recipes.  You will find that anywhere you travel in the former Soviet Union there will be many recipes for borsch which claim to be the original, best, correct, etc.  You get the idea.  It has been my pleasure to taste White Borsch with boiled eggs in Poland, clear Borsch in Ukraine, and all sorts of ‘traditional’ red borsch recipes.  Honestly, I enjoyed them all.  I can’t remember a borsch which was not filling and delicious.

Is it necessary to add meat?  Not at all.  The use of beef is traditional in Russian Borsch but often Russians will make this dish with just vegetables.  Vegetable borsch is an excellent menu item during the Easter and Christmas Lenten fasts.   Alternative vegetables to the carrot, potato, cabbage and tomatoes include parsnips and turnips, in fact any root vegetable can be used.

So after all the travel and tasting, which is the best borsch?  When it comes to the final analysis, since I value my life and enjoy sleeping in my own comfortable bed, I must proclaim to the world that my mother-in-law makes the best and most authentic red beetroot borsch anywhere in all the Russias.  There, that little piece of housekeeping has been completed.

So, enjoy your hand at making borsch.  Just don’t call it ‘soup’…at least not when anyone with a Russian accent is lurking nearby.  Oh, by the way, the following recipe is not from my mother-in-law.  She was busy so I’ve posted another one.

Enjoy!

Here is an excellent vegetable recipe for Borsch (борщ):

Ingredients

600 g chopped red beets

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 400 g chopped root vegetables (traditionally celery root, parsnip, cabbage, carrot)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt, black pepper to taste
• vegetable broth
• chopped fresh parsley leaves
• sour cream (to garnish)
• horseradish (to garnish)

Method:

Peel the red beets and chop into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a pan and brown sliced onions and garlic. (if you re thinking about the meat version, add the sliced pork/beef cubes at this stage and brown properly). Add the cumin seeds and the chopped vegetables. Coat well and fry over low heat until the veggies are soft, but crispy. Add the broth to cover the vegetables. Bring to boil, cover and let cook until soft. Add the black pepper and salt to taste and squeeze in the lemon juice.

Pure half of the soup (unless there is meat in it) and bring back to the boil. Mix in the parsley leaves and serve.

Shred the horseradish very finely and mix in with the sour cream. Serve the soup with a slice of black rye bread.

 

 

 

Щи (Schi)

 

Ingredients:

1 lb beef, 1/3 lb sourkraut, 2 cubed potatoes, ¼ cup of barley, soaked in water, 2 sliced carrots, 1 onion, ½ gallon water, Salt and pepper.

Method:

Soak barley for about an hour, then drain water. Place meat, barley and water (1/2 gallon) in the pot. Cook for about 45 minutes. Peel potatoes and cut them in 1” cubes. Rinse sour kraut and squeeze the water out. Add remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste..

Uha (Уха)

Fish: you can use any delicate or moderately firm fillet like branzino, sea bream, salmon, trout, cod, haddock, pollock, hake, halibut, sole, flounder, etc. The only types of fish to avoid are very dense (tuna, swordfish, mahi) and brown fleshed (bluefish, mackerel).

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1/3 cup dry white wine
6 cups fish stock
2 red skinned potatoes, peeled and diced
1 Lb skinless fish fillets
Chopped dill and or parsley for garnish
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Set a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the butter, onions, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent, but not browned, 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the wine and fish stock. Bring to a boil and season to taste with salt. Remember this is a lot of liquid, so ditch your salt shaker in favor of few good handfuls of salt. Taste after each addition.
3. Add potatoes and cook until tender when poked with a knife, 10-15 minutes.
4. Take the soup off heat, add the fish, and wait until fish is opaque most of the way through (but not all the way), about 8 minutes per inch of thickness. To test for doneness, poke it with a fork or spoon. If it breaks into pieces in the thickest part, you are done. Pink fleshed fish (salmon, steelhead trout, and arctic char) are best served on the rare side. So don’t wait for them to flake. I usually keep those in the soup for only 5 minutes per inch of thickness before serving.
5. Garnish with dill and/or parsley and serve.

 

 

Okroshka (окрошка)

Okroshka is an extremely popular cold soup for hot summer days.
Its base is “kvass” – a national Russian cola drink. Every housewife has her own recipe of kvass, and there are some patented kvass recipes. You can also buy it at any Russian store in large USA and Western cities.

Ingredients:

0.5 lb boiled beef, or 0.5 lb boiled veal, or 0.5 lb ham
0.5 lb boiled and peeled potatoes
1.5 l kvass (about 0.5 G)
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 tsp mustard (optional)
1 tsp sugar
2 medium cucumbers
1 bunch green onion
1 bunch dill
Horseradish, salt on taste
1 tbsp sour cream for every serving

Method:

Blend egg yolks with mustard, sugar, salt, and horseradish, and mix with 0.5 cup kvass.
Pour this mix in a large and deep bowl.
Cut meat, potatoes, cucumbers, green onions, and egg whites into small pieces. The soup’s name, “Okroshka” is from the Russian word meaning, “to chop”.
Put these ingredients into the bowl, pour 2 cups of kvass over it, and mix very well.
Then, cover the bowl with a lid, and place the bowl into a refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Before serving, add the remainder of kvass to the bowl, and mix. To serve, put 1 tbsp of sour cream, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of dill cuts, and pour soup in a serving plate, then mix in the serving plate.