Posted by: Becky 10-28-99 4:45 PM
Russian Borscht
6 cups consomme
1 large cabbage leaf, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
6 peppercorns
6 medium beets
3 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sour cream
If using canned consomme, use 2 cans consomme and 2 cubes bouillon and 2 cups water for best flavor.
Boil for 30 minutes with cabbage leaf, onion, and peppercorns.
Strain and keep hot.
Scrub beets, rinse and drain.
Peel and cut into thin, almost matchstick size strips, or shred coarsely.
Set aside one heaping tbsp. raw beets mixed with 3 tbsp. water, this will be used for coloring.
Color is an essential for Borsch.
In a 2 quart kettle, heat butter then add rest of beets and stir for 3 minutes.
Add 1 cup of consomme and vinegar.
Cook on low heat 3 minutes.
Sift flour into pot, stirring to avoid lumps.
Let cook a few more minutes, then add 4 more tbsp. warm consomme, then allow to boil up once.
When beets are tender, add remaining consomme.
Amount of time needed depends on age of beets.
Thin sour cream with a little of hot soup, then stir sour cream into soup.
Add reserved tbsp. of raw beets and water, stir and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: How to Cook and Eat in Russian by A. Kropotkin