I have been lucky to be able to travel regularly to various locations in Russia and experience the variety of food and food influences, from Georgian and Armenian in the south and Asian in the east. Besides Khachapuri, one of my favourite dishes was Borscht soup. It is traditionally made with beef broth. This version is a bit lighter using vegetable broth as well as the addition of fennel and leek in place of cabbage.
Recipe
Vegetarian borscht soup with horseradish dill yogurt
Vegetarian version of the classic Russian soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, small dice
- 1 leek sliced fine
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small carrots, grated
- 3 medium waxy potatoes, small dice
- 1/4 medium fennel, sliced fine on mandolin
- 1 large or 2 medium beets, grated
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1bsp Tbsp apple cider (or red wine) vinegar
- 1 tsp dried fennel
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- 1 cup yogurt or sour cream
- 4 Tbsp horseradish (or to taste)
- fresh dill
Instructions
- In a large metal saucepan, on medium heat, saute oil, garlic and leeks in the olive oil until softened. Add carrots, fennel, and beet and saute for a further 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Flavours improve over time, so the soup can be made several hours ahead and then reheated.
- For horseradish cream, stir together sour cream (or yogurt) with the horseradish and fresh dill.
- If you have any leftover crusty bread, cut into cubes and saute with olive oil and garlic powder until golden brown and crispy and serve the croutons with the soup.
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