How often does this happen? You go to your refrigerator trying to figure out what to do with your random left overs and each ingredient is somehow EXACTLY what you need to make one of your favorite things in the world?
We’re leaving for New Orleans on Thursday night, so I am trying to clean out the fridge before then. I started out thinking I would make chicken broth by boiling down a denuded chicken, then I found some brown rice. My refrigerator yielded up some more surprises. Hey, some cabbage all ready chopped up! Woa, look at these beets that need to be used! Hey, these baked potatoes are nice. And what about those diced onions? Frozen carrot chunks? Lo and behold– borscht!
I first had borscht in a quite unforgettable location. I was locked up actually. And it was midnight. Intrigued yet? My first taste of borscht was over a control panel in ______ County Juvenile Detention. I was working there as a guard, (although they had some fancy name for us to make us sound nice and knowledgeable), and was filling in on an overnight shift with a very sweet man of Russian decent. Knowing we were to pull a difficult (i.e., boring) shift together, making hourly checks on snoring juveniles and looking at cameras where nothing ever happened and no one ever went, he asked if he could share a special family recipe with me. Little did I know, he intended to bring a crockpot into the facility and stew up some borscht overnight! I am not sure how the kids slept considering that the smell pervaded the whole building, but it was delicious. I loved it instantly. It made a miserable job a bit better, at least for one night.
There are many recipes on The Internets about borscht, but I have had good luck just throwing stuff together. Here is what I toss in there:
- beets (shredded)
- beet greens and stalks (chopped)
- cabbage
- onions
- carrots
- potatoes
- vegetable broth or chicken broth
- optional rice or barley
- touch of mustard powder
I like to finish the bowl of soup with a nice fatty dollop of sour cream. Yum.
And now for your amusement, a picture of me from that time in the uniform that magically added about 20 pounds. I was trying to look really tough:
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
That is certainly not something I would have imagined you wearing! However, I’m glad that you learned how to make borscht. I may be brave enough to try making it sometime. I’ve never really known what to do with beets, actually. Well, except dye things.
April 6th, 2010
Be brave! They are also good cut in half, doused in olive oil, (see Anne’s comment about rolling stuff in oil), and roasted on a pie pan in the oven. Then you can slip the outside layer off, cut the beet up and toss with salad or just eat with goat cheese. Super good!
April 7th, 2010
In France, I had beets that were tossed with diced onions in a dressing that seemed to contain olive oil, dijon mustard, and maybe some balsamic or something. I wanted to reproduce the dish in Japan, but I haven’t found beets!
April 7th, 2010
I’m the daughter of a proud polish gal, so it goes without saying thatI love borscht. What a great word, borscht.
We must have a warm beverage upon your return from The Big Easy. I’ve been rather intrigued with New Orleans these days. I’m reading Zeitoun by Dave Eggers and just watched When The Levees Broke. I want to hear your take on the city.
April 8th, 2010
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