Sayma and Jama cook up Borscht with parent volunteer Adrienne lending a watchful eye
A couple years ago we had a glut of beets and were stuck with the question of what to do with them all. Enter borscht! Very few of our participants or staff were familiar with this purple-est of soups, but their skepticism soon turned to celebration upon sipping its sweet broth. Since then nearly every time we work on meal planning borscht pops up. Last week, Lyndale Elementary students had their turn.
Hanad and Ila prep green onions
We adapt our recipe with the season and what’s available, because we love to load up our borscht with more than just beets. It is originally based on our friends Lucia Watson and Beth Dooley’s recipe from Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland.
- 3-4 cups thinkly sliced beets
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup peeled, diced potatoes
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup peeled, diced onions
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablepoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cut string beans
- 1/4 cup peas
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- sour cream for garnish
Toss the beets with salt and set aside. This sets the color, do not rinse them. In a large, deep saucepan, melt the butter and saute the beets, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic for about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and enough water to just cover the vegetables, and simmer until soft. Add the string beans, peas, and green onions, and simmer until just tender. Chill the soup. Add the herbs and serve garnished with sour cream. Delicious hot or cold.
Let us know in the comments what you like to do with your beets!