Russian Cabbage Borscht

By Nancy Tripp Bridgton Farmers’ Market

There are some recipes from forever and long ago that can’t be beat. This recipe comes from one of the early Moosewood Cookbooks and is made with some of the best winter vegetables the season has to offer. It is colorful (which means it is loaded with vitamins that are good for you) and is oh so flavorful with a bit of a piquant taste from the tomato paste and a splash of vinegar that offsets the bitter and astringent quality of cabbage and the sweetness of all the other root crops in it.

It is a soup that can be blended for a creamy smooth texture or I prefer it chunky with every bite a different taste and texture treat.

It is a soup that uses up the rest of that head of cabbage I bought for a stir-fry a few weeks ago and the beets I bought because I love them and Himself does not. The rest of the vegetables are ones I always keep around.

Served with a loaf of rustic bread, a slather of butter, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, I think you will enjoy this on a cold winter’s night.

Russian Cabbage Borscht from Moosewood Cookbook

Prep time 1 hour

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

11/2 cups thinly sliced potato

1 cup thinly sliced beets

4 cups water

1 to 2 tablespoon butter

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 scant teaspoon caraway seeds

11/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

1 stalk celery

1 medium sized carrot sliced

3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage

Freshly ground black pepper

Fry Friday

1 to 2 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup tomato puree

Toppings: sour cream or yogurt and chopped dill

Directions

Place potatoes, beets and water in a medium sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender (20 to 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion, caraway seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent (8 to 10 minutes).

Add celery, carrots and cabbage, plus 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until all vegetables are tender (another 8 to 10 minutes).

Add the remaining ingredients (including the potato and beet water), cover, and simmer for at least 15 minutes more. Taste to correct seasonings, serve hot, topped with sour cream or yogurt and a light dusting of chopped dill.

The Bridgton Winter Farmers’ Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through April 22 at the new winter location at the Masonic Hall, Oriental Lodge #13, 166 Harrison Road (Route 117).

For a full list of vendors and information on ordering go to https://www.facebook.com/BridgtonFarmersMarket/ or contact BFM at bridgtonfarmersmarket.me@gmail.com

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BFM accepts credit cards and EBT. See you there!