Hearty Winter Borscht

KRI January 2020 Recipe of the Month

Taken from From Vegetables, With Love: Recipes and Tales from a Yogi’s Kitchen
(Revised and Expanded New Edition) by Siri-Ved Kaur Khalsa

HEARTY WINTER BORSCHT

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for Hearty Winter Borscht:

  • 6 medium beets with greens (2 bunches)
  • 12 ounces white or red rose potatoes
  • 1–2 carrots
  • 4 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup chopped green onions or cilantro for garnish
  • ½ pint sour cream (optional garnish)

Instructions to make Hearty Winter Borscht:

  1. Rinse beets, cut off tops and root ends, and carefully peel. Cut into ¼-inch bite-size slices. Discard root ends. Coarsely chop greens. Scrub potatoes and cut them into bite-size cubes. Scrub carrot and slice into ¼-inch rounds.
  2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add beets, greens, potatoes, and carrots. Return to the boiling point, then lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes (until tender).
  3. Meanwhile, heat the ghee or oil in a small frypan over a medium flame. Add chopped onion and sauté until quite tender and barely browned. You will need to stir frequently to prevent browning.
  4. Place 2 cups of vegetables with 1 cup of broth into a food processor or electric blender and process until a smooth purée. Return to the soup pot and add cooked onions, pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Add a little more water if a thinner consistency is desired and stir. Heat thoroughly. Place in serving bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with minced green onions or cilantro sprig.