When I was in Russia in college, my host mom used to make "xolodny borshch" - cold borscht - because it was summer. It was amazing with a big dollop of sour cream and tons of fresh dill. This recipe looks great. Thanks!

I love borscht - it's a very common soup here in Estonia! I made borscht last Monday, and again yesterday. I prefer mine meatless - beetroot soups have so much flavour on their own, I think.. I've already blogged about beetroot soups (borscht and otherwise) on my blog a few times, so I need to think twice from now on before posting another beet soup recipe :)

Having only this weekend become a beetroot convert and finally discovering how delicious it can be, I'm eager to try new ways of enjoying it - I'll have to add this to the list of beet recipes that I've been collecting over the past few days :D

I'm so excited to discover this wonderful recipe featuring beets. I love beets and can't wait to taste this deed purply red soup. Thanks Elise and have a great day!

My family's been debating over borscht recipes this whole past year. My grandmother's recipe uses pork bones with lemon juice to sour it up. My aunt's recipe uses beef and vinegar. (I've even read some recipes that use beet kvaas - a fermented sour beet drink.) Either way, it's always appreciated when someone brings over a pot. Serve with lots of sour cream and fresh pepper - instant happy.

I only wish my family liked more of the things that I like. I would love to try this!! Maybe soon.

I always hated beets when I was growing up, but now I adore them. I'm going to have to try borscht!

Wow! I grew up eating a big bowl of Borscht with a piping hot piroshki almost every weekend at a Russian campground my family belonged to (though we're not Russian ourselves). Alas, they stopped serving it about 7 years ago, and now we only get it a few times a year.
I met my husband and his family there, and have been filching recipes from them ever since. Unfortunately, no one in my husband's family eats beets, so my in-laws, and now my husband and I, make it without beets (I know - it's probably illegal in some Slavic regions!) Instead, we add a green pepper, tomato paste, and extra potatoes. It's a delicious version, but just not the same as with the beets.
This post was like being struck by a bolt of lightning! Just seeing that rich purple-red soup made my mouth water (literally) and brought up so many wonderful memories. I'll be home with my family this weekend - and thanks to your post, I'll be making borscht with as many beets as I can fit into the pot!

I clicked over to your site to find a pear recipe and I burst out laughing when I caught sight of this one. Last night my Mom and I got in a heated debate at the dinner table on how to properly make borscht to the extent that we started pulling out every single recipe book in the history of mankind to prove our individual arugments. My Lithuanian Stepfather also has his two cents to add – mainly that he hated eating it growing up. Being Russian jew and having now read over a dozen cookbooks, I can honestly say that there are as many borscht recipes as there are Russians! I can't wait to print this one out and give it a shot. Looks fabulous. Maybe I'll surprise my Mom with it tonight (hee, hee!).

Coming from a Polish family, I can't wait to try this version of borscht! Also, instead of using red-wine vinegar try using some of the juice from a can of pickled beets! It's what my mother uses and it always comes out delectable.

How to improve Borshch

1. Simple.... just add a couple of slices of ham... no... not the hormone/preservatives filled kind... try to find a Polish/Ukrainian deli/grocery store... they should sell the real ham smoked using the wood of fruit trees... the juices from ham will balance out the sour taste in Borshch nicely. I'd add the ham about 15 mins before the Borshch is done.

2. MOST IMPORTANT... the Borshch always tastes best the next day... really! It's the way it should be served!

Also, I highly recommend trying the "Green Borshch." I'm not joking... it's the name in Ukrainian.

Here is the recipe...
http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/recipe/20103,ukrainian_zelany_borshch.phtml

That sounds delicious! Our nanny is from Georgia (Soviet) and gave me her recipe to try a couple weeks ago. Oh so delicious! Some differences between hers and your friend's recipe is that she grates the carrots and beets and, instead of dill, she likes to use fresh parsley and fresh cilantro. However, she says that in Georgia they LOVE fresh herbs and you could add a bunch of fresh dill, as well. Also, her recipe calls to use stewing beef and to boil the beef until nearly done and then use that broth as the broth for the soup. I'm not convinced on that aspect (tough beef), but regardless... what a soup!

That's what I want to eat right now! I fond of this winter soup and going to cook it today.

You know, I'm of Russian and Hungarian heritage, and yet I've never tried borscht!! How bizarre is that? I'll have to give this a try...for my ancestors sake :).

I'm trying to like beetroot. I really really am trying. :)

I made this recipe last night, to the raves of my Ukrainian adopted girls. It was the best recipe I have found, as the others were lacking in, well, taste! This is rich, sweet and savory. I have added it to my "most excellent recipes" file!

That's a really lovely bowl and photo, Elise.

Yum! This looks so tasty. I'm spending a year in Russia (I'm American), and I definitely agree with above commenters that there are as many recipes for borscht as there are Russians. Some people add tomatoes, some add bell peppers; some use pork, some beef, some no meat at all... and there's even a mysterious difference between Russian and Ukrainian borscht (or at least in the packets of ready-mixed spices and seasonings they sell here) that I haven't quite worked out.

Russians who have been to America love to tell me how our soups "just don't compare" to Russian ones (and for the most part, it's true - soup is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of Russian cuisine!), but I doubt even the best Russian home cook would find fault with yours!

One other common Russian beetroot recipe that I LOVE: a simple cold salad of chopped boiled beetroot, diced prunes, and chopped walnuts, usually topped with mayonnaise, sour cream, or oil (I like mine with oil and a touch of vinegar as well). It sounds a little weird, but it's great!

I made this wonderful recipe and served it last night with some crusty rolls. My husband and I really enjoyed it. Such a nice change from our usual Mediterranean style of eating. I did find the beets needed to cook about twice as long before becoming tender however. We love beets; I make beet risotto on occasion. The borscht is beautiful and delicious! Thank you!

Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories! I first made borscht when I lived in the Russian-Eastern European Studies House (Slavianskii Dom) on the Stanford campus - and scorched it terribly. My attempts since have been much more successful and with this cold, blustery weather in Sacramento, it's time for another attempt! My 2 y.o. son just ate beets (chioggia) for the first time last night, so I think we're ready to introduce him to borscht. Plus the beets are looking mighty fine at the Saturday farmer's market...

Funny you should send this recipe today! I am in the process of putting together a family recipe scrapbook and I have, of course, added Borscht to the book (my Dad is Ukrainian). My Dad tells me that 'winter borscht' contains white beans in it--interesting! He says there is also 'spring borscht' made with young beet leaves. It's such a versatile and great soup. We just had some tonight--I can mine for enjoyment thoughout the winter. Thanks for your version--it is very similar to our own family recipe.

I've just cooked a lovely pot of borscht yesterday:) What is a very important thing to do while cooking borscht is to make a "zazharka" - the fry-up. While the broth (or just water as you can make a vegetarian borscht) is heating up you need to saute in corn oil or lard finely chopped carrots and onion; then you mix in tomato paste or chopped fresh tomatoes and saute until the color of the oil is red. Same time: saute in oil or lard finely chopped beetroot; spray it with lemon juice so the color stays bright. Then the ingredients are recommended to be put in broth in the following direction: first - potatoes cut in cubes (30 minutes prior to the end of cooking). Then cabbages cut in stripes (20 minutes prior to end of cooking). Then goes the beetroot (15 minutes before end). Then - the "zazharka" (10 minutes before end). Then 5 minutes before end - several black peppers and a couple of laurel leafs. Then you leave the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. Then - you may eat it seasonned with sourcream and dill.

But it definitely gets better the day after))

And there definitely are a thousand ways to cook it:) And everyone will tell that the way he does is the one and only to do)

For a richer flavor you can use overgrown dill: the coarse stems, the tiny yellow flowers, the seeds - just about everything except the roots :)

Does it matter if you use green or red cabbage?