Beef Borscht

Borscht is one of those dishes that has dozens of variations. This version of the classic Russian dish uses lots of meat, vegetables and a touch of Herbie's spices for extra flavor.

Ingredients

• Beef Stew Meat or Top Round, cut into 1" cubes  ·  1.5 pound 
• Flour  ·  1/4 cup 
• Red Beets, peeled  ·  5 whole 
• Carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces  ·  2 
• Head of Napa Cabbage, thinly sliced  ·  1 whole 
• Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes, quatered  ·  10 ounces 
• Kidney Beans  ·  1 can 
• Yellow Onion, diced  ·  1 
• Garlic, minced  ·  4 cloves 
• Red Wine  ·  1/4 cup 
• Beef or Vegetable Broth  ·  1 quart 
• Herbie's Dill Tips  ·  3 tablespoons 
• Herbie's Beetroot Powder  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Herbie's Baharat Seasoning  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Sour Cream  ·  1 package 
• Olive Oil  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Salt & Pepper  ·   

Instructions

Watch this Recipe on our Epicurean Kitchen Channel . . .

Start by adding the peeled red beets to a medium sized pot and cover them with water. Turn the heat up to high bring the water to a boil. Cook the beets for at least 30min. or until they are fork tender. Take the pot off the heat and remove the beets with a pair of tongs. Reserve the cooked beets and the beet liquid for later.

Add the stew meat to a large bowl and season liberally with salt and Herbie’s Baharat Seasoning. Then coat the beef evenly with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the beef to the pot and brown on all sides. This should take about 5min. Then turn the heat off and remove the beef from the pot.

With out cleaning the pot, turn the heat back up to medium and add the carrots, onion, and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and sweat over medium heat until the onions turn translucent this should take about 8 min. Add the red wine to the pot and deglaze while scraping the bottom of the pan. Next, add the broth to the pot followed by the browned meat, potatoes, and kidney beans. Add ½ the cabbage to the pot along with Herbie’s Dill Tips.

Bring the stew to a boil, Cover tightly with a lid and turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

Check on the stew half way through, then add the other half of the cabbage. Cover and continue stewing.

Meanwhile, shred the cooked beets on a cutting board using a box grater. And reserve.

Once the stew is done cooking. Add the shredded beets, Herbie’s Beetroot Powder and ½ cup of the beet liquid. Give it one last stir and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy with Williamson Wines Amour Merlot!

Chef Tips:

Looking to make this recipe in a shorter amount of time? No worries, it can just as easily be prepared as a beet soup. Simply remove the beef from the recipe entirely and instead of stewing for over 2 hours just cook the soup until the potatoes are fork tender. Should take about 45min.