Mama Vicky's Borshcht

MAMA VICKY'S BORSHCHT

What better time for a delicious hot bowl of belly-warming borscht? The weatherman says we're getting an inch of ice tonight, followed tomorrow by a thunder-snow storm that is expected to leave us with up to a foot of the white stuff on top of the ice. I know it doesn't sound like much to you all Eskimoes, Penguins and Polar Bears living in the Northern States, but around here, that's a lot. My mom makes the best borscht in the world that I have tasted. She spells it borshcht, in her Polish-Ukrainian manner, but it's all the same good stuff. This is a guaranteed delicious dish, and for those of you not familiar with Mama Vicky, you can check out several other dishes of  hers HERE, HERE and HERE.

To make Mama Vicky's Borscht, here's what you need:

1 LB pork or beef ribs, OR 1 LB each for special occasions
3 bay leaves
1/2 garlic bulb (about 5 good size cloves)
1 large white or red onion
1 cabbage (about 2 to 3 lbs)
4 good sized potatoes (any kind is okay)
2 large carrots (I used 3 medium ones)
3 very big tomatoes, about 2 to 3 lbs. (I didn't have any so used 1 large can, diced)
4 very large fresh beets (couldn't find large ones, and the gorcery had these medium-small ones in bundles of 3, so I just used 2 bundles. It was fine)
2 to 3 TBSP vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Butter or some other fat for frying
3 TBSP flour
Sour cream & Fresh Parsley for garnish

That's it. Not a whole bunch of stuff, really, but the taste at the end is delicious! You can see this is simple, country cooking at its best. Nothing fancy, just wholesome, nutritious food for the hardworking family. Mama Vicky makes hers mainly from pork spare ribs, but occasionally also from beef ribs. On special occasions she combines the two. I’ve never known her to make one with chicken. The beet leaves are not used in the recipe but are great for use in a salad, or cooked like chard (which they are most like) or spinach. The stalks are also tasty and nutritious, but take longer cooking than the leaves, as they are more like celery in their makeup.

Let's get started! In a pot, put the ribs in about 2 gallons of water with 4 bay leaves and the peeled-and-crushed cloves of about half a head of garlic, and then put it to boil. Once it is boiling well, add half a coarsely-chopped onion (reserve the other half), then reduce heat to a gentle, slow bubble and cook, partially coverd - until the meat is ready to fall off the bones; this will probably be about 5 hrs at a gentle boil for beef short ribs; pork ribs will result in shorter timing/cooking. During this time, skim as much of the scum off the top as you can. Occasionally throughout the cooking, a bit of added hot water might be needed to replenish what's evaporated and keep the meat submerged.

Meanwhile, about halfway through the process or so, put the trimmed and scrubbed beets to boil in another pot. Reduce the heat to same gentle boil and cook for about 45 minutes, then turn off heat. About 15 minutes later, the beets should be done, and can be pierced with a fork, much like baked potatoes, but not quite that soft. Once the beets are done, remove them from the cooking liquid and set them into a colander to cool throughout. Save the water they were cooking in as this is a critical ingredient later on for the borscht.

While you're waiting for the beets to cool, peel and dice 2 or 3 carrots - depending on size - and the potatoes. The cabbage should be cut in half, with one half coarsley diced into roughly 1-inch squares and the other half finely diced. While you're at it, chop the onion, too. Set everything aside.

Now, in about 3 tablespoons of butter or bacon grease, sauté the other half of the onion until it begins to get golden. Then, add about 1 cup of the julienned beets and continue sautéing until they get beautifully caramelized. You will smell the sugars nicely when this happens - it will take about 15 minutes or more on medium heat, stirring often, but is well worth the time to do it right. Once done, put all the caramelized onions and beets into the pot of simmering stew. Then add a scant 1/4 cup of vinegar, the diced tomatoes and all the liquid that the beets cooked in. Bring the pot to a nice, bubbling simmer and let it stew for half an hour or so.

After the time has passed, stir 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour into a half-cup of cold water, then pour the flour mixture into the borscht to thicken it. Stir well, then let the pot simmer for another half an hour, then turn off the heat. Add the finely-diced cabbage, and move the pot to a place where it can cool off. At this time, these fine pieces of cabbage will cook through gently, making a nice finish to the dish when served.

Once the borscht cools down enough, cover it and put it in the refrigerator overnight - or out on the back porch, if it is cool enough. Like any good stew, borscht is always better the next day, once the flavors are allowed to blend their individual goodness into a properly-flavored friendship. When borscht is served "fresh" - that is, the day it is made - the beets take center stage and everything else pays homage to them, much like chili with beans. On the first day, the beans in the chili take the lead; but a day later, the beef blooms like a flower, taking up the space once occupied by the now waning beans - or in the case of borscht, the beets. On day two, borscht becomes more than the sum of its vegetable parts, more than the small amount of beef in it; it grows and expands, allowing the rightful heirs of flavor to take the forefront - the beef and the cabbage, strongly supported by the beauty of the beet.

The next day, remove any fat if necessary, then put the borscht over medium heat to start a gentle warm-up, until small bubbles begin to collect on the surface and that wonderful smell starts to rise. Give the stew a couple of simple, gentle stirs, then reduce the heat to medium-low and leave it alone. After about an hour or two, stir it again and check it for seasoning; you can add in some pepper, if you like, though Mom has been forever adamant that it was not necessary and took away some of the flavor at the end. She knows best, so that's the way I've always made it - without pepper. It might, however, need a little salt, or you can add 3 or 4 beef boullion cubes, if you want to boost the meat flavor.

Let the pot gently simmer for another hour or so, and then it is ready. It can sit at a low simmer all day long, as it's one of those continual pots-on-the-stove type of stews. It will also be good to let a bit more of the moisture evaporate to thicken it up a bit, if you prefer. It can be any consistency you like, since every person's recipe is their own "authentic" one.

Borscht is traditionally garnished with a generous dollop of sour cream and freshly-chopped parsley; authentically, it should be served with icy vodka or a glass of beer, with dark bread or dumplings on the side. Mom always served it with cocktail rye and "brown 'n serve" rolls. There's nothing wrong with a nice chianti, either. When serving, make sure each bowl gets a piece of potato and some meat. A nice ladle or two of the liquid makes it a fine bowl full of Ukranian deliciousness, fit for a prince.