First off, it’s “Borsch” NOT “Borscht” with a “T”, and Pieroshkies are not the same as Pierogies. Ok, they’re pretty similar, but not the same. And Borsch isn’t just about beets, either. In fact, it’s not even mostly beets – there’s all kinds of other stuff in there, too! Don’t believe me? Check it out:
Borsch
1 lb stew meat, cut into 1″ cubes
2 quarts water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup fresh dill
3 medium sized beets
1/2 head cabbage, cut up very finely
1 big carrot, shredded
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 potatoes, cubed
1 Red pepper, chopped
1 Tomato, diced
Preheat oven to 350.
Peel the beets and place them in a roasting pan with about 1/4″ of water in the bottom. Cover in foil and roast for 1 hour at 350.
Place the meat, water, salt, garlic and spices into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the potato and onion. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for one hour. If you’re making vegetarian borsch, skip this step and just use 2 quarts of vegetable stock.
Remove the beets from the oven and drain the liquid into the soup. Using a grater, shred the beets and carrot into the soup. Add the tomatoes, dill and red pepper, and continue simmering for another 20 minutes or so.
Serve with sour cream and dill.
Piersohkies
Tecto(tyes’-tuh)-dough
4 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 T sugar
1 egg
1 ½ c sour milk or buttermilk
3 T oil
4 ½ T sour cream
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with hands. Knead dough 5-10 minutes; if too sticky add more flour while kneading. Cover and let sit on counter 2 hours.
Dust countertop with flour. Make a 1” thick roll, cut into pieces, roll pieces in flour. Roll flat, not too thin. Add filling, fold and pinch to seal-make sure it’s a good seal. Flatten seal. Heat ¼” oil in frying pan over medium heat, fry till dough is cooked and golden brown.
