It’s time for a new soup recipe, a beef short rib borscht! Borscht is a sour soup that is common in Eastern European countries with one of the more popular versions being a bright red beet soup! There are plenty of different versions of borscht or barszcz and this beef and beef one is my favourite. I like to start out with beef short ribs which have plenty of flavour and the beef is slowly braised until it’s melt in your mouth delicious! In addition to the beef and beets this soup has plenty of veggies including onions, carrots, celeriac root (or potatoes) and cabbage making for one really hearty dinner! The sour aspect of soup comes from lemon juice (or vinegar) and it balances out the sweetness of the beets so amazingly well! I like to add dried porcini mushrooms for the extra hit of umami flavour and the soup is finished perfectly with fresh dill and a dollop of sour cream! Serve this beef short rib borscht with some buttered crusty bread for one tasty and satisfying meal!
Beef Short Rib Borscht
A sweet and sour beet soup with melt in your mouth tender beef (short ribs)!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound beef short ribs
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 pound beets, peeled and diced
- 1/2 pound celeriac root,(or potato), peeled and diced
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- 1 ounce dries mushrooms, chopped(optional)
- 1/4 cup dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Add the onion and carrots and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes, before adding the garlic and cooking until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, beef, beets, celeriac root, cabbage and mushrooms, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is fall off the bone tender, about 1-2 hours, before removing the beef bones and shredding the beef.
- Add the dill and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy garnished with dill and sour cream!
Option: Start by cooking 4 strips bacon, use the bacon grease instead of the oil and add the cooked bacon to the soup!
Option: Replace the beef short ribs with pork ribs for a different flavour!
Option: Add 1+ tablespoons brown sugar to add sweetness!
Option: Roast the beets, peel and dice them rather than simmer them.
Option: Shred the veggies instead of dicing them for a different texture!
What great flavors Kevin!
Wow, this looks fantastic!
What a beautiful dish!! I love that you took borscht and made it way more fun and gourmet!
Sues
Such a healthy & hearty meal!
I'm down for anything with Beef Short Ribs!
Being of Eastern European origin, I'd like to point out that vegetables needn't be cooked for more that half an hour. Else we risk losing shape and color and even if that stays there's still the problem of losing vitamins etc. One simple way is to cook meat until tender and then cook vegetables in the broth. Beets are the exception, of course. But there are 2 ways you can go about it, one is to cook beets for an hour or more, it turns whitish-red and the soup is red. Another is to grate beet and browse in a pan with a spoonful or two of oil (+some water or broth) for some 5-7 minutes and add to the soup when almost ready. That way you get darker color and perhaps more vitamins.
S.U.; Excellent comments and suggestions. It’s what I was thinking too! I make borscht with grated beets sautéed before putting in the soup. Also as you said, cooking the meat first will make a nice broth to add the other ingredients and let simmer for 1/2 hr.
Gorgeous! I've got try this recipe soon!
Another Eastern European here. Ribs are cooked separately with onion, carrot, bay leaf, pepper corns (just like when you make broth), until meat is tender. Remove the ribs, strain the broth (discard veggies and spices), bring it to boil. Add peeled and cubed potatoes and cabbage. In separate pan, saute chopped onions, shredded carrots and shredded beets until soft, add salt, sugar and black pepper (I also like to add red hot chili flakes), add 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and cook until the mixture starts to caramelize, remove from the heat. By that time potatoes will be soft (if not, continue cooking), then add sauteed vegetables to the soup, lemon juice, more sugar, salt, black pepper to taste, cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add cooked meat (no bones of course), chopped dill and garlic. Let borscht stand for at least a couple of hours before serving, but it tastes better the next day or even the day after. Serve with sour cream. Caramelized veggies with tomato paste make the colour so much brighter and the taste so much reacher. I also like borscht with beans (I use canned red kidney beans, rinsed really well, and add them with caramelized veggies).
This was a great recipe! Everyone loved it even though they were unsure about the beets!
I would love to see you improve your recipes by including an “Option” for using an electric pressure cooker, The Instant Pot and other makes have been widely accepted now and it would be nice to see that added into your repertoire for your recipes. ;D