Growing up on Long Island in New York, I enjoyed snowy winters. After a day of sledding down our town’s icy roads, my brother and I were always psyched to devour a hot bowl of the earthy borscht our mom had waiting for us. First, we had to ditch our wet and frigid clothes, then try to warm the numbness out of our frozen fingertips until we could at last just barely hold a spoon. We don’t have that problem here in sun-soaked Miami.
Traditionally, borscht can be served at any temperature with that yummy dollop of sour cream – depending on your mood – but Mom’s version was so good, it rarely lasted long enough to eat cold the next day.
(SID HOELTZELL @ MIAMI 2023)
The ingredients of this meatless, red elixir. Substitute vegetable broth for chicken stock to make it totally vegan.
This Ukrainian soup is said to have spread from there to other points in Eastern Europe and Russia. There are regional variations from many countries and each claim theirs is the best, but the truth is, I would gladly lick a frozen playground monkey bar if I could taste that homemade Hoeltzell borscht again! Fortunately, I’ve consumed enough of it to remember the details of my family recipe. Like many of the dishes I’ve shared in this column, tradition is my guide.
Ukrainian-style borscht includes pork; the Russian version uses beef. My mom’s recipe used beef short ribs but mine is meatless. And although there’s now abundant research about plants being capable of communication and having “feelings,” I will not be concerned about the screams of my beets and carrots as I guillotine them with my razor-sharp Kamikoto chef’s knife.
Some versions of borscht add lots of garlic; I use just two cloves smashed into oblivion. And darn it all, I can never find a rubber glove when slicing the beets –but I consider the red stain on my fingers a true badge of my “MasterChef” sensibilities.
This soup is very healthy and packed with the benefits of the often ignored sugar beet. There’s a sweetness that comes from the beets and carrots that’s offset by the cabbage
and a potent splash of Bragg’s vinegar. I like to top off my serving with sour cream, chopped dill and a side of pan-seared sourdough bread.
And here’s a great tip about those beet tops, which you should never discard. When I realized they reminded me of Swiss chard, I decided not to waste them. After washing and drying the beet tops well, bake or flash-fry them as instructed in my recipe and put that nasty, overused kale to shame. Try it; you may like the inherently salty leafy taste and forget kale ever existed. They make a great, crunchy side dish with my delectable borscht that has them all “beet” … I know you’re smellin’ what I’m tellin’.
CHEF SID’S BORSCHT
(SID HOELTZELL @ MIAMI 2023)
Remember to wear disposable gloves when handling beets, or your fingers will be stained that beautiful red.
Serves: four as an appetizer or two hungry snowboarders
Prep time: About 30 minutes, then let it slow cook for 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
· 4 medium-sized beets, peeled and sliced into slivers a bit less than 1/4″ thick, tops reserved
· 12 pearl onions, cut into quarters
· 3-4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
· 2 ounces olive oil
· 1/2 small head purple cabbage, coarsely shredded
· 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced and blade-smashed into coarse paste
(SID HOELTZELL @ MIAMI 2023)
Slice and dice those veggies with reckless abandon.
· 2 ounces Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
· 1/4 cup ketchup (some people use tomato paste)
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 2 32-ounce cartons chicken or vegetable stock
· 6 small red potatoes, cut into eighths
· Avocado oil
· 1 loaf sourdough bread
· 1 cup sour cream
· 2 tablespoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped
PREPARATION
· Place rinsed and reserved beet tops on cooking sheet and set aside.
· Place onions, carrots and olive oil into large 5-quart pot and sauté at high heat for 5 minutes to soften.
· Add to pot cabbage, celery, garlic, vinegar, ketchup (a dash of sugar is optional), salt, pepper and stock; simmer over medium heat 15 minutes to soften cabbage.
· Add beets and simmer 30 minutes, then add potatoes and simmer 25 minutes more.
(SID HOELTZELL @ MIAMI 2023)
Bake or flash-fry those beet tops and serve them as a side dish. You’ll thank me later.
· While soup is simmering, brush beet tops with avocado oil and bake at 430º F about 12 minutes, until crispy – you can also flash-fry them for 30 seconds, if preferred.
· Pour out the red sea of soup into bowls and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream, then garnish with dill.
· Serve with crispy beet tops and toasted sourdough bread.
Enjoy and stay warm when those half-dozen cold snaps hit Miami, when we can finally break out our leather jackets.
Sid Hoeltzell is an award-winning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef” contestant. He has completed more than 450 commissioned works for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, teaches food photography seminars and is a preferred fine art photographer for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and private collections.