Baba's Borsch

This will feed approx 50 people (25 in brackets)

….or 20-22 qts

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs butter (1)

1 qt whipping cream (½)

5 qts stewed tomatoes (2)

2 lg heads of cabbage (1)

12 lg potatoes (6)

12 lg carrots (6)

5 lg onions (3)

2 bunches green onions (1)

2 cups dill (1)

2 lg green peppers (1)

5 med beets with greens (3)

1 fist of garlic (½)

2 tbsp kosher salt (1)

Black pepper to taste

Preparation

Fill a very large pot with 48 cups of water (24). Add kosher salt and bring to a boil. Quarter your beets by slicing in half but not all the way through. Turn and make another slice again not all the way through. Add these to the pot.

In another pot add the stewed tomatoes and ⅓ of the butter. Bring to a boil, then simmer while you prepare the rest. Stir often so you don’t burn the bottom.

Peel potatoes and put ½ into a bowl of water. Set aside. Take the rest and quarter them lengthwise. Add to the big pot. 

Peel carrots and put ½ aside. Peel garlic. Shred the remaining carrots and the garlic. Put into an electric frying pan along with ⅓ of the butter.

Clean the onions and slice very thinly. Add these to the shredded carrots. Check to see if the chunks of potatoes are cooked!

Clean beet greens. Chop into small pieces and sprinkle with kosher salt. Add water and squeeze out the redness. Rinse, drain and add to the frying pan.

Clean the cabbage and slice very thinly. Add ½ to the onions and carrots in the frying pan. Fry until a golden brown. You don’t want this to be too soggy.

Take all that has been set aside and start chopping (carrots, potatoes, peppers). Baba’s instructions are to cube about ¼” no bigger. Chop dill really fine.

When the chunks of potatoes are cooked remove them and put into a bowl. Mash them with ⅓ remaining butter and ½ of the whipping cream. Set aside.

Now you are ready to assemble the Borsch. According to Baba it is really important to understand the order in which things are done. 

Putting it together 

To the boiling water, carefully add the stewed tomatoes. Set the pot aside as you will be using this again (full recipe). Put on the lid and bring to a rapid boil.

Remove half of the liquid to the other pot and bring to a boil. As you add the ingredients 

you must judge for yourself as to how much goes into both pots. 

Add cubed carrots. Bring to a rapid boil.

Add cubed potatoes. Bring to a rapid boil.

Add the remaining whipping cream. Bring to a rapid boil,

Add the mashed potato mixture. Bring to a rapid boil.

Add the fried cabbage, carrots, onion mixture. Bring to a rapid boil.

Add the remaining uncooked cabbage. Bring to a rapid boil.

Add the cubed green peppers, green onions and dill. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Cover and let sit while you prepare your jars.

If you are canning remove the beets, fill your jars. 

Seal and turn upside down. 

When cool store in a fridge. Will keep up to six months.