Test Kitchen: Unbeetable Borscht

Ingredients

• 5-6 small-to-medium-sized beets
• 3-4 cups chicken or veg broth 
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 smashed garlic clove
• 398-millilitre can of chopped tomatoes (with liquid)
• 1/3 medium-sized green cabbage
• 1 large carrot
• 1 potato
• 1 teaspoon dried dillweed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• Sour cream

InstructionsCut 5 or 6 small-to-medium-sized cooked beets into small pieces and add to a pot with 3–4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (bouillon cubes in water will do in a pinch). Add 1 medium chopped onion, 1 smashed garlic clove and a 398-millilitre can of chopped tomatoes (with liquid). Next, add the rest of the veggies: 1/3 of a medium-sized green cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped; 1 good-sized carrot, grated; and 1 peeled potato, chopped into small pieces. Lastly, add 1 teaspoon each of dried dillweed and sugar and 1⁄4 cup white wine vinegar. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for an hour. Top with sour cream when serving. A rich, hearty fall soup that can’t be beet.

Borscht to brighten up a dreary day. * * *Thanks so much to Michael at Caitlin Press for sharing Jane Reid’s delicious recipe with us. Jane is a passionate locavore who fell in love with British Columbia’s bounty one fruit and vegetable at a time. Her writings on local harvests have appeared in Edible Vancouver & Wine Country. She lives with her husband in Whistler, BC. For more recipes to warm up with, check out Freshly Picked, available now.