Reflections at 35,000 feet and Hearty Vegetable and Beef Borscht

PUBLISHED ON: 06.01.2022

At 35,000 feet, I reflected on how blessed we were to be beginning a month-long journey through Europe. Our travels would bring us to Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. We have hosted students over the decades from three of these countries. These once high school students are grown-up with careers and families of their own. Our journey would reaffirm those connections.

The wheels touched down in Munich, Germany on a gray cold morning, weary eyed from the lack of sleep on the overnight flight we were greeted with a warm hello and embrace from our very first student that we hosted in 2001. Twenty-one years later, he is still very much part of our extended family.

A stand out food moment for us on our first day, was a hearty vegetable beef borscht. While borscht is mostly used to describe a beet based soup, there are many exceptions, and this is one of them. I love soup and this soup hands down, was one of the most body warming and soul satisfying I have had in a long time. I asked his wife Olga if she could kindly share her recipe with me, she did graciously. I appreciate it.

There are infinite ways to enjoy this hearty beef vegetable soup. I did my best to follow her directions with a few adaptions. If you need to feed your soul and your body, make a big pot, open a bottle of wine, and invite your family and friends. All will be well with the world. Enjoy!

 

Hearty Vegetable and Beef Borscht
Recipe adapted from Olga Tonak

Ingredients:
1.5-2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
1 pound beef bones
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, shredded
About 1/3 of a cabbage head sliced thinly (option: pre-packaged bag of sliced cabbage)
3-4 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (option: use 1 cup buckwheat instead of potatoes)
3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black or white pepper
Handful of fresh chopped dill
Handful of fresh parsley
Salt to taste
Vegetable or Olive Oil for cooking
Optional: Add dollop of sour cream or créam fraîche for extra flavor when serving.
*Note: The spices used here are approximate measurement. Adjust accordingly. Also, don’t hesitate to change up the spice blend.

Directions:
In a large Dutch Oven place the stew meat and the beef bones in the pot covering with water to about an inch above the meat and bones.  Bring to a boil, add salt, lower the temperature to a gentle boil. Cook about an hour.

In the meantime, in a large skillet heat the oil, add the onions. Sauté until golden.  Add shredded carrots, and cook until softened. Remove from heat, and place aside. In the same skillet, on low heat, add the cabbage. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until the cabbage is softened and begins to take on a golden color. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the spices to the cabbage mixture. Continue cooking for about ten minutes.

While, the cabbage is cooking remove the beef bones from the simmering broth and discard. Bring the broth back to boiling and add the potatoes (*If using buckwheat, add at this point). Continue cooking for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes or buckwheat are tender. Add all the pre-cooked ingredients to the pot (*note-if broth is too thick add water), and return to simmer. Add chopped dill and fresh parsley to soup, and simmer about 10 minutes. Ready to enjoy.

Serve with warm crusty bread.

 

 

We have returned home.  We traveled thousands of miles, on planes, trains, and automobiles. We walked hundreds of thousands of steps, visited countless cities, villages and towns. We ate incredible food, drank copius amounts of wine. Spent long nights laughing, eating and solving the world’s problems. We are enriched, we are better people for the experience.

Now, it’s time to lift the notes from my travel journal and write out our impressions and experiences on this blog. I hope you will join me.

  • Sounds like that you had a GREAT time in Europe 🙂 The beef borschet looks hearty and delicious.

  • What a great adventure and wonderful reunion you have had or are having. It’s always a joy to travel abroad and meet up with old friends and family.
    The soup looks very hearty and tasty, I’ve added it to my soup board and will be making it when our cooler weather returns…

  • We just returned on Monday too, spent 7 weeks, mostly in Spain. It was a little chilly at first but quickly warmed up.
    How lovely to reacquaint with your boarders, and sharing a homemade meal sounds amazing. This soup looks amazing, hearty, warming, and satisfying.

  • What a wonderful trip!….and your borscht looks delicious!….Abrazotes, Marcela

  • A big “thank you” to you and Olga for sharing this delicious sounding soup. You can tell that it must be good because of all the seasonings that went into it.

  • Sounds like a terrific trip! And wow, what a soup! This looks excellent — thanks.

  • In Russia, Poland, and Ukraine, borscht is a favorite — meaning a soup — and can be made with many ingredients, not just beets. Our family had cabbage borscht, spinach borscht, meat borscht, and of course bent borscht. I had other kinds when in Poland. It’s a good way to honor the suffering of the Ukrainians, as they are often said to have originated it.

    Your recipe looks delicious.

  • how wonderful to have such a trip! this soup looks great too. very hearty and full of flavour. I’ve always equated borscht with beetroot – i didn’t realise it could be any sort of soup.

  • Bursting with flavours and so tasty! I am happy to read you had great time over here! 🙂

  • Good to hear from you Velva and thanks for the comment so I know about this newer site. I’ll add you to my reading list.

  • What a blessing indeed! Have a wonderful adventure. The veggie & beef borscht looks amazing.

  • Though my favorite Borcht has beets in it, this one looks so tasty! I’ll keep it in mind for the cold winter days.

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