Beef-Vegetable Soup No. 1

Beef-Vegetable Soup (1)     
 4lbs. beef shank  with bone

1/2 cup butter or margarine

       Salt

11/2 cups finely diced celery

2 qts. water

1 cup each, diced carrots, and potatoes

1 garlic clove, minced   

1 cup sliced green beans

1/3 cup pearl barley

1 cup medium diced, green cabbage

1/2 cup minced celery tops   

2 cups fresh peas or 1 pkg. (10 ozs.) frozen peas

2 cups diced onion

1 cup medium diced fresh spinach

3 1/2 cups (one 1 lb. +1, 12 ozs. can)

       Salt and pepper

       Tomatoes

Have beef shank cut into several pieces. Put in kettle with 1 Tbsp. salt and next 5 ingredients. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 3 hours, or until meat is tender. Skim soup. Remove bones and meat and set meat aside. Add tomatoes to soup. Melt butter in skillet. Add vegetables, except peas and spinach. Sauté, for 7 minutes, stirring, frequently. Add to soup, Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add peas, spinach, and the meat, cut into bite-size pieces. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes: 5 qts.©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

Ukrainian Borscht,This Famous Russian Soup Comes in Many Flavours and Styles

Much More Than Just a Famous Russian Soup, REAL Ukrainian Style Borsch is Truly a Complete Meal-in-a-Bowl.  

·        In a soup kettle put 1 1/2 lbs. lean beef, 1 lb. lean fresh pork, 1/2 lb. smoked pork, and 10 cups cold water.

·        Bring the water slowly to a boil, skim carefully, and add 1 bay leaf, 8 peppercorns, 1 garlic clove, a few sprigs of parsley, 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery, and 2 leeks. Simmer the soup, covered for 1 1/2 hours.

·        Cook 8 beets, unpeeled, in salted water for about 40 minutes, or until they are tender, peel and cut each beet into 8 segments.

·        Peel and grate a raw beet and cook it in 1/4 cup cold water.

·        Remove the meat from the soup and strain the soup stock into a saucepan. Add the cooked beets, 1 cup shredded cabbage, 2 onions, and 3 potatoes all peeled and quartered, 6 tomatoes, peeled quartered and seeded, 1 1/2 Tbsps.  tomato puree, 1 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar and the meat.

·         Bring the soup to a boil and simmer it for 40 minutes. Add 1/2 cup cooked navy beans and 4 frankfurters, thickly sliced and continue to simmer for 20 minutes longer.

·        Use “manipulated butter” (1 Tbsp. flour mixed to a paste with 1 Tbsp. butter) to thicken soup, add the liquid strained from the grated raw beet and correct the seasoning with salt.

·        Cut the meat into thick slices and put it in a heated soup tureen.

·        Pour the soup over the meat and serve very hot as the main dish.

·         Sour cream can be added, if desired but is hardly necessary with this truly marvellous Ukrainian style soup.

Ukrainian Style Borscht #2

Servings: 10

1 1/2 lbs. red beets (green tops removed)

1 lb. lean beef chuck (cut into bite-size pieces)

1/2 lb. thick slab bacon (large dice)
1 cup yellow cooking onion (medium dice)

1 carrot (peeled, then cut julienne)
    
    [By simply following the above suggestions for cut size, you will add much eye appeal to the finished product; thereby having many more people raving about what a marvellous cook you are.]

2 tsps. dried oregano

1 tsp. celery seed

2 tsps. dill seeds

1 Tbsp. crushed and minced garlic

2 bay leaves

3 Tbsps. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. ground black pepper

3 Tbsps. tomato paste

2 quarts beef, or quality vegetable stock.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large potato (peeled and; diced)

6 cups green cabbage (shredded, use mandolin)

3 Tbsps. fresh flat-leaf parsley (diced)

Sugar

1 cup real sour cream

1/2 cup fresh dill (diced)

Russian black bread

Directions:

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

·         Place the diced bacon in a Dutch oven type casserole or stockpot and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until the fat begins to render, about 3 minutes.

·         Add the beef and continue to cook, stirring, until the beef is brown on all sides, about 6 minute.

·         Remove both meats from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

·         Add the onions and carrot to the fat in the Dutch oven or stockpot and stir to coat.

·         Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

·         Add the garlic, oregano, dill seeds and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the red wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the pot.

·         Return both meats to the pot and add the water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

·         Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beef is tender, about 2 hours.

·         Meanwhile, place the beets on a baking sheet and brush with the oil. Roast until tender and can be pierced easily with a fork or knife, about 1 hour.

·         Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

·         When the beets are cool enough to handle, trim the stem and root ends and remove the skins.

·         Coarsely grate or dice (medium) and set aside.

·         When the meat is tender and falling apart, add the beets, potatoes, cabbage, parsley, tomato paste and celery salt or seeds and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.

·         Season with additional red wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste.

·         Ladle borsch into bowls and garnish with sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.

·         Serve with Russian black bread.

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

Polish Borscht No.1

 Boiled potatoes are served. This soup is almost as much a cabbage soup as it is a beet soup.

2 qts. beef bouillon

1 cup diced carrots

1 large onion, fine dice

1 tsp. minced parsley

4 large dried mushrooms

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 cups grated beets

       Salt

2 cups shredded cabbage

       Hot boiled potatoes

1. Simmer beef bouillon with onion for 2 hours.

2. Strain stock and remove fat.

3. Wash, chop and soak in hot water the dried mushrooms, add them to the hot soup and boil for 15 minutes.

4. Toss sugar with grated beets, shredded cabbage, diced carrots and parsley.

5. Let the mixture stand until the sugar is dissolved.

6. Add the mixture to the soup and continue to boil for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

7. Add 1 cup sour cream and 1 tsp. lemon juice to the soup.

8. Reheat without boiling and add salt, if necessary.

9. Serve a mealy, freshly boiled potato in each soup plate. ©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

Polish Borscht No. 2

1 1/2 lbs. beef chuck, cut up  (sliced, diced, or small cube),

1onion, minced

1 1/2 qts. Water

4 beets cooked and sliced, diced, or julienne

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 stalks celery, diced

1 onion minced

       Salt and pepper

¼ cup cream

2 Tbsps. flour

1 egg

        Hot boiled potatoes

Put meat in kettle and add water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, 2 hours, or until meat is almost tender. Add beets cabbage, celery, and onion; cook about 30 minutes longer. Season to taste. Blend sour cream, flour, and egg. Stir into soup and bring again to boil. Serve in hot soup bowls and pass the potatoes. Makes: 4 servings.

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

Simple Borscht

1bunch beets     

1/2 lb. breast of beef

1 cup tomatoes, fresh or canned

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

4 cups water

1/4 cup sugar    

1 small onion

1/4 tsp. salt

4 eggs

Pare the beets and cut them into long julienne strips. Strain the tomatoes, over the beets, not letting any seeds through. Add water. Put in the onion and meat, cut into small pieces, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add lemon-juice, sugar, and salt. Boil 1/2 hour more. Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Add the hot borsch to this, a little at a time, stirring well to prevent the separating of the eggs. Serve at once, while very hot.

©Al (Alex_Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

Borscht, Without Meat

1 1/2 qts. Water

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

5 large beets, peeled and grated

       Salt and pepper

1 onion, diced

       Sugar

1 cup tomato purée

2 eggs

       Sour cream

1. Combine in a soup kettle; water, beets onion and bring the water to a boil and simmer gently for 45 minutes.

2. Add tomato puree, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and a little sugar.

3. The amounts of lemon juice and sugar may be varied to make borscht sweet or sour to taste. Simmer the soup gently for 45 minutes.

4. The soup may be strained, if desired and the vegetables discarded but this is not recommended. Beat the 2 eggs well add a little of the hot soup and stir the mixture into the kettle.

5. Serve hot or well chilled, with a generous Tbsp. of sour cream in each serving.

©Al (Alex-Alexander)D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

The, Average, Modern, Family Throws Away MOST(well over 60%) of Their Food and Nutritional Dollar.

An excellent stock can be made by using left-over meat scraps, and the bones, instead of the beef specified, (the juice, left in a roaster, or from a stew, is also a stock), and by substituting any available vegetables; or trimmings, such as the outer leaves of lettuce, or cabbage, celery tops, onion peel etch. for those given below.
Ingredients; To Make One Quart Of Standard Stock, Brown Stock, or Bouillon.

2 lbs. beef (1/4 to 1/2 bone)

1 1/4 quarts cold water

4 to 6 pepper corns

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 blade mace

1 tsp. sweet herbs

1 sprig parsley

1 Tbsp. of each, carrot, onion, celery, and yellow turnip

1 tsp. salt

 The, average, modern, family throws away MOST(well over 60%) of their food and nutritional dollar. After the stock is made\; left over vegetables, cereals, hard cooked eggs, small pieces of meat, etch. may be diced, and served in the soup.

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.