Karelian Borscht

Finnish – Russian Beet Borscht Soup

A Russian beet borscht soup recipe, made extra hearty with sausage and a swirl of sour cream but also especially earthy and delicious as a vegetarian borscht. Beet lovers, welcome to beet heaven!

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "... it was delicious, thank you ..." ~ rog peppe

BEST RECIPES!

• Karelian Borscht Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2003

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"We're Warm In Here."

Winter is the perfect time of year for large kettles of hearty soups and stews. Bubbling on the stove, they fill a home with an earthy, smoky aroma that seems to proclaim, "There may be snow and cold outside but we’re warm in here."

The country of Finland is known for snow and cold. I was fortunate to call this northern land home while an exchange student and hold its people – and its food – close to my heart.

This borscht recipe comes from Karelia, a small piece of land along the Baltic Sea ceded by Finland during World War II to what was then the Soviet Union and is now the most western part of Russia. The recipe is adapted from the classic of Finnish-American cooking, The Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas.

Some borscht recipes call for cooking the beets and other ingredients, then blending until smooth in a blender or food processor. In contrast, this recipe calls for cooking but not processing the beets so the end product has considerable texture.

If you don’t have access to or time for fresh beets, canned beets are a more-than-acceptable alternative. And if you’re watching calories, omit even the small ration of sausage and the sour cream. You won’t leave the table unsatisfied.

My Favorite Finnish Cookbook

Living in Finland, food and cooking helped me make – and find – a home and a family. My first school friends were shy girls, slightly younger, in a cooking class. My Finnish mother was taking English lessons. After school, we'd sit in the kitchen, trading the English and Finnish words for different foods. Maito=Milk. Juusto=Cheese. Leipä=Bread. Voi=Butter. All these years later, I still remember all the food words.

When I left Finland for home a year later, my Finnish mother sent along a copy of the classic introduction to Finnish home cooking, an original edition of The Finnish Cookbook. There's also a newer edition of The Finnish Cookbook that's more affordable.

The author is Beatrice Ojakangas the isoäiti (EE-so-EYE-tee, grandmother) of Finnish cooking in America. I still turn to The Finnish Cookbook often. The pages and recipes transport me back to a home in my heart.

It's why you'll find so many Finnish recipes in Kitchen Parade's recipe collection.

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KARELIAN BORSCHT, a RUSSIAN BEET BORSCHT RECIPE

Hands-on time: 45 minutes
Time to table: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Makes: about 6 cups

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound beets, peeled and grated (about 4 cups)

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 8 cups beef broth or vegetable stock (for vegetarian)
• 1 small red cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 2 carrots, peeled, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/4 pound spicy sausage such as andouille, optional

• For serving, sour cream and fresh chopped dill, optional

Melt butter in a Dutch oven on medium heat. Add the beets and gently cook until soft and almost brown. Stir in vinegar, salt and flour, work in flour until all signs of it have been absorbed. A small cupful at a time, stir in broth. Add cabbage, carrots, bay leaf, garlic and sugar. Simmer gently at least 2 hours, adding water or broth if too much liquid evaporates.

Close to serving time, cook sausage in a skillet until fully cooked and slightly crispy on the edges, slice into small bits.

To serve, place soup in bowls and top with sausage. Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with fresh dill. Try it with Finnish Whole-Wheat Flatbread!

VEGETARIAN BORSCHT Most times, I use vegetable broth, skip the spicy sausage and just enjoy the earthy beet soup in a vegan version. It's still hearty and the beet flavor really shines through!

ALANNA's TIPS A hand grater works fine but is to my style, fairly tedious. A food processor will make quick work of grating the beets, cabbage and carrots. The raw beets will stain your hands but it will wash away with a couple of good scrubs. Love borscht? Me too! Try Borscht Beets with Sour Cream and for summer, a cold Summer Borscht.

NUTRITION INFORMATION With Sausage, Per Cup: 192 Calories; 8g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 23g Carb; 3g Fiber; 1354mg Sodium; 23mg Cholesterol; 14g Sugars; 6g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 8 & Freestyle 5

NUTRITION INFORMATION Vegan, Per Cup: 136 Calories; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 19g Carb; 3g Fiber; 1712mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 12g Sugars; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 8 & Freestyle 5

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More Recipes for Hearty Soups

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ Master Recipe: How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup ~
~ more soup recipes ~

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More Beet Recipes

~ Those Pink Potatoes ~
~ Borscht Beets ~
~ more beet recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Summer Borscht ~
~ Beets with Feta ~
~ Pan-Pickled Beets ~
~ more beet recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ beets ~
~ cabbage ~
~ carrots ~
~ sour cream ~


~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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