I tried to start blogging for a year and started a few different blogs with a few different names- this one- Keeper at Home- being one of them.
I never posted on this one and actually gave up blogging but God weighed it heavily on my heart and finally, with the right heart, spirit, and purpose I started and continued Salt + Vinegar.
This is not Salt + Vinegar so I will not talk about it's purpose (you can read it here).
The purpose of this blog is for me to post things I'd like to post on Salt + Vinegar but won't because it would detract from what Salt + Vinegar is all about. This blog is for me to share recipes, needlework things, cleaning things, personal things, and stuff like that. God has been putting it on my heart to start this one up for a few months now and I'm so happy I'm finally getting around to it.
The ultimate purpose of this blog, like Salt + Vinegar is to bring glory to God and edify His saints.
I hope it is a blessing to you.
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I really can't think of a better way to start this blog off than by sharing one of my family's most favourite meals.
My mother-in-law spent her very early years on a farm in a Mennonite colony before moving to Oregon. She grew up eating Mennonite Borscht, my husband grew up eating it, and now our son has been eating it since he's been on solids. B get's so excited when he sees me making it and he demolishes it when we put it in front of him.
Mennonite borscht is a delightful concoction of creamy and acidic. There's tomato puree, white vinegar, and lemon pepper brought to balance with creamy potatoes, and sour cream. The best part is the chopped up dill which adds a subtle complexity to the broth.
This is a wonderful recipe for the winter but we usually make a large pot of it at least once during the summer. It's very comforting and is perfect with buttered sourdough or saltine crackers broken into the bowl.
I don't like the purple borscht but I love this borscht. I really hope you try it and make it your own.
I have to clarify, the following recipe is how I make it. I am sure it is not a traditional mennonite borscht recipe. I make it different from my mother-in-law, and she has made changes from the recipe she grew up with.
Mennonite Borscht
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| The end goal |
This recipe makes a large pot of borscht. If you just want to make a small batch, use a few bone in chicken breasts (or thighs if you like flavour ;)) to make a smaller stock.
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| The tomato puree is missing from this picture |
You will need:
Serve with buttered sourdough for dipping and saltine crackers.
Some notes on my method:
-My mother-in-law makes her soup with four chicken breasts and all the vegetables mentioned above covered in water and 'enough Better than Bouillon to make a tasty broth' (her words)- Just throwing that out there
-I do not add carrots and celery to my broth because I don't like the flavours they add to it. I find the carrots add a sweetness that contends with the tanginess of the soup
-The potatoes must be yellow potatoes or they will fall apart too easily and spoil the broth
-My mother-in-law started putting vinegar into her borscht when she was making it for her own children (it was not how she had it growing up). I like it because it adds a sharpness to the tartness of the broth
- Just a note on cutting up a whole cabbage- which I had never done until I started making this soup:
my husband taught me to remove the core first like so:
A large stock pot (my pot fits 9 litres or just under 10 quarts)
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
1 whole Chicken
1 1/2 Onion
2 Bay Leaves
1 small to medium head of cabbage
5-7 Yukon Gold potatoes (or any yellow potato)
Large bunch of dill
1 28 fluid ounce can pureed tomatoes (you can also use tomato sauce)
500g container of sour cream
1 TBSP white vinegar (optional)
1 TBSP lemon pepper (I bought ours at Costco)
Salt to taste (possibly up to 1 and a half TBSP)
Method:
Method:
Make the broth
1- Wash the chicken and place in the stock pot along with half an onion chopped loosely, both bay leaves, two teaspoons of salt, enough water to cover chicken by at two inches
2-Place over high heat and bring to a boil, once boiling lower heat to medium and simmer until chicken is done (about 45 min to an hour depending on the chicken)
3-While chicken is simmering skim off excess fat and any of that foam that collects at the top
4-When chicken is done (I count it done when I can easily pull off the leg) remove from pot and place in a bowl to cool. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and discard.
Make the soup
1-While waiting for the broth to be done, peel and chop potatoes, chop cabbage, cut up onions, remove stems (or don't if you like some crunch) and chop up dill
2-Once the chicken is out of the broth, place potatoes, cabbage, onion, and half the dill in pot along with a teaspoon each of salt and lemon pepper, pureed tomatoes, and tablespoon of vinegar if you like more acidity
3-Leave on medium heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender
4-When the chicken is cool enough to handle, take all the meat off the bones and cut into bite size pieces. If you add the chicken while the potatoes are cooking, the chicken will be a lot more tender and will likely fall apart- which is how I like it. If you like chunks of chicken, add it just as the potatoes are done.
5-Once the potatoes are done, remove pot from heat, add half the container of sour cream, and the rest of the dill
6-Taste the soup- add more sour cream if you think it needs it (we add the whole medium container), add more lemon pepper if you need, you will likely need a few teaspoons of salt (potatoes absorb salt). At this point its up to you to make the borscht authentic and pleasurable to you.
*I like mine really tart and salty so I add about half a teaspoon of lemon pepper and a quarter teaspoon more salt to my own bowl before I eat it.
1- Wash the chicken and place in the stock pot along with half an onion chopped loosely, both bay leaves, two teaspoons of salt, enough water to cover chicken by at two inches
2-Place over high heat and bring to a boil, once boiling lower heat to medium and simmer until chicken is done (about 45 min to an hour depending on the chicken)
3-While chicken is simmering skim off excess fat and any of that foam that collects at the top
4-When chicken is done (I count it done when I can easily pull off the leg) remove from pot and place in a bowl to cool. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and discard.
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| I cut my potatoes in medium sized pieces- chunky but small enough to eat easily |
1-While waiting for the broth to be done, peel and chop potatoes, chop cabbage, cut up onions, remove stems (or don't if you like some crunch) and chop up dill
2-Once the chicken is out of the broth, place potatoes, cabbage, onion, and half the dill in pot along with a teaspoon each of salt and lemon pepper, pureed tomatoes, and tablespoon of vinegar if you like more acidity
3-Leave on medium heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender
4-When the chicken is cool enough to handle, take all the meat off the bones and cut into bite size pieces. If you add the chicken while the potatoes are cooking, the chicken will be a lot more tender and will likely fall apart- which is how I like it. If you like chunks of chicken, add it just as the potatoes are done.
5-Once the potatoes are done, remove pot from heat, add half the container of sour cream, and the rest of the dill
6-Taste the soup- add more sour cream if you think it needs it (we add the whole medium container), add more lemon pepper if you need, you will likely need a few teaspoons of salt (potatoes absorb salt). At this point its up to you to make the borscht authentic and pleasurable to you.
*I like mine really tart and salty so I add about half a teaspoon of lemon pepper and a quarter teaspoon more salt to my own bowl before I eat it.
Serve with buttered sourdough for dipping and saltine crackers.
Some notes on my method:
-My mother-in-law makes her soup with four chicken breasts and all the vegetables mentioned above covered in water and 'enough Better than Bouillon to make a tasty broth' (her words)- Just throwing that out there
-I do not add carrots and celery to my broth because I don't like the flavours they add to it. I find the carrots add a sweetness that contends with the tanginess of the soup
-The potatoes must be yellow potatoes or they will fall apart too easily and spoil the broth
-My mother-in-law started putting vinegar into her borscht when she was making it for her own children (it was not how she had it growing up). I like it because it adds a sharpness to the tartness of the broth
- Just a note on cutting up a whole cabbage- which I had never done until I started making this soup:
my husband taught me to remove the core first like so:
Insert your knife angled toward the centre of the cabbage, do this all around the core- be careful!
Pull the core out
I cut the cabbage into squares and pull the leaves apart when I throw them into the soup.
I've had them cut smaller too
There you have it! If you try it I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for reading~
