Like My Grandmother Used to Make
Kate Samuels shares her family’s recipe for borsch. Warming, nutritious, and affordable, the ingredients for this recipe can be easily found in the local area.
Illustration by Rachael Procter
By Kate Samuels
My grandma called recently and asked what I was eating for lunch. I told her today was a cheese and beetroot sandwich (secretly hoping that she would be proud of me for including beetroot – a key Ukrainian ingredient). But she replied: “Where’s your first course?”.
In Ukraine, you traditionally eat soup followed by something more substantial like meatballs or fish. This is changing, as Ukraine becomes more westernised, but for us, the first course normally means borsch. Important disclaimer: borsch is not considered a soup. It is substantially heartier and tastier than any soup could be. Call borsch soup in front of me and I will not be happy.
Worried that I wasn’t eating right, Grandma reminded me of the importance of eating a homemade borsch over a store-bought sandwich, and I realised she was right. Cooking nutritious food should be my priority. And it is just as important to preserve my heritage.
For me, borsch is nothing short of magic. It almost sparkles with sunflower oil. Its colour; a mix of psychedelic red and purple, looked like nothing else in my childhood. Its aroma of garlic and beetroot transports me to my home many thousand of miles away, and to debates on whether there should be meat in the broth and whether a dollop of sour cream on top is essential. I got curious about what makes an authentic borsch and how it has changed over time. Conversations with friends and family made me realise there are as many recipes for borsch as there are families in Ukraine.
Many felt that countryside borsch and city borsch were very different. Countryside borsch is richer, in the city it’s more broth-like. Others told me that in the west of Ukraine you might get pink beetroot making the colour lighter. Or they might be potato dumplings instead of potatoes. One family from Kropyvnytskyi remembered adding canned fish to their borsch for extra flavour and colour. A friend in Ireland talked about his grandma in Ternopil making borsch in an old ten litre pot to feed all the family for days. Some felt red pepper is essential, others could not think of anything worse. My family is firmly on the no pepper side, but are also pro sugar, which I discovered is common in southern Ukraine. Apparently sugar was added to make borsch tastier when the vegetables were past their best.
During Soviet times you could buy ready-made borsch to save money, but there was nothing like a homemade version made with love. The secret to a great meal, said Grandma, is that you need the will to make it. Make a meal without love and it will never turn out right.
Grandma is right. I often make borsch when I am sad or missing summer. It is a simple dish where the best ingredients really make a difference and it tastes best when you make it for someone special. I am lucky that I have a family recipe to make me feel more at home and that in Govanhill, the best ingredients are easy to find: sunflower oil and beetroot in Locavore, dill in the Transylvania Shop and Coffee, pickle juice in Polish Daisy, and Bucuresti Magazin on Dixon Avenue for any toppings.
I miss my grandma so much. There are 56 years between us, but I take comfort in the fact that we both use borsch to survive the hard times, to feel better and to heal.
My grandma’s borsch recipe – Serves 5
For vegetarian/vegan versions simply leave out the meat and sour cream.
Ingredients
800g white potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium carrot with skin on
1-2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 cup of beans if using (if dried, soak overnight)
Half of a white or brown onion chopped in small pieces
1 fresh beetroot whole
500g of white cabbage cut into thin strips
200-500g of meat if using (you can use pork, beef or chicken)
1 tbsp of tomato paste (for more tomato taste and brighter colour) or tomato juice for more purple colour
2 tbsps of animal fat or sunflower oil
Half a teaspoon of plain flour
1 tsp of sugar
A pinch salt, pepper, and chopped fresh dill and sour cream to taste
Method
If using dried beans (soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours) rinse them and add to the large pot. Fill the pot with water.
Add the potatoes to the pot.
Add sugar, the fat or oil, and pickle water or lemon juice if using. You can taste to see if acid is needed. Boil everything for about 20 minutes, reducing heat if needed.
While boiling grate the beetroot and carrot. Careful with your hands, beetroot will stain.
Heat about 1 tbsp of sunflower oil in a pan on a low/medium heat, then cook the beetroot and carrot mixture with tomato paste or tomato juice, but do not burn. This will take about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and onion in the last few minutes.
If using meat, brown in another pan for about 10 minutes, till about half-cooked. Then add the meat to the pot with potatoes.
When the meat and potatoes look ready add the beetroot and carrot mixture to the original pot and cook together for another 5-10 minutes.
Add the cabbage a few minutes from the end, it only needs about 2-3 minutes.
Cool slightly and add sour cream (or a vegan alternative) and fresh dill on top.