Mennonite Borscht!

As some of you know, I've been on the hunt for a perfect cabbage borscht recipe, and have tried several different ways of finding it. Thanks to my friend, Pat Goertzen, I think I'm finally close to it- yayy!!

I'm going to attempt to share this recipe, but I've become one of those annoying cooks that measures approximately, and judges by taste. For those of you who can't cook that way, I apologize. :P

Pat uses chicken broth for her soup base, so I did this time, too, just to give her recipe a good try. Honestly, to me, cabbage borscht should have a beef base, but that is entirely a matter of preference. Chicken also works quite well. My biggest struggle has been figuring out how to make the soup stock, but I think I've got it now. :) This broth turned out very well.

So, here goes:
Soup stock

Chicken option
Combine chicken (necks/back and some breasts with bone in works great) with
Onion, Celery, a carrot, black peppercorn, salt, parsley and star anise.
Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer, and simmer for 2-3 hours, or until broth is tasty. Add more spices as needed to get the the taste you want. When the broth is done cooking, strain out the spices and vegetables. If broth is too greasy, put in fridge to cool, and skim the fat from the top after it's settled and firmed.

Pull meat off the bones, and cut into bite size pieces, and return to broth.

Beef option
Same thing....just with beef bones! :P

Add to broth:
Chopped cabbage, potatoes, grated carrots, bay leaf and parsley. Cook until vegetables are done, and add tomato soup, and a bit of cream, if desired. Simmer about 1/2 hour, and serve. This soup tastes better every time that it's warmed up.

As for how many vegetables to add? That's totally up to you, and what you prefer. I have a fairly good sized pot- probably just a bit more than a gallon- and I used about a 1/3 of a good sized head of cabbage, 3 potatoes, 2 carrots, and 2 cans of tomato soup. Mine made a very hearty, substantial soup. I didn't add cream to the soup- I like adding a bit of sour cream just before I eat it.

Also, don't let the whole soup stock process scare you- if you really don't want to bother with that, boullion cubes would work just fine. :) Just make sure that the broth is tasty.

Enjoy! :)