Food Friday: Rote baete blaede borscht

(In English: Red Beet Leaf Soup)

This borscht is similar to Laolao’s Best Borscht, but the use of smoked sausage as a base and the omission of the tomatoes (and use of beet leaves instead of cabbage) result in a distinct flavour for this version.

Ingredients

• 1kg farmer’s sausage (or other raw smoked sausage)
• a bunch of fresh dill (if you get some with the seedheads on it has great flavour)
• 2-3 red chii peppers (depending how hot you want it)
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• leaves (greens & stems) from 4-5 beets, washed and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Cut farmer’s sausage into bite-sized chunks. Place pieces in a large pot. Cover with water. Add dill, chili peppers and peppercorns. Cook 2-3 hours, until meat is cooked and broth is flavourful.
2. Add potatoes, onion and beet leaves. Cook until vegetables are tender (15-20 minutes).
3. Serve with sour cream in soup, and buns, cheese, & pumpkin or dill pickles on the side.

(Justice, I bet you just threw away the greens from the beets you added to last week’s borscht. Tsk, tsk. Now you know what to do with them as well!)