Cooking made easy
Let our assistant inspire your next meal!
Simply provide a recipe idea or the ingredients you have, and
ScrummyChef will instantly come up with a new recipe just for you.

Chef John's Beef and Beet Borscht

4.9
Save
Rate
Tap to rate
PREP TIME
20 min
COOKING TIME
285 min
TOTAL TIME
305 min
SERVINGS
8 servings
Dinner Eastern European Russian
Chef John's Beef and Beet Borscht
Ingredients
  • 1 (1 inch thick) slice bone-in beef shank
  • 3 quarts water
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups diced peeled beets
  • 2 cups chopped cabbage
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar, or to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup sour cream, for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, for garnish
Instructions
1
Heat a large pot over extremely high heat until the beef shank is nicely browned on both sides, approximately 3 minutes per side.
2
Add plenty of water along with the onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf; bring to a gentle boil and cook until the meat becomes tender and easily falls apart, roughly 4 hours.
3
Strain the liquid from the pot and discard the solids that have settled to the bottom.
4
Combine beef broth, beets, and cabbage in the same pot; cook with occasional stirring until the beets are tender, around 30 minutes.
5
Decrease the heat to a very low setting; add vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
6
Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh dill.