Toby Gross' Beet Borscht
Author: Sally Sampson
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds turkey legs (about 2 large), skinned
- 1 - 2 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
- 1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- Chicken stock or water, to cover
- 2 bunches beets, quartered and sliced
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or more to taste (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt (optional)
Instructions
- Place turkey, garlic, onion, carrots and celery in a large stockpot and add chicken stock or water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook for about 2 hours.
- Add beets and sugar, raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the beets are soft, about 35 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Skim fat off top.
- Garnish with lemon slices and add dill and sour cream, if desired.
Originally known to be used in witchcraft, dill is best known for its use in pickles, borscht and Jewish chicken soup. The leaves are also used in Jewish, Russian, Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisines and are especially good with potato dishes, sour cream and yogurt dishes and mushrooms. The seeds are most often paired with meat and cabbage dishes and are supposedly good for digestion.