It’s Russian Soul Food! Borsch is a part of my family heritage. During the year there are times when “I just gotta have some”. When I eat borsch, my Husband says it’s like I am having a religious experience!
The version in my recipe posts is not the purple, beety one, it is more of a vegetable soup. Both my Mom and her Sister made it for their families and with some good crusty bread and a bit of cheese, it made not only a nutritious meal but a fairly inexpensive way to feed a family. No meat, just veggies. Funny thing was, they both made a different version. My aunt put tons of butter and cream into hers, it was good but not like Mom’s!
My first job in the Executive Dining Room kitchen, was as assistant to Anne, who ran the place. One day she said, “I am going to make borsch for tomorrow’s luncheon”. My first thought was “oh no…this is a rustic soup and how in the world would it fit in at an Executive Dining Room business luncheon?” The next day, when I arrived at work, she had the big soup pot going. Now, I had never sampled her borsch before, but when we finally sat down to eat once the luncheon was over, one spoonful and I was immediately transported back to my childhood. Anne’s borsch was everything I remembered; vegetarian and oh so good, just like my Mom’s used to be before Dad coerced her into putting some meat into the soup.
The recipe I have been making ever since is the one I got from Anne and I am so grateful for having the opportunity to share it with her! It is one of the recipes I have of hers that I will always treasure. Now after all this talk of Borsch, I need to go and make some!
If you would like to be transported to a Russian childhood experience, click Borsch.
