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My wife says this roasted beet borscht is the best borscht she has ever tasted, and I agree. It is pure: just beets, a. few vegetables, all concentrated in the pot or, as I prefer, the oven. There are two methods to make this soup: on the stove or in the oven. Instructions for both are below.

You will need to trust your taste buds here. All beets (all vegetables, really) vary in their sweetness. You want a balance of sweet, salty, and sour. I use a powerful blender to make the roasted beet borscht soup very smooth, but you can also, for the winter, leave the vegetables in small chunks for a heartier stew effect.

Beet Borscht

This roasted beet borscht delivers a silky, earthy soup that balances sweet beets with gentle acidity and aromatic bay and dill. Served hot or chilled, it’s finished with a swirl of tangy sour cream for richness and contrast.

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Servings 0

Ingredients

  

• 4 medium beets, about 1- 1 1/2 pounds peeled and quartered
• 1 large onion peeled and quartered
• 2 stalks celery with leaves chopped
• 1 medium carrot peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp lemon juice kvass, or apple cider vinegar, or to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream or yogurt

Instructions

 

• Place all the ingredients except the vinegar in a large pot or Instant Pot. Add cool water just to cover. Bring to boil then cover and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about an hour. In an Instant Pot, this takes 30 minutes.
• Remove the cover and, using a stick blender or regular blender, puree until very smooth. Add vinegar, then whisk in buttermilk. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, and vinegar. Serve hot or cold with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh dill.

Notes

Oven Method:

I use this method to boost the flavor and cut down on the need to watch a pot: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil. Lay a piece of baking parchment on the foil. Place the whole celery, carrots, quartered onions, bay leaves and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper on the parchment, then wrap everything up in a ball, making sure the vegetables are sealed inside the package.

Do the same with the four washed but unpeeled beets.

Place the two packages in the oven and roast until very soft. The vegetables should take an hour, the beets closer to two hours. When pierced with a knife, they’ll give easily.

Unwrap and let cool. Remove the bay leaves. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets and roughly chop the vegetables. Add everything to a blender along with enough water to make a thick, creamy but pourable soup. Add vinegar and lemon juice and adjust flavors. Serve with buttermilk and dill garnish.

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