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Veselka's borscht

By Tom Birchard and Natalie Danford of Veselka Ukrainian restaurant, in their Veselka Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from the Landmark Restaurant in New York's East Village –submitted by Lori, Yorkville CSA
Veselka has been serving Ukrainian food in the East Village since the 1950s. The restaurant struggled during the pandemic shutdowns, but its faithful customers are happy that they can still acquire its fare through outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery. This soup is one of their signature dishes; pre-pandemic, they served 5,000 gallons of it every year.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Course Main Course, stews
Cuisine Ukrainian
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb 10 to 12 small beets, scrubbed thoroughly but not peeled
  • 9 TBS white vinegar
  • One 2-lb boneless pork butt halved
  • 8 cups beef chicken, or vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp whole allspice berries
  • 1 TBS whole black peppercorns
  • 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
  • 3 large celery stalks sliced
  • 1 small head of green cabbage about ¾ to 1 lb, shredded (about 4 cups)
  • 2 medium Idaho potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
  • One 15-oz can lima beans drained and rinsed
  • Salt

Instructions
 

Notes

Variations: For vegetarian borscht, simply leave out the pork butt cooking steps, and cook the vegetables in water or vegetable stock.
Keyword catch-all recipes, dairy-free, freezer friendly, gluten free, lunch, main course, make ahead, meat, soups/stews