BY GAIL GORDON OLIVER
My late grandmother, Debbie Chodos, who immigrated to Montreal from Lithuania as a child, made delicious soups, and her cabbage borscht was a favourite. Because she never wrote down her recipes, it took me a bit of time to replicate the specific flavors of her version. She used “sour salt” (citric acid crystals) instead of lemon juice, and chuck instead of short ribs. And she often eliminated the stewing meat altogether, placing raw meatballs into the simmering borscht instead, where they’d soak up the soup’s flavours as they cooked. This can be a meal in itself, served with fresh, crusty kimmel bread (as seeded rye is called in Jewish bakeries in Montreal) or challah.
Makes 8 servings
2 pounds beef short ribs (flanken), each strip cut in half
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
8 cups water, plus more if needed
1 small head green cabbage, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
3 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar or light brown sugar, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed (or sour salt, adding 1/2 tsp at a time, to taste)
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the beef, the roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf and water, making sure the beef is well submerged in the water (add more water if needed). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 90 minutes, occasionally removing scum from the surface.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the pot and place it in a bowl. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a container; discard the vegetables, bay leaf, and any loose bones. Separate the beef meat from the bones and membrane; discard the bones and membrane. Cut or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces; set aside. (Note: At this stage, you may wish to refrigerate the beef broth overnight and remove the congealed fat before proceeding with the recipe. Be sure to refrigerate the meat in a separate container.)
3. In the same large pot or Dutch oven, combine 5 cups of the strained beef broth, the cooked beef, cabbage, diced onions, tomatoes and their liquid, tomato juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well, lightly breaking up the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, 70 to 90 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste the borscht and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve hot.
This recipe was first published in the Winter 2008/09 issue of Edible Toronto magazine.
