Borscht!

Made in honor of the opening ceremonies in Sochi of course. The recipe is from the NYTimes, with very minor adjustments. I omitted the celery root because I couldn't find it at the grocery store, and I over-chopped the cabbage in the food processor. Next time, I'd roughly chop it by hand to make larger pieces.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/28/dining/versatile-borscht-humble-no-more.html

Recipe:

VEGETARIAN BORSCHT

Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

10 small or 7 to 8 medium beets, peeled, quartered and cut across into 1/4-inch slices; if the beet greens look nice, use half, and cut across in narrow strips

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut across into 1/4-inch rounds

1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut across into 1/4-inch rounds

1 very small or 1/2 medium celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 small white cabbage, shredded

3 large cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and very finely chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 medium bunch dill, coarsely chopped

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the garnish:

Coarsely chopped dill

Sour cream.

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. Strain all the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or cloth. Reserve the liquid (there should be 1 cup) and the mushrooms separately.

2. In a tall, narrow stockpot, warm the oil over medium heat. Stir in the fresh mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Stir in the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

3. Add the beets, carrots, parsnips, celery root, 8 cups water and the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cabbage, garlic, and if using, the beet greens. Dissolve the tomato paste in 1/2 cup of the liquid, and stir back into the soup. Return to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the soaked dried mushrooms, and simmer for 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.

4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the dill, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pass around bowls of the chopped dill and sour cream for garnish.