There has been so much important stuff going on around the parish lately that I haven't had the heart to get into such fripperies as food and recipes and so on. But I think it is time for a change of pace - if only for a few minutes. While Terri was being actively starved, I did not think it right to talk about food, but I am hoping and praying that soon she will be getting the care she needs and deserves. I want to share a bit of a recipe.
One of our CSA farms had a bumper crop of beets, so I made borscht. My Hungarian/Russian godmother taught me how - and it isn't that wimpy stuff you sometimes see in jars in the Kosher section of the supermarket. For one thing, her recipe uses a meat-based stock, and if available, chunks of meat, too.
I had no meat on hand at the time, but I did have about a quart of beef stock, so I started with that. (You could also pour a little red wine into the stock, too). The skin on the beets was tough, so I peeled them, but tender beets can simply be scrubbed well. Cut the beets into reasonable chunks, approximately the same size. Scrub or peel an equal weight of carrots, and cut them into chunks too. A few parsnips, a turnip or two if you have it, some onions peeled and chunked - throw all the vegetables into the stock that you have brought to a boil. Bring back to a boil and let simmer until the vegetables are tender. Sometime in this process, wash and chop the beet greens. If you don't have any greens, wash and chop some chard. Throw this into the soup pot for the last 15 minutes or so. If you have cooked meat that you want to add, you can do so at any time.
Season to taste. I don't use any herbs or seasonings other than salt and pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread on the side. Some add a glob of sour cream to the bowl. I sometimes add a dollop of horseradish, or butter.
If you used vegetable stock, or even (horrors) water, this could be a lenten or friday dish.
