Sunday, March 13, 2011

Vegan Borscht

Apparently this Russian beet soup is a helpful hangover cure. It's a little labor intensive to prepare while hungover, but the end result is delicious.

Disclaimer: This requires a great deal of chopping, mixing, stirring, blending, waiting, but it not only makes a whole bunch of soup, it also tastes pretty darn good. In the words of Dwight K. Schrute "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica".

Here we go:
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 beets (including greens), diced
1 16oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup canned peeled, diced tomatoes
2 potatoes, quartered
1 cup shredded white cabbage
2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
2 tbsp. chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste
1 16oz package silken tofu

Labor intensive preparation:
1. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir in garlic and onion. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent.
2. Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and stir in celery, carrots, pepper, beets and beet greens, whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, and sauteed onions/garlic. Cook until cabbage begins to wilt (4-8 minutes).
3. Stir in vegetable broth, water, dill and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer for 1 hour.
5. Strain half the beets from the broth and place in food processor or blender. Add tofu and puree until smooth.
6. Add tofu and beet mixture back into the pot and simmer for another hour.
Serve chilled or warm. We topped ours with shredded cabbage and used fresh dill as a garnish.

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