Borschuka
If you love borscht and shakshuka, you'll love this. After preparing borscht, poach eggs in it.
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- ½ cup chopped beet stems, stripped of leaves if your beets do not have greens, substitute 1 rib of celery
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves stripped
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- freshly ground pepper
- 3 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into small, bite-sized pieces see Note
- 2 medium carrots, shredded see Note
- 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded reserve the peels and scraps to start beet kvass, if desired
- ½ cup shredded cabbage
- 3 to 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- ¾ cups chopped beet greens, stems removed see Note
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, or to taste
- 6 large eggs
- fresh dill, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and beet stems or celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, caraway seeds, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, beets and cabbage. Pour in enough water or broth to just cover the vegetables, between 6 and 8 cups. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered until the potatoes, carrots and beets are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in beet greens and lemon juice or vinegar to taste. Cook for another minute.
- Gently crack the eggs directly onto the top of the borscht, spaced evenly. Cover the skillet and cook until the eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately with pita bread.
Notes
I don’t peel potatoes or carrots. I do buy organic, however, and so the peels I eat contain fewer pesticide residues.
If you have lots of beet greens, use them and skip the cabbage.