Living

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A tradition my mother has faithfully celebrated has been Ukrainian Christmas on the eve of January 6. The celebrated date is according to the old Gregorian calendar. I now celebrate Christmas with my husband and his family but January 6 is extra special because of my mom.
One of the dishes that was served and will always stand out is borscht. My mom is getting older and for the first time she will not be making the usual traditional meal. We will be taking her out to dinner.
I have never made borscht, thought about how my mom made hers and compared recipes online. Martha Stewart's Ukrainian borscht was the closest but on Christmas Eve, we have meatless dishes. I adapted the recipe, kept the meat and it was delicious. So I will carry on the tradition of borscht. Enjoy!

• UKRAINIAN BEET BORSCHT
  Adapted from: Martha Stewart



• INGREDIENTS


• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds short ribs (used veal)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium onion cut in quarters (for broth)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 cups good quality beef stock or bouillon.
• 2 bay leaves
• teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - we like a bit of heat)
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium carrot cut into chunks
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1/2 pound cabbage, shredded
• 2 pounds beets, scrubbed, trimmed and coarsely shredded with a box grater
• 5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (used whole sm can)
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup chopped dill - 1/4 cup left for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
• sour cream for garnish



• TO MAKE


• ■ Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs, 3 to 4 minutes per side; set aside.
• ■ Add quartered onion, bay leaves, pepper flakes, celery and carrot. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until ribs are tender. 1 1/2 - 2 hrs.
• ■ Shred ribs, discarding fat and bones. Strain stock through a sieve, and skim off fat . (You should have 2 cups.)
• ■ Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add remaining onion and the garlic; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add carrots; cook for 4 minutes. Add reserved stock, the cabbage, beets, water, and tomato paste. Cook for 30 minutes. Add meat and dill; cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes more. Stir in vinegar; garnish with dill and sour cream.

Have a great weekend!