Beet borscht (Photo courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Coastal cleanup after last week’s storms is a bleak reminder that we are truly in January despite those first days of unseasonably mild weather in 2024. It’s time to bundle up with scarves, hats and gloves every time we venture outside to appreciate the pale sun of winter and to savor our return to the warmth of the house and the kitchen. Now is the perfect season to have a pot of soup simmering on the kitchen stove.
Soups have the talent of being infinitely versatile as a setting for international cuisine, even though most of them start with such common ingredients as onions, vegetables, and broth. However, the flavor combinations of spices, broth and different vegetables can take you to many countries of the world. If we temporarily ignore cream soups, focusing on vegetables gives us the opportunity to keep some of those New Year’s resolutions of eating ‘healthy’ with the following soups.
Quick borscht
This is a quintessential soup from Northern Europe with many variations. It is best made with roasted beets that give it a richer flavor, but canned whole beets shredded are a convenient substitute.
Coarsely shred 1/2 medium head of cabbage and beets from a 14 oz can. Dice 2 carrots, 2 parsnips, and 1 large, peeled potato. In a large pot saute 1 large, chopped onion in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter for 5 minutes, stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves and saute for an additional minute.
Add 4 cups beef bouillon, 4 oz tomato sauce, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar packed, 1 tsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp lemon pepper, 7 cloves, the shredded cabbage and beets and 1 tsp salt. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
Hambone bean soup (Photo courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Stir in 8 oz Polish sausage diced in 1/2-inch pieces. Heat through and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of snipped fresh dill. Soup flavor improves further on reheating.
Hambone bean soup
Baked half a ham is a favorite main course for many winter gatherings and after the meat is trimmed for leftovers, the bone makes the basis of a great and flavorful bean soup. You can also make it with ham hocks, but the flavor will be more robust, and the soup will need to be cooled and skimmed to remove the layer of fat before reheating to serve.
Soak 2 cup small white beans in hot water for 1 hour and drain. Place the trimmed large leftover bone in a large pot and cover with 4 cups water. Add 4 sliced garlic cloves, one chopped onion, 2 chopped stalks of celery, 4 chopped sprigs parsley, 5 carrots, and 8 sundried tomatoes cut in julienne strips. Add, tied in a cheesecloth bag, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 6 cloves, and 2 tsp dried thyme leaves. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 1 and 1/2 hours. Add the beans and 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
Discard the spice bag and remove the carrots and the hambone. Trim off any lean small pieces of remaining meat and add them back to the soup. Cut the carrots in bite size pieces and return to the soup. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and 1-2 tbsp of red wine vinegar to taste and serve with crusty bread. Cold, the soup will become thick and gelatinous due to gelatin released from the bone, but it freezes and reheats well for several servings.
With healthy New Year’s resolutions in mind, here is a quick baked apple recipe for dessert.
Baked apples with walnuts and raisins (Photo courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Baked apples with walnuts and raisins
Slice off the blossom end of 5-6 apples and carefully dig out the core with the tip of the paring knife. Set apples in a baking or pie plate stem side down. Fill the centers with chopped walnuts and raisins. Add 1/4 tsp sugar to the center of each apple, 1 tsp orange juice, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour in 1/2 cup water in the plate and bake the apples in a 375-degree oven for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature plain or with a dollop of whipped cream.
(I. Winicov Harrington, of Waldoboro, is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less Than $5.00 a Day: The Smart-Frugal Food Plan” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga.” For more information, go to winicov-harrington.com.)
