Betty’s Borscht
In Russia and Eastern Europe vodka is a staple but beetroot is an aphrodisiac! Try this recipe for borscht and wait for the result.
Ingredients
Butter for frying
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
2 large cooked beetroots sliced
1/2 small red cabbage, shredded
1 1/4 l. beef stock, skimmed of fat
1 X 15 ml. spoon tomato puree
1 X 15 ml. spoon malt vinegar
1 X 15 ml. spoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 X 150ml. cartons sour cream to finish
Directions
Melt a knob of butter in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the soup has a soft consistency. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.
Brodo – Chicken and Beef Broth
Adam Pizzini is chef at Rinaldos the stunning new restaurant at Dal Zotto Estate Vineyard owned by his uncle and cousins in the stunning King Valley. Adam has kindly shared with us his flavoursome brodo.
Best enjoyed with a Pinot Grigio or Sangiovese from these Italian heritage winemakers.
Ingredients
1kg chicken carcasses, free of the majority of fat and skin
500g beef bones with as much meat on as possible. This meat is great sprinkled with salt and pepper and eaten hot out of the stock.
2 sticks of celery
1 medium carrot
1 medium brown onion
2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
1/2 teaspoon of salt
6 pepper corns
Method
The quality of the brodo is in the attention it is given so if you follow these steps you should finish with a clear stock that is full of flavour and pleasant to the eye.
Place all ingredients in a large size pot, approximately 10 litres. Cover with cold water. Cold water is important. If the water is even slightly warm it will give the brodo an undesirable cloudy appearance.
Bring to the boil on high then turn down temperature to low. During this stage the brodo will form scum and fat from the bones will float to the top. It is very important to skim this from the top of the brodo as it will boil back into the brodo if not removed and will also make a cloudy stock.
Simmer
brodo for 3 hours. Strain through a fine sieve back into a pot and adjust seasoning with salt.
Brodo can be served with angle hair pasta, which is cooked in the
brodo , finished with a good parmesan cheese and fresh chopped chives or just by itself.
Brodo can be frozen and used at a later stage.
