Borscht

The day Justin and I left for our honeymoon we ate a leisurely lunch at Neal's Deli (http://www.nealsdeli.com/), a local spot in Carrboro that is delicious, but only open for breakfast and lunch. So, I rarely get to go. That day at Neal's, I ordered the beet and bacon soup. It was just perfect and I've been trolling the internet trying to find a similar recipe since returning from Spain. I didn't remember much about the soup other than a chicken stock base and the beets and bacon of course! This was my first attempt: borscht. It is a very palatable soup, savory, mild, yet delicious. I was playing offense (i.e. Justin's appetite) and it made A LOT! Like 2 full Le Creusets A LOT ( a double recipe). Guess is who is going to have freezer leftovers?!? As Heidi would say "too big, too big!"

Ingredients:

1 lb medium beets, with ends removed
Salt & pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
6 slices bacon, finely chopped (I splurged on the expensive Whole Food bacon. The smokey flavor was well worth it.)
2 carrots, peels and cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
3 sprigs thyme (more is better here, i.e. don't choose the daintiest and shortest pieces)
7 cups chicken stock
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 granny smith apple (peeled and grated)
1 tbsp fresh dill (chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish)
Sour cream

Directions:

1-Preheat the oven to 400º.
2-Scrub the beets and put them on a large sheet of aluminum foil; season with salt & pepper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Enclose the beets in foil, place them on a baking pan (to prevent dripping), and bake until the beets are tender, about 1 hour. Set aside. When the beets are cool enough to handle but are still warm, peel off their skins and cut them into 1/4-inch dice.

3-In a large heavy bottomed pot set over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the onion, carrots, caraway seeds and parsnips, and cook until the vegetables are softened and just starting to color, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, stock, cabbage, and beets and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the thyme sprgs. Add the vinegar, honey, and apple. Season with salt & pepper.
4-To serve, mix the dill and sour cream. Serve the borscht, hot or cold in bowls, garnished with a dollop of dill and sour cream, and sprinkle with a little fresh dill.
5-The soup can be made ahead up to 2 days and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat if serving warm. Garnish with the dill and sour cream right before serving.