Borsht, borshch, borscht...I personally have a soft spot for words containing way too many consonants for only one vowel. This soup probably originated in the Ukraine but is eaten in most central and eastern European cultures, and definitely on the prairies. I have a distinct memory of a school field trip where all us kids brought money from home to buy lunch at a museum cafeteria. While all my classmates ate pizza and hot dogs, I was SO EXCITED that the soup was borscht; I was so focused on my styrofoam bowl that I barely noticed the strange looks. Thinking back, even the teacher must have thought I was one odd duck. Borscht is sort of sweet, based on beets, and a beautiful reddish-purple colour. I was surprised to learn that there is a Slavic version called "green borscht", which is made with sorrel - an herb that I distinctly associate with the Caribbean. The Polish also make a "white borscht" containing fermented rye, chopped hard boiled eggs, and horseradish! Sounds yum, right? There are hearty and light borschts, as well as cold borscht for summer. I based the prairie side of this soup on a traditional hearty borscht, since I love beets. Incidentally, beets are known to be both a laxative and an aphrodisiac (!).
Oxtail stew or oxtail soup is one of my favourite Caribbean meals - so thick and savoury. So, I was surprised once again when I learned that there is also a German version of oxtail soup, spiced with paprika and thickened with cream. I mean, it definitely makes sense to eat the tails of cows - I just didn't realize that anyone outside of the islands was on to that. People who aren't in the know usually express disbelief when they hear about oxtail soup - "It's not actually the tail, is it?". Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, indeed it is.
Borscht is usually eaten with rye bread, but bannock seemed like a good choice for this meal because of it's similarity to bake. Corn bake, coconut bake, Johnny bake, fry bake, or just bake - bake is a round, flat, biscuit-type bread eaten by Trinis, and is almost identical to bannock, which is a simple flat bread historically eaten by indigenous people as well as white settlers on the prairies and in the north. In Trinidad, bake is most often eaten with avocado or fish, especially shark, and some pepper sauce - mmmkay, getting hungry now. Time to finish this up and get some seconds...which brings me to:
The verdict: good stuff! Super healthy, hearty, winter food. The fancy boy toy says "deelish". He has a cold and his taste buds are impaired, but what little he could taste, he liked. I think this soup is gonna cure him...
RECIPE
Oxtail Borscht
Serves 6-8.
5 l water
2 cubes beef bouillon
2 lb oxtails
4 beets, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cups red cabbage (about 4-5 large leaves), finely sliced
2 small onions, sliced in rings
2 pinches dry thyme
2 tsp dry dill
1 hot pepper
4 cloves garlic, quartered
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. In a large pot, bring water, bouillon, oxtails, beets, potatoes, carrots and cabbage to a boil. Reduce heat and cook over medium-high heat until tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Add onions, thyme, dill, hot pepper, and garlic. Reduce heat, and cook over medium heat until the flavours have combined, about another 30 minutes.
3. Discard the pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Coconut Bannock
Serves 6.
2 c flour (I use whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c grated coconut
1 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp shortening (I like the combination of margarine for good flavour and shortening for good texture, but 2 tbsp margarine would work fine, too)
2/3-1 c warm water
(note: bake is normally made with sugar; if you're into that sort of thing, add 2 tbsp sugar.)
1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. cut in margarine and shortening.
3. Add water and mix with your hands until a ball forms.
4. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Roll into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise for 10-15 minutes.
5. On a floured surface, roll into a circle that is 1/2" thick.
6. Place on a greased baking sheet. Prick with a fork several times. Use a pretty design, since it's fun.
7. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, until it's starting to brown. Cut into wedges.
