Sorry!
Once again, i've failed to regularly deliver our sumptuous cooking blog for all to enjoy. What can I say? Sometimes a girl's gotta live off of staff meals and granola bars- and play musical chairs with her priorities. But the procrastination is coming to an end! The same can be said for Slumlord itself, with upcoming shows at Gus's Pub November 4th and 12th PLUS a week long tour planned for the end of the month with Whiskey Bent and Hellbound. I'm giddy like a bunch of balloons.
Last time, Momma brought veggies fresh from the garden- too many for TJ and I to consume with our busy schedule of working and feeding our freeloading cat. I'm sorry to say that some cukes and tomatoes festered away to mush over the weeks that followed. But one bag of rock-hard bastards prevailed! The beetroot (and, miraculously, the beet greens) survived the odds and caught my eye when I was rummaging around for inspiration.
I love beets, but I'd never made borsht before. After some research, I realized that you barely needed anything at all to make this dish, and the few ingredients that were called for happened to be all I had in the fridge and freezer. The hot, stew-like Ukranian version seemed like a perfect choice for our jam feast- I felt like a sturdy soviet housewife, making use of what scraps she could find lying around in the basement. There were many variations but I used what I had, and added apple cider vinegar because I do what I want. This recipe is obscenely simple, and the outcome blew our minds out of the back of head. It does take plenty of time on the stove, but will warm your house up right good. Don't touch that thermostat just yet, cheapos.
LONG LIVE BORSHT
First make a stock.
5 cups chicken or beef stock
1 lb beef shank, bone in
2 ribs celery, cut into sticks
1 large onion quartered
Splash of shitty red wine
one bay leaf
1 Tbsp veg oil
Heat oil to smoking on high in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Season meat on both sides and sear severely on either side. Add the celery and onion and sear for a few minutes evenly- don't be afraid to really brown everything. Add your wine then chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then lower to medium and let simmer partially covered for about an hour. The shank should be tender and falling off the bone; set it aside and once it cools, remove bone, trim fat and dice the meat up for later. Strain the stock and set it aside. I skimmed the fat from the stock as it rose to the top. If you have the time to cool it fully in the fridge, the fat will solidify at the top and can easily be picked off. Or you can be a big fatty and use as is. That works too.
for the soup that will fill your tiny apartment and heart with the smell of love:
2 potatoes, diced
1 chopped tomato
1 chopped carrot
2 cups of water
6 large leave beet greens, sliced thin
Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
Put everything but the greens and vinegar in a pot with the strained and skimmed stock. Boil until the veggies are tender, then stir in the greens and season with vinegar, salt and pepper. I splurged and ran out for some sour cream and dill to top it off.
Tasha didn't have time to enjoy our borsht fun this jam, but she did show off her sexy cupcakes- made especially with a horror theme for our friend Helena Darling's birthday!
Adorable!! And I would've eaten every one if she had turned her back for a second.
Another delicious event! May this borsht urge us to fight through these icy rains to jam again- and bring me some vodka. This meal has no honour without it.
-Sev
