Green Borscht with Sorrel and Egg - Pork Rib Broth Recipe

Name: Green Borscht with Sorrel and Egg - Pork Rib Broth Recipe
Prep time: 650 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Ukrainian cuisine
Ingredients: Fatty pork ribs 300-400 g; Sorrel A large bunch; Carrot 1; Onion 1; Roots: parsnip, parsley root to taste; Potatoes 2-3; Eggs 2; Fresh parsley to taste; Butter 50 g; Spices: salt, pepper, bay leaf to taste; Sour cream to taste

The funny thing is that green borscht and the real one have about as much in common as an apple and an oyster. But it has always been called “green borscht”, while in fact it is a sorrel soup with meat.

The dish owes its name to sorrel, which gives the soup its signature green color.

An exceptionally tasty and healthy dish. Especially in spring.

Today I went to the market for groceries. Old ladies stand there with their baskets, selling all sorts of things. And every one of them, mind you, every single one, has a few bunches of lovely young, bright green sorrel. And my heart skipped a beat…

Here we cook traditional green borscht almost all year round. People even preserve sorrel for it. But in spring it is a ritual, almost like welcoming the season. I, for one, like my borscht hot, the way red borscht is eaten, with a pleasant tang like solyanka, and not too green or too thick.

There are plenty of borscht recipes, but our sorrel borscht is something special. Simple and always excellent.

Ingredients

3 servings

Fatty pork ribs 300-400 g
Sorrel A large bunch
Carrot 1
Onion 1
Roots: parsnip, parsley root to taste
Potatoes 2-3
Eggs 2
Fresh parsley to taste
Butter 50 g
Spices: salt, pepper, bay leaf to taste
Sour cream to taste

Step-by-step recipe

As usual, start by making the broth: from pork, or chicken if you like. Fatty pork ribs work best.
Put the pieces of meat into 1.5 l of water, bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Next, add the coarsely chopped carrot and roots. Chop the onion the way you like it. I slice it into strips lengthwise along the bulb, so it stays in strips after cooking.
Cook the pork broth with the vegetables for another 20 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, hard-boil the eggs. They take about 10-12 minutes. Right after boiling, cool the eggs under cold running water and peel them.
The broth is ready. Remove the parsnip and parsley roots and the bay leaf. Leave only the meat, onion and carrot.
If you made the broth with chicken, take the meat out, remove all the bones and chop the meat, not too finely.
Peel the potatoes and dice them. Add them to the pot and keep cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Wash the sorrel thoroughly under running water and tear the leaves off the stems. Chop the leaves finely.
Chop the parsley.
Cut the eggs into pieces twice as big as for Olivier salad. Don't chop them too finely, let alone grate them, or you'll end up with mush instead of borscht.
When the potatoes are almost done, add the chopped sorrel. Cook over medium heat for no more than 3-4 minutes.
Add the chopped herbs and eggs. Cook for another 2 minutes.
The secret of a delicious soup
After that comes an important, essential step: add a piece of real butter. It gives green borscht its unique flavor.
Boil for another minute and take off the heat right away.
Let the soup rest a little, just 10-15 minutes.
Then ladle it into a bowl, add a spoonful or even two of sour cream, and enjoy it with fresh bread!