Borscht with the Master and Margarita

After weeks of debating what to choose for the very first Lit Kitch book, I finally landed on this cheeky classic by Mikhail Bulgakov. I was hesitant to launch my blog with a fictional account of the devil, worrying that this might give the wrong impression about my intentions for this blog. However, as barely a week has lapsed since Halloween, I decided what the hell (ha).

A Devilish Plot

The Master and Margarita follows three different, but connected, stories. The first is a love story between the titular characters, living in Moscow in the 1930s: the Master, a writer, and Margarita, his lover and biggest supporter.

Second is the Master’s manuscript telling the story of Jesus and Pontius Pilate, the text of which is interwoven throughout the book. Unfortunately for the Master, Moscow in the 1930s is aggressively atheistic. Consequently, the literary elite wholeheartedly reject his manuscript.

The fun really begins with the third thread of the novel. The devil and his entourage show up in a Moscow that refuses to believe in his existence. There they stir up trouble left and right, punishing corrupt officials and the literary elite who show more concern for fine dining than genuine literature.

Bulgakov’s novel is an entertaining exploration of courage vs. cowardice and passion vs. pandering. It also happens to feature one of my favorite literary characters of all time: Behemoth, the massive black cat who talks, walks on his hind legs, and regularly tosses back shots of vodka.

Borscht, of course!

More importantly for our purposes here at the Lit Kitch, The Master and Margarita mentions borshch, or borscht. An important part of Russian cuisine, there are numerous variations on borscht. The most widely known form and the one that we will be making today is a vibrantly colored soup filled with meat (beef, in this recipe) and root vegetables, most importantly beets. Lots of beets.

“Pelageya Antonovna had just brought in a steaming saucepan, one glance at which was enough to guess that the pan contained, in the very thick of the piping hot borshch, the most delicious thing in the world, a marrow bone.”

The Master and Margarita

So let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

1. The Meat. As a type of stew, borscht is a very flexible recipe. In this recipe I use a beef shank. You could substitute that with any combination of stew meat, bone-in short ribs, or oxtail. Since Bulgakov specifially mentions the marrow bone, I made sure to include bones in my recipe.
2. The Vegetables. Borscht is a hearty soup with lots of vegetables, including carrots, celery, onions, and cabbage. Most important for the color and flavor is the beets. I recommend wearing gloves to peel and cut the beets, unless you want stained hands.
3. The Potatoes. I prefer a starchy potato like a russet, but you can use whatever potatoes you have on hand.
4. The…fish sauce? This is entirely optional and in no way a traditional borscht ingredient, but I’m a huge fan of sneaking fish sauce into any beef based dish. It adds depth and richness to the broth. I promise it won’t make it taste fishy!
5. The Vinegar. Borscht is meant to be both sweet and sour. I prefer it with a slightly stronger vinegar flavor, but you can add it to taste.
6. Other Seasonings. Most of the flavor comes from the beef and vegetables, so this is not a spice-heavy dish. Some parsley, salt and pepper, and a bay leaf are all you need to round out the flavor. Tomato paste will make the broth a little thicker.
7. The Garnishes. Chopped dill and sour cream are the traditional toppings for this soup. Stirring in the sour cream gives it a nice pink hue.

The Recipe

Brown the Beef. Make sure you start with a big enough pot to eventually hold all of the ingredients. I started my beef in a dutch oven and ended up having to transfer it to a larger stock pot to make room. Once the beef is browned, add a cup of water to deglaze the pot (scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot).

Make the Broth. Add an additional 13 cups of water to the pot, along with a bay leaf and salt and pepper to flavor. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef pulls apart easily with a fork. Make sure the pot is covered, or too much water will evaporate and you will have to add more. When you first add the water, there might be a good amount of foam that forms on the top. Use a slotted spoon to remove this.

Remove and Pull the Beef. Take the beef and bones out of the pot and use two forks to pull it apart. Collect any remaining marrow from the bones (this adds flavor!), and discard the bones. Return the meat and marrow to the pot.

Cook the Vegetables. You will have plenty of time to cut all of the vegetables while the broth is cooking. In a pan or dutch oven, cook the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil for 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add these to the stock pot.

Add the Potatoes and Beets. Add the potatoes to the stock pot. Return to a simmer and let simmer until the potatoes have softened, about 10-15 minutes. Add the beets, parsley, tomato paste, and fish sauce (optional). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer, partially covered, for one hour.

Add the Cabbage. Thinly chop 4 cups of cabbage and add to the stock pot along with the red wine vinegar. Let this simmer for another 20 minutes until the cabbage becomes soft and translucent.

Garnish and Serve. Add salt and pepper to taste. It might seem like it takes A LOT of salt and pepper, but remember, you’re seasoning 14 cups of liquid plus lots of vegetables. Serve in bowls and garnish with sour cream and dill.

This recipe will make a TON of borscht. This is a perfect dish to cook for a group. It makes great leftovers too–the colors and flavors are even richer the next day.

Enjoy the borscht and check back Friday for one more recipe from The Master and Margarita before we move on to a new book next Monday!

The Master and Margarita's Borscht

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Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 10-12 Prep Time: 30 min Cooking Time: 5 hours 5 hours Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lb beef shank with bones
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into half-inch pieces
• 4 medium beets, peeled and chopped into half-inch pieces
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (optional, see note)
• 4 cups cabbage, thinly shredded
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream and chopped dill to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high. Season both sides of the beef with salt and pepper and place in pot. Brown the beef, about 5 minutes per side.
2. Add 1 cup of water to the stock pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add an additional 13 cups of water to the pot along with 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Using a slotted spoon, skim any foam off the top of the pot and discard. Let simmer, covered, for 2-3 hours, until beef pulls apart easily with a fork.
3. Remove beef and bones from stock pot. Using two forks, pull apart the beef. Use a fork or butter knife to collect any marrow remaining in the bones, then discard bones. Return the beef and marrow to the pot.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a pan or dutch oven. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sautee until vegetables begin to soften, 5-8 minutes. Add vegetables to the stock pot.
5. Add the potatoes to the stock pot. Return to a simmer and let simmer on medium low until potatoes have softened, 10-15 minutes.
6. Add the beets, parsley, tomato paste, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.
7. Add the cabbage and red wine vinegar. Simmer until cabbage becomes soft and translucent, about 20 minutes.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with dill and sour cream to garnish.

Notes

The fish sauce is optional and not at all a traditional borscht ingredient, but it adds depth and richness to the flavor.

Did You Make This Recipe?

How did it turn out? Tag me on Instagram at @thelitkitch