Borscht with Sausage and Eggs
Ingredients
1 pound Sausage
8-9 cups (approximately) Beef Broth (reserve ½ cup for deglazing and ¾ cup for tomato paste)
3 large Beets, peeled and diced small
3 Carrots, peeled and shredded
3 medium Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon Cold Pressed Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, chopped
6 ounces Tomato Paste
½ medium Cabbage, cored and shredded
8 ounces Tomatoes, drained and diced
5 cloves Garlic, minced
Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Stevia, to taste
1 Organic Pastured Egg, hard boiled and sliced, for garnish (optional)
½ cup Sour Cream or Crème Fraîche, for topping (optional)
1 tablespoon Parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
1 tablespoon Dill, de-stemmed and minced (optional)
2 tablespoons Red Cabbage, pickled (optional)
Directions
1. Crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat
2. Cook, stir and sear until brown and crumbly
3. Remove excess fat and pour ½ cup of broth into pan
4. Stir contents while scraping bottom of pan with spatula to deglaze
5. Remove pan from heat and set aside
6. Fill a large pot halfway with broth and bring to a boil
7. Add sausage with deglazed liquid to broth and bring back to a boil
8. Add the beets and cook until they have lost their color
9. Add the carrots, potatoes and garlic, simmer until tender (about 15 min)
10. Add the cabbage and the diced tomatoes
11. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat
12. Add the onion, and cook until caramelized
13. Stir the tomato paste and broth into the onions until well blended
14. Transfer contents to the pot
15. Simmer another 5-10 minutes, and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper and stevia) to your liking
16. Cover, turn off heat and let soup stand for about five minutes
Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with cream, egg slices, pickled cabbage, dill and fresh parsley