Esther's Borscht

 Every year we celebrate Gotcha Day (I know some in the adoption community don't love the term, but in our house when she was little we explained that we got her and she got us! We got a family! Gotcha! Also, we invented Gotcha Tag which is a VERY scary game of flashlight tag where my husband hides and the kids look for him til he makes them scream...).  We cook Borscht, Orishka and Piroshki, which is basically a day long festival of cooking. I'll admit, it's gotten easier than trying to help a toddler "help". Borscht is a time consuming dish - so we've made some time saving changes and adapted a few recipes (with a base from Natasha's Kitchen) into one that suits us. 

Note: Obviously these steps can be adapted back to a pot or a crock pot - just allow additional time for cooking. 

Esther's Borscht

1-2 lbs beef (pork or venison may also be used with great results!) depending on how meaty you want it - our kids eat it better if it's on the meater/stew side 

    Coat with a good sprinkle of pepper and salt. Cut into 4-6 large chunks and sear each side in a hot pan. Place in an instant with 4-6 c water. Cook according to pot instructions. Shred meat or cut into bite sized chunks. (Can also just use leftovers!)

4 T lard (or any fat of choice)

2 large or 3 medium beets

I T vinegar

Shred the beets (your shortcut here is to use a food processor for ALL the veggies, so don't clean it between!). Combine with lard and vinegar in a pan and fry for 5 min. 

Add:

1 T Sugar

1 can diced tomatoes

Stir and add all to insta-pot/meat and broth.

Shred: 

1 large onion

2 large carrots

Add to pan with 1 T fat (lard or other). Fry for 5 min. Add to insta-pot. 

Add:

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1 T minced garlic

4 potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 a small head of cabbage, sliced

Water as needed to desired consistency (we prefer more of a stew texture, traditionally it has more broth)

Cook until potatoes are tender (only about 10 min on a soup setting on the insta-pot). Let set 20 min before serving for flavors to meld. 

Serve with sour cream. 

Not all the kids love Borsht, so we serve with piroshki so everyone has something they love. We're trying a gluten free crust on the piroshki this year, so if we come up with something we like I'll post it here so we don't lose it!