Lunch: Borscht Soup

I was inspired to make this about a month ago when I was reminded of its existence at a Polish restaurant down the street from my house. Why had I never ventured to make this particular soup before, as I have tried to make virtually every other soup that I enjoy, I wondered. So I did some research, and settled upon trying this recipe from a soup cookbook my aunt gave me a few years ago for Christmas, as it was one of the few I found that didn't require procuring a cut of beef from a butcher. I have no doubt that using beef shank would make an amazingly richer, more heavy soup, but this one turned out amazingly well -- a clear, delicate, bright purple broth (both in colour and flavour), with a hearty amount of vegetables to balance the flavour of the beets. I can't wait to try it again, next time with the aforementioned beef shank.

Borscht
makes 5 large, lunch appropriate servings

3 beets
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 celery stalk, cut into matchsticks
1 leek, sliced
1/2 savoy cabbage, sliced
1 1/2 quart chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups reserved beet juice (from boiling the beets)
3 beets, parboiled, peeled and diced (wear gloves!)
1 teaspoon marjoram
4 parsley stalks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh dill (or about 1 tablespoon dried, which is what I used)
pepper to taste
red wine vinegar to taste (about 1 tablespoon)
sour cream for garnish

In a large saucepan, cover beets with water and bring to boil. Boil for 12 - 15 minutes, until beets are partially cooked. Strain, reserving liquid from beets. Allow beets to cool. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer until it's needed later on in the recipe (this will allow the liquid to reduce some and concentrate its flavour).

In a soup pot, cook bacon until crisp, over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot, parsnip, celery, leek and cabbage. Cook about 5 minutes, then add cabbage. Cover pot and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, allowing cabbage to wilt. Add stock. Using gloves, peel and prepare beets. Add beets, then add 2 cups of simmering beet liquid. Add marjoram, parsley, garlic cloves and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Remove garlic clove and bay leaves, add dill, pepper, salt (if needed) and red wine vinegar. Cook for a few more minutes, then serve, with a dollop of sour cream.

One of the better dishes I've made in a long time. Now to find a butcher so I can try this with beef.

Costs

Beets $2.59
Cabbage $2.62
Vegetable broth (can) $1.39
Chicken broth (carton) $3.49
Red wine vinegar $3.79
Onion $1.10
Parsnip $.75
Carrot $.73
Leek $1.08
Garlic $.51

Total $18.05
Total per serving $3.61

Cobb Salad

This week for dinner, I've been having Cobb Salad, which I threw together on kind of whim when I noticed that I had all the ingredients for it in my fridge after my weekly shopping trip (and particularly wanted to use up some bacon I had on hand). As I was preparing the first serving, I put the remaining amount of what I'd chopped into a tupperware container so that I'd have two more servings that could easily be added to lettuce, then adding freshly chopped tomato, avocado and blue cheese. There is a bit of prep work that goes into this, which is why it's nice to reserve two more servings to have on hand for two easy dinners without a lot of clean-up during the week. Also I had prepared the chicken for the Three Bean Salad as well, so I didn't deal with that part of the recipe.

As a side note, the chicken breasts I bought this week were huge (and a little frightening), so if you're finding very tiny chicken breasts, firstly good for you, and secondly you might increase how many you use for this recipe.

Cobb Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
makes three servings

Red leaf lettuce (at least 12 large leafs)
1 large chicken breast, seasoned
2 tomatoes
2 eggs
1/2 red onion
1 avocado
3 oz. blue cheese
2 slices bacon

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. grainy dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. yellow french mustard
1 clove garlic, grated
salt
pepper

In a sauté pan or skillet, cook seasoned chicken breast on both sides over medium heat until cooked through (approx 15 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Put 2 eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Place uncovered over high heat until water comes to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce to low heat, and cook for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, immediately drain and put in cold water.

While eggs are cooking, you can begin preparing the bacon. As bacon and eggs are cooking, chop onions, 1/2 tomato, and 1/4 avocado. Place lettuce on a plate and add ingredients. Remaining onions go into a tupperware container. When the chicken had cooled, chop and place about 1/3 on plate; remaining goes with onions in tupperware. When bacon is finished and has drained for about a minute on paper towels, chop, adding 1/3 to plate and remaining to tupperware. Once eggs have cooled entirely, peel, chop and add about 1/3 of chopped eggs to plate, and remaining to tupperware. (When preparing the salad the following nights, chop tomato and avocado then.) Add about 1 oz. of blue cheese, or less depending on preferences.

To make dressing, combine ingredients in a small glass bowl or measuring glass. Use about 1/3 on tonight's salad, the rest can be reserved in fridge for two following nights.


Costs
Chicken $1.66
Blue cheese $7.99 (for a glass container with blue cheese cubes marinated in peppercorns and olive oil)
Tomato $4.11 (for 3 total)
Red onion $.60
Eggs $1.89 (for 6)
Avocado $1.99

Total: $18.24

Cost per meal $6.08

Nutritional information per serving: 432 calories (246 fat calories), 28g total fat, 10g saturated fat, 11g carbohydrate, 4g dietary fiber, 4g sugars, 35g protein, 125% vitamin A, 29% vitamin C, 21% calcium, 14% iron. Also a very good source of niacin (54%) and selenium (55%), and a good source of protein, vitamin A and vitamin K (141%).