Beef and Beet Borscht with Nigella and Preserved Lemon Crème Fraîche

Ingredients
For the Preserved Lemon Crème Fraîche•235 ml (1 cup) crème fraîche
•1 preserved lemon, finely minced
•Pinch salt
•30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
•680 grams (1½ pounds) red beets (about 3 large), scrubbed and quartered
•225 grams (½ pound) celery root, peeled, rough-chopped
•3 carrots, rough-chopped
•¼ red cabbage, rough-chopped
•2 red onions, rough-chopped
•12 cloves garlic, peeled
•20 ml (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) salt
•2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) black pepper
•235 ml (1 cup) tomato puree
•235 ml (1 cup) red wine
•60 ml (¼ cup) red wine vinegar
•15 ml (1 tablespoon) cumin seed, toasted
•5 ml (1 teaspoon) nigella seed, toasted
•5 ml (1 teaspoon) fennel seed, toasted
•2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
•Pinch cayenne pepper
•1.9 liter (½ gallon) beef stock, plus more for thinning
•
•Leftover Braised Beef Short Rib, shredded and crisped in a pan with a pat of butter
•15 ml (1 tablespoon) Preserved Lemon Crème Fraîche (recipe follows)
•Pinch nigella seed
•1 sprig dill
For the borscht•30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
•680 grams (1½ pounds) red beets (about 3 large), scrubbed and quartered
•225 grams (½ pound) celery root, peeled, rough-chopped
•3 carrots, rough-chopped
•¼ red cabbage, rough-chopped
•2 red onions, rough-chopped
•12 cloves garlic, peeled
•20 ml (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) salt
•2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) black pepper
•235 ml (1 cup) tomato puree
•235 ml (1 cup) red wine
•60 ml (¼ cup) red wine vinegar
•15 ml (1 tablespoon) cumin seed, toasted
•5 ml (1 teaspoon) nigella seed, toasted
•5 ml (1 teaspoon) fennel seed, toasted
•2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
•Pinch cayenne pepper
•1.9 liter (½ gallon) beef stock, plus more for thinning
•
To garnish, per bowl•Leftover Braised Beef Short Rib, shredded and crisped in a pan with a pat of butter
•15 ml (1 tablespoon) Preserved Lemon Crème Fraîche (recipe follows)
•Pinch nigella seed
•1 sprig dill

Preparation

To make the Preserved Lemon Creme Fraîche: Fold everything together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
For the borscht: In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the olive oil with the next eight ingredients. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato puree and simmer 2 minutes. Add the red wine, vinegar, and spices; stir to combine.
Add the stock, sugar, and 475 ml (2 cups) water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 1¼ hours, or until the beets are fork-tender.
Let the soup cool slightly, then puree it in batches in a blender until smooth, adding more stock as necessary to reach your desired thickness. Serve immediately garnished with crispy short rib, crème fraîche, dill, and nigella seed, or let it cool to room temperature, refrigerate, and reheat over very low heat before serving.

About the author

Evan Mallett is the chef-owner of Black Trumpet located in the historic seacoast city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA. In 2017 he opened a new restaurant, Ondine Oyster + Wine Bar, in Belfast, Maine. Mallett is a four-time James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef, Northeast. He is actively involved and sits on the boards of Chef’s Collaborative, Slow Food Seacoast, and the Heirloom Harvest Project, an initiative that brings together farmers, chefs, and educators to identify and restore a food system native to the greater New England Seacoast region. He is the author of the cookbook Black Trumpet: A Chef’s Journey Through Eight New England Seasons (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016).

Photo credit: Enna Grazier

Evan Mallett

Evan is chef and owner of Black Trumpet restaurant and co-owner of Stock & Spice, both in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Ondine Oyster & Wine Bar in Belfast, Maine, USA.

Beef and Beet Borscht with Nigella and Preserved Lemon Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

For the Preserved Lemon Crème Fraîche

For the borscht

To garnish, per bowl

Preparation

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