We thought that we were going to New York for a fairly quiet Thanksgiving. We didn’t think that our new grandson would be born until at least November 28th and that I’d have lots of time to prepare the kitchen , stocking it with bone broth and other things that would be nourishing and palatable to my beautiful (and very pregnant!) daughter in law!
That all changed on our drive in the day before Thanksgiving when we got an excited and fairly frantic call from our son…”I’m on my way to the hospital!”. Our adorable Wolfie (short for Wolfgang!) was born about 2 hours before Thanksgiving and from that moment until I left on December the 5th, their kitchen was humming with excitement and lots of different soups.
My daughter in love adores Borscht and I knew that it would be so good for her , pressure cooked beef and hearty beets and root vegetables with a hearty helping of savory miso and tomatoes for a wonderful Umami flavor. Also, if you have the time, there isn’t better bone broth than bone broth you’ve made in your instant pot. Its so collagen filled and nourishing. If I’d had the time I would have made my own, by rubbing beef bones with the tomato paste, salt and pepper and them roasting them in the oven for about 45 minutes before adding them to the instant pot to make the broth first.
One thing I’ll say…if you’re serving this to a nursing mama, you’ll probably want to omit the cabbage as it can make the baby gassy. This is very easy to make vegetarian as well…just substitute vegetable broth and shitake mushrooms and it will be absolutely wonderful.
Soup is really great food for that postpartum time and as it turns out, also for tired grandparents. I wouldn’t have traded those 13 days of loving, cooking and laughing for anything though.
Nurturing and nourishing the new mama is an absolutely essential part of the postpartum experience. The new babe gets all of the attention he or she needs and deserves, but let’s not forget who did all of the work. New mamas AND fathers need the attention even more so that they can heal, rest and adjust to this almost overnight change and amazing new being that’s suddenly and literally dropped into their lives. No matter how wanted, those first weeks are truly a shock and a lesson in how to steal naps!
All that being said, I’m not completely sure which of my ancestors (Thank You!) helped me make this Instant Pot Borscht in an hour and a half, but it's pretty freaking perfect and tastes like I’ve cooked it for hours…❤️ love my Insta-cauldron😘🌙
You will need:
1 tablespoon of avocado oil
1/2 large white onion diced
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1.5 lbs beef stew meat that you have dredged in light flour and Old Bay seasoning.
OR in place of the beef , 3- 4 cups of sliced shitake mushrooms that you have dredged in the flour and Old Bay.
4 medium diced red beets (peeling optional)
3 cups diced Yukon gold or sweet potatoes
2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
3 cups sliced and chopped red cabbage
4 to 6 cups beef bone broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup red wine or red wine vinegar
1 large can of diced tomatoes with garlic
2 tablespoons of good tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke
1 to 2 tablespoons of golden Miso (fermented soybean paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of dried dill
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill (for serving)
1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt (optional)
Select the saute function on the Instant Pot. Add Avocado oil. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add in the beef stew meat ( or mushrooms) and tomato paste. Continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes until browned turning occasionally.
Add all of the remaining vegetables and then pour in the broth, red wine, and diced tomatoes. Secure the lid and secure the lid. Select high pressure for 25 minutes, 20 if you are using the shitake mushrooms.
Use a quick release. Once steam has released, open the lid.
Put borscht into a soup pot and let it simmer. Add the dried dill, liquid smoke and begin adding the miso. The easiest way to do this is to put about 1 cup of the soup broth in a cup and stir in the two tablespoons until smooth. Then adding it to the whole pot is easy.
Continue to let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes. It will thicken a little and the flavors will meld together even more.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, chopped hard boiled egg and fresh dill with sea salt to taste.
Thymeless Quotes:
“Simple ingredients prepared in a simple way – that’s the best way to take your everyday cooking to a higher level.” — Jose Andres