Sunday, September 21, 2008

Borscht and Bindings

I am really buried in bindings. At the beginning of the week I had six quilts that needed bindings and all the ingredients for borscht.

Does anyone hate as binding as much as me? It is definitely the least favorite part of making a quilts. I've been quilting for about six and a half years and my first binding was this year. A few tutorials later, now I know how to do binding, but I still don't like doing them. I started doing binding and now I have three bindings sewn on the front of three quilts and three left to cut. That leaves all the hand sewing as well. The first picture is of the first three quilts with the binding attached. The second picture is of the three quilts waiting for bindings.

Like I said I had ingredients for borscht, the infamous Russian beet soup. Let me be the first to tell you it is delicious.

Here is my attempt at writing out a recipe for something I just make from memory.


Ingredients:

1 package of stew meat (about 1 pound)

2 Bay leaves

2 large potatoes, cubed

1 medium head of cabbage, shredded

2 medium beets, grated

2 large carrots, grated

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

fresh parsley and dill


Directions:

Brown the stew meat in olive oil in a large pot. Once the meat is browned, add 6-8 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Salt the broth to taste, maybe even a little salty. Add the bay leaves. Boil for 15 min. Add the potatoes. Cook for an additional 10 min, until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the cabbage and return to a boil.

While the meat and potatoes are cooking, in a frying pan saute the beets, carrots, onions and garlic. You may find it worth your while to find a sucker to grate the beets for you, to save you from red hands for the day. (Thanks, Steve!) Cook until onions are clear. Add tomato sauce and simmer until cabbage has been added and the water has returned to a boil. Add the tomatoes and vegetables to the pot. Also add fresh the fresh chopped herbs, about a tablespoon of each. Simmer for 5 min. Remove from heat. Borscht is better the next day, so better to prepare ahead of time. It is served warm. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

4 comments:

Keshalyi said...

My mother is from Southern Alberta, where there are a lot of Ukrainians. When she went to Nursing School, she went for her rounds at the hospital in Lethbridge, and the Ukrainian girls would bring in Borscht to try sometimes. But, in real Ukrainian Borscht, apparently, you don't just throw in the beets - you throw in the tops too. She said it was the most horrifying looking soup she'd ever seen with all these big greens wilted and ragged floating around in it. But supposedly it's delicious. I've made borscht, but have yet to get the gumption to try it with the tops...

Cheri Dawn said...

Can't wait to see those quilts when they are all bound. I, too, am starting to like binding less, but once it is all stitched down, the feeling is fabulous. As good as eating your borscht!

Julie said...

That's what I'm really worried about with quilting - the binding! Nevertheless, I'm going ahead to learn to quilt by joining a quilting group.
I wish I was there to eat some of your yummy borscht! I still have your original recipe that you printed in the C.Chronicle once. You remembered it well!

Tish said...

Well Nathan, you may not like hearing this, but I love to do the bindings. Yes! I really do. ^_^ I find them a very relaxing thing to do at the end of the quilting process. I can help you if you ask nice. LOL Just let me know next time I come with coffee for the shop.

I also love to make soups and that time of year is upon us now when I make them all the time. I look forward to making your borscht soon.