Babi’s Beet Soup

I think most of us have dishes from our childhood that we will never forget. My grandmother (Babi) used to make this beet soup for us. She's been gone for many years now so it's been awhile since anyone has had her soup. She told me how to make it once and I'm pretty sure I got it right this time. 

Babi made her soup using pork broth. You could use chicken or even veggie, but I was going for the exact flavour of Babi's soup. I boiled some ribs one night for the BBQ and saved the delicious broth for the soup.

Babi always got the beets with the tops and added the chopped tops into the soup. My beets came in a bag so I didn't have beet greens - I used some dill instead to add a little colour.

I also didn't have enough sour cream but it still tasted like hers even with just the little bit that I did have. I will definitely be making this again.

One of the issues I have with writing recipes is that a lot of times I don't measure things. I will do my best but I don't want to give you false measurements and then have your recipe be a flop. For the most part you will just have to play around with it.

Babi's Beet Soup

Ingredients

• pork ribs or bones
• salt
• peppercorns
• onions
• bay leaves
• water
• beets (with tops if possible)
• yellow potatoes
• all-purpose flour
• sour cream 
• white vinegar
• sugar

Directions

1. Boil some back or side ribs in a giant pot filled 2" from the top with water, for 2-2 1/2 hours on medium with the lid on. Having the lid on is important or you will not have enough broth for your soup. It will evaporate but not as much as it would if you leave the lid off.
2. I added salt, peppercorns, onions and bay leaves to the pot. Skim off any foam that appears on top with a spoon. I used 3 strips of ribs and a REALLY BIG pot. The pot in the picture is smaller than the one I boiled the ribs in, and is the one that I strained my broth into for storage in the fridge.
3. Remove the ribs and slather them in your favourite barbecue sauce. Grill and enjoy. I guess you could also use some kind of pork bones to make the broth but I haven’t tried.
4. Strain the broth and store it in the fridge if you’re not going to make the soup right away.
5. Boil some peeled and diced beets in the broth on medium heat until the broth has reduced by about half. This will take some time. You can also add some grated beets if you’re feeling fancy.
6. Add diced potatoes and boil for 15 minutes or until tender. You could also add chopped beet greens at this time if you have some.
7. Add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Add salt if needed.
8. Make a paste in a large bowl with 1/4 cup flour and 1/3 cup sour cream. A little more is better if you have it. The measurements of this will also depend on how much soup you have in your pot. I would estimate I had about 8 cups of soup by the time it boiled down.
9. Add one ladle of the hot soup to the paste and whisk. Repeat. Repeat. I suggested a large bowl above so you don't make a mess or burn yourself. Pour the sour cream mixture slowly into the pot as you whisk to combine. Bring up to a simmer and it's ready to serve. Add dill if you wish.