For a vegetarian borshch with oomph, bust out the tangy sauerkraut

One of the most nourishing things about food is the human connection it forges. Food brings us together at the table and beyond, linking us to family history and the larger community.

The new cookbook “Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing” by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, written with Joshua David Stein, reflects the deep, multilayered way food unites us and tells our story.

The authors’ great-grandfather opened his appetizing store in New York City in 1914, and they are the fourth generation to carry on his legacy. The current location of the store, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is the last remaining appetizing store in an area that once had dozens like it. These shops, born of Eastern European tradition and often run by Ashkenazi Jews, specialized in ready-to-eat kosher or kosher-style specialties that could fill out a meat-free spread, such as smoked and cured fish, pickles, salads, soups and more. (They are not to be confused with delis, as the family behind Russ & Daughters notes on its site.)

I feel a communal bond with these foods, too — my grandfather grew up in that neighborhood, and these dishes were central to the culinary culture he passed down to us.

The book, which is packed with both traditional recipes and the authors’ more-modern takes on the classics, is also full of personal stories and rich historical accounts of the “nearly lost world of appetizing itself,” they write.

This hot borshch recipe reflects the soup’s history and tradition, with a new-to-me twist. It delivers the key elements you’d expect from a hot red borshch — beets, cabbage, carrot and onion simmered in an herb-rich broth, fragrant with dill and topped with a cool dollop of sour cream.

But in this version, the sweetness of the beets is balanced with tangy sauerkraut, which adds a delightfully funky flavor and toothsome texture to the bowl. A squeeze of lemon juice brightens the vegetarian soup further, for a comforting, crimson bowl of goodness that brings plenty of vitamins, minerals and fiber to the table, along with the essential nutrients of connection and history.

• Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian nutritionist and cookbook author who hosts public television’s “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” Learn more at www.elliekrieger.com.

•••

Vegetarian Borshch With Sauerkraut

2 to 3 large red beets (1 pound total), trimmed and scrubbed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), diced

¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon salt, divided, plus more as needed

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 small white turnip (8 ounces), diced

¼ large head green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

1½ cups sauerkraut, drained (brine reserved)

5 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with butcher’s twine

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

Freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

½ cup sour cream

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in foil and set on a small sheet pan. Roast for 1 hour, 10 minutes to 1½ hours, or until the beets become fork-tender. (The roasting time will depend on the size of the beets.) Let cool for 15 minutes, then remove and discard the skins and dice the beets.

In a large (5-quart) pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ⅛ teaspoon of the salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the carrot and turnip, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and the turnip is starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes more. (Reduce the heat to medium, if the vegetables are browning too quickly.) Stir in the cabbage and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until it softens 3 to 5 minutes. Add 7 cups of the broth, the sauerkraut and thyme, and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine ½ cup of the diced beets and the remaining 1 cup of broth, and puree until smooth. Add the puree to the pot and bring the borshch to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and very gently simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced a little (by about 1 cup), the vegetables are tender and the flavors meld, about 2 hours. Discard the thyme sprigs, add the remaining diced beets and remove from the heat.

Stir in the lemon juice, then season to taste with pepper, some of the reserved sauerkraut juice and, if desired, more salt. Ladle the borshch into bowls, garnish each with a scant 1 tablespoon of the dill and a generous 1 tablespoon of the sour cream, and serve.

6 servings

Substitutions: For yellow onion, use white onion. Instead of roasting beets, use 1 pound precooked beets (not canned). For fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon dried thyme.

Nutritional information per serving (1 2/3 cups borshch, plus generous 1 tablespoon sour cream) | 177 Calories: 25g Carbohydrates, 9mg Cholesterol, 8g Fat, 8g Fiber, 4g Protein, 2g Saturated Fat, 767mg Sodium, 11g Sugar

— Adapted from “Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing” by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper with Joshua David Stein (Flatiron Books, 2025)