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Tracydr I've never had borscht. Mind sharing your fermented borscht recipe?
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I make borshch but I don't use a recipe. I also don't make it the old way because you need to have pre-fermented beets already made, or wait a day or more for them to ferment, however I'll tell you how it's done.
In my house, if I make borshch I would be competing with my wife, who has a different cooking style, and this would end badly. My wife doesn't use vinegar in her borshch. She adds lemon or tomatoes or both. My previous wife used sauerkraut to add acidity. I never learned my mother's exact recipe but I watched her put partially cooked pots of borshch in a corner of the kitchen to ferment overnight or longer. Many people who make borshch say it tastes better if you let it stand in the refrigerator overnight, so it probably ferments a little while standing.
Borshch is a lot like Nail Soup, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. YMMV
Now that I got the excuses out of the way here's my formula:
Rosedude's Borshch (fermented or not)
2 good sized dark red beets (or 3-4 smaller ones, or one giant beet) peeled and sliced, diced, or julienned. If you are going to ferment the beets first you are going to put the beets in water with a pinch of salt, bring them to a boil for 20-30 minutes until the beets soften a little and set the mash aside for a day or so to ferment. You'll know its fermenting from the little bubbles that form. The process is similar to making pickled cucumbers or sauerkraut. If you don't want to wait a day there are other optional ways to make the borshch sour faster.
oil (about 1 table spoon) for sauteeing the onions and browning the stew meat.
onion, chopped (about 1 cup or one onion)
6 cups beef, chicken, vegetable stock, or water. Some people don't put meat in their borshch but I always do. You can use stew meat, beef bones, ribs, even pork or chicken to make the stock. I leave the meat in the borchsh but some people don't. My wife uses boulion cubes if she is in a hurry. If you are using tough meat or thick bones you will want to boil these separately for a longer period until the meat it tender before adding to the final preparation. Skim off the fat from the meat before adding to the borshch.
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Optional additional ingredients: (add some or all, depending on what you have)
celery, chopped (my wife's way) or whole (my mother's way) or cut into 2 inch pieces (my way)
1 cup diced carrots (I slice them into disks)
1 medium potato diced (small cubes cook faster) (I always add this, but some people think it makes the red beet juice cloudy)
dill, fresh chopped (about 1/4 cup) (My first wife liked this. I add it if I have it.)
Beans (lima, kidney or other large cooking bean from a can or precooked) (my father likes beans but I don't) Beans make a heartier borshch, expecially if you don't have chunks of meat.
Ingredients for souring the borshch: (to taste)
tomatoes, (any kind: whole, canned, chopped, etc...ever about 1 cup) (I usually add this.)
Lemon Juice (I often add this)
vinegar, 1 or 2 Tablespoons (apple cider vinegar is good but any kind works.) I sometimes add this, but I use it sparingly as a final tuneup to the flavor.
2 cups sauerkraut or cabbage (I don't like cabbage in my borshch but many people do.
Preparation
Combine all of the ingredients in the large pot and simmer for about 25 minutes. If you want a stout borshch, thick enough for spoons to stand in, be sure to add plenty of potatoes, beans and meat. If you want a thinner soup cut back on some ingredients. If it has beets, its borshch. I make the final taste adjustments at this time. I like it with a savory, slightly sour taste. If you add too much vinegar it tastes acidy. You can also ferment it after making it by letting it stand in a corner of your kitchen or in your refrigerator over night.
People usually serve it with a spoonful of sour cream in the middle of the bowl, which is delicious, but I'm lactose intolerant so I leave it out.