Borscht

Meat Soups | Belarusian, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian

Ukrainians consider themselves as borscht experts. Although this soup is known and prepared in numerous versions by Poles, Byelorussians, Lithuanians, Romanians, Moldovans and inhabitants of the south of the European Russia. It is interesting that borscht was anciently called a soup from a herbaceous plant hogweed (Heraclēum sphondylīum), hence the name. Later borscht began to be cooked with a beet kvass (a fermented beet beverage), with addition of various vegetables, including beetroot. Finally, beet has become the main ingredient in borscht. There is a great many recipes of borscht. It can be cooked with addition of tomatoes, cabbage, beans and bell pepper. Cold borscht is a sour cold soup with beetroot broth or kvass, while green borscht is a hot soup from spring greens.

Ingredients

A side of beef - 500 g
lard - 200 g
onion - 3 medium-sized bulbs
beet - 2 pcs.
potatoes - 2 pcs.
carrot - 2 pcs.
white cabbage – half a small head
garlic - 4–5 cloves
parsley - 1 bundle
tomato paste - 2 tbsp.
apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp.
bay leaf - 1 piece
sugar – a pinch
salt
fresh-ground black pepper
sour cream for serving.

Preparation method (receipt)

Put the brisket into a saucepan with a volume of 5 liters, pour cold water and cook under a medium heat. Skim off the foam, slack the fire, add 1 tsp. salt and bay leaf and cook for 1.5 hours. Take out the brisket, remove the meat from the bones, cut into small pieces and put back in the broth (no need for bones). Cut lard and onions into small cubes. Thick grate carrots and beets. Warm up the frying pan and put half the lard in 3 minutes. Add onions. Fry stirring for 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots, stir and fry for 5 minutes. Fry the remaining lard in another pan under a low heat, add the beets, sugar and vinegar and fry for 10 minutes, stirring. Add tomato paste to the beet and fry for another 2 minutes. Peel potatoes and cut into cubes. Chop the cabbage thin. Bring the broth to the boil, add the potatoes and cook on low heat for 3 minutes. Put cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes. Add carrots with onions and beets. Simmer under the lid for about 10 minutes. Peel the garlic and chop with parsley as small as possible, add to the borscht, close the lid, remove from fire and let the borscht draw for about 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream.