Oh, the bowl of food that is music to my stomach.

If that has ever been a thing, this is mine.

Borscht.

Borsct is a traditional soup from Russia and other Eastern European countries. It’s easily recognised by the beetroot which gives it it’s beautiful dark red ruby colour. Without beetroot, it’s just not Borscht.

Ukraine, to be exact, is said to be the origins of Borscht, and as the recipe travelled, others adapted them to their own liking. There are many variations of Borscht which can be found online but the main ingredients stay the same: beetroot, cabbage, carrots, potato and onions. It’s a healthy and filling meal to enjoy on a cold winter evening (or if you’re like me-eat it during any part of the day).

I’ve seen versions of Borscht that don’t contain cabbage, which you can leave out if you don’t like cabbage. You’ll just need to add extra of the other ingredients to stay true to it’s texture.

The soup has a sweet and sour combination and is dense in texture.

You can eat Borscht on its own as a main dish. Traditionally, it’s accompanied by small pastries (deep-fried or oven baked), called Pigori which are stuffed with fried vegetables and mashed potatoes. You do get sweet variations of Pirogi too, but they won’t taste well with a savoury dish.

I remember eating Borscht as a child, but as an adult I never bothered making it. That’s until I started craving Russian food while I was pregnant with Kid2 and it started an almost every year tradition to make in the winter.

I’ve made it for others as well to try and it’s always been a success.

I’ve shared a few photos online each time I made it and it spiked an interest with others asking for a recipe, so here it is.

Don’t be discouraged if your prep time takes a little longer when trying the recipe for the first time. Once you’ve mastered the method, you’ll be able to finish the prep faster!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

TOTAL: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 5-7 small to medium sized beetroots
• 5 carrots
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1/4 to 1/2 head of a small cabbage
• 2-3 medium sized potatoes
• 500g stewing beef
• 3 tbsp of white vinegar
• 2 tbsp of margarine
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• Olive oil
• sour cream
• fresh dill

You will need a small pot, a large pot and a pan. You can use a grater or for an easier version, a blender, and a potato peeler.

Method

Refer to the notes below to see additional information.

• Place the beetroot into a small pot. Leave to boil for approximately 10 minutes or until slightly soft.
• While the beetroot boils, peel the rest of the vegetables.
• Cut the potatoes into bite-size chunks.
• Cut the carrots and onion into chunks and grate them/use a blender. Add a dash of olive oil into a lightly heated pan and add the carrots and onion to the pan. Stir occasionally and don’t brown them, for about 10 minutes.
• Cut the cabbage into thin chunks no longer than 3-4cm in length.
• When the beetroots have finished boiling, let them cool in cold water and peel them with a potato peeler. Grate them or use a blender.
• Cut the beef into bite-size pieces.
• Place all the vegetables and the meat into a large pot, level the ingredients out and add water. The water level should be until about 3cms from the top (see notes below*).
• Add salt and black pepper and stir thoroughly. Put on high heat until it starts to boil. Lower the heat to a medium setting, so that it simmers once it has reached a boil.
• Add the white vinegar and the margarine to the pot when simmering and stir thoroughly.
• Once ready, leave the Borscht to stand for 15 minutes so all the flavours meld. Scoop the Borscht into bowls and add sour cream and fresh dill, and mix.

A twist to the Classic Borscht #easyrecipes #Borschtrecipe #Borscht

Tweet

Notes

• *If the water starts boiling away, top it up to stay at a level of 3cms from the top of the pot.
• You don’t need to add as much sour cream and dill as I did, the Borscht is rich and you might want to start off with small dollops of sour cream.
• Don’t use dried dill, as it doesn’t have the same flavour as the fresh dill.
• Remember that potatoes absorb salt. When you let the Borscht simmer, taste for salt and add more if needed.
• Should you want to make a vegetarian version of Borscht, just exclude the beef.

I do hope you enjoying making Borscht and eating it! I’d love to hear your feedback on the recipe!

Happy eating!