Ukraine · Starter · Easy
Borscht
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Borscht, in 5 ideas
- Grate, do not chop, the beets. Grated beets release their color and cook faster. Chunks stay hard and pale.
- Serve it cold in summer. Chilled borscht is a completely different and wonderful dish. Add extra dill and a squeeze of lemon.
- Beef stock adds depth. Vegetable stock works fine, but a rich beef stock makes it taste like it simmered all day.
- It improves overnight. Like most soups, the flavors marry in the fridge. Reheat gently, do not boil hard.
- Rye bread is the classic partner. Dark, dense, slightly sour. Made for dunking.
What you need
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets, peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, grated
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 6 cups beef or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Sour cream and fresh dill, for serving
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion 5 minutes until soft. Add the carrots and cook 3 minutes more.
- Stir in the grated beets and tomato paste. Cook 5 minutes, stirring, until the beets soften slightly and stain everything red.
- Pour in the stock. Add the cabbage, potatoes, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook 35 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the cabbage is silky. The soup should be a deep crimson.
- Season with salt and pepper. Taste for balance: it should be earthy, a little sweet, a little sour. Adjust vinegar and sugar.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with a generous spoonful of sour cream and a shower of fresh dill.
The vinegar protects the color. Acid keeps beets brilliantly red. Without it the soup turns a dull brownish purple.