Borsch

How to cook Borsch?

Borsch is a traditional soup of Russian cuisine. The soup has a red color, this shade is given by beetroot. The soup also includes onions, carrots, garlic, dill, beef and sometimes chicken. Beef is cooked for a long time, so that it breaks down into fibers. Vegetables are rubbed on a coarse grater and pre-fried in a frying pan, separately from each other. This is a comfort food for the Russian cold winter. The soup is served with thinly sliced of pork loin. It is customary to eat borscht hot with mustard spread on black bread and a piece of loin on top. They also sometimes use a couple of shots of vodka.

Recipe type: Soups

Recipe type: Russian

Yield: 6-8

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

Total time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Beef tenderloin — 580 grams

Chicken thigh — 400 grams

Carrots — 240 grams

Beetroot — 370 grams

Water — 2 liters

Dill — 30 grams

Bay leaf — 3 pieces

Basil — 10 grams

Salt and black pepper to taste

Garlic — 4 cloves

Thyme — pinch

Directions:

1. Cut the beef into pieces 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) in size.

2. Peel and grate carrots and beets.

3. Finely chop the dill.

4. Cook the chicken thigh until tender. Cut into fibers with a fork.

5. Peel the garlic and grate it on a fine grater.

6. Peel and finely chop the onion.

7. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 inch (3 cm) pieces.

8. Fry the beef in a frying pan until it changes color.

9. Bring 2 liters of water to a boil over maximum heat in a large deep saucepan.

10. Add beef to the water. Cook for 1 hour.

11. While the beef is cooking, fry the onion and carrot together for 10 minutes.

12. Fry the beetroot separately for 15 minutes.

13. As soon as the beef is ready, add the previously fried carrots, beets, chicken thigh fibers, salt and pepper to taste, basil, garlic, dill, bay leaves to the soup. Cook for 10 minutes.

14. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for another 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, they are not eaten.

Serving: Serve borscht hot with sour cream and separately with homemade pickles, pork loin and iced vodka.

Bon Appetit!