Ukrainian Borscht a feast for all senses!
Ukrainian borscht or beetroot soup is a very nutritious and filling one. The beetroots are the main ingredient here and give the amazing colour but there are plenty of other vegetables to make it hearty and flavoursome too. It is definitely the kind of comfort foods you can rely on in cold season. It offers amazing colour, captivating smell and a burst of flavour in your mouth. A feast for all senses!
What is more, you can make the meat version, like here, or the vegan one, following the 5 Element method for best mix of flavours.
The preparation – beans
Soak 1/2 cup of dried red or white kidney beans overnight. The next day discard the water, add beans to a pan, add water to the level of the beans and cook until soft (15-20 minutes). Different types require different cooking time, so taste them while boiling to make sure they are cooked but not mushy. The ingredients below serve 4.
The preparation – beets
In a large mixing bowl add the following:
- Sweet 3-4 grated beetroots (depending on the size), 2 teaspoons of sugar,
- Pungent a generous pinch of black pepper,
- Salty a small pinch of salt, lukewarm water, slightly less than the level of the beets,
- Sour lemon juice of 1/2 lemon,
- Bitter a pinch of turmeric.
Stir all the ingredients well and set aside to let the flavours blend. You might prepare the beets the day before, when you are soaking the beans, then the flavour will be stronger and a slight fermentation will come about.
For the meat option
Prepare the meat stock. Wash some pork ribs and chicken thighs. Place them in a pan, add water to the level of the meat, bring to the boil and turn the heat down. Skim the foam off the surface and simmer at low heat until the meat is tender. Get the meat out, remove the bones, chop the meat roughly and add to the soup before the end of cooking, together with the cooked beans. Also, in the meat option add the stock to the vegetables, instead of water.
The procedure
Place a large pan on medium heat and add the following:
- Sweet 2 tablespoons of oil, 3 medium-sized, peeled and cubed potatoes, 1 grated carrot, 1 sliced parsnip, a pinch of cumin,
- Pungent 1⁄4 cubed celeriac, 1⁄2 sliced leek, 2 grated garlic cloves, a pinch of black pepper,
- Salty 1/2 tablespoon salt, cold water slightly above the level of the vegetables (meat stock in the meat option).
Bring the soup to the boil and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, until soft. Make sure the vegetables do not overcook.
Continue with the following ingredients:
- Sour the grated beets you prepared before, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (if not sour enough), 2 tablespoons of tomato puree,1 peeled and cubed sour apple,
- Bitter 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, a pinch of turmeric,
- Sweet 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, boiled kidney beans, (the meat if making the meat option)
- Pungent 1 grated garlic clove (if the garlic flavour is not intensive enough).
Cook for another 5-10 minutes for the flavours to combine. Serve unblended. Ukrainian borscht or beetroot soup goes well with just a piece of bread on the side.
For other amazing borscht soups see: white borscht, green borscht or red borscht.
