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Russian Cuisine
Make your own Borschch
Here is a vegetarian recipe for Borshch for six people:
Ingredients
- A pack of four cooked organic beetroot (nicer though if you use raw beetroot to make a nice beetroot stock)
- A couple of potatoes
- A carrot
- Chopped tinned (or a couple of raw) tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic (a couple of cloves)
- Cabbage (third of a small one, finely chopped/sliced)
- Mushrooms (2-3)
- Bay leaf
- Fresh herbs (coriander/dill/parsley)
- Half a lemon
- Unrefined sunflower oil
- All cooked in 4 pints of water
If cooked with raw beetroot for making a stock
Peel the beetroots (keep green foliage, can be added to the soup later) boil them until they are cooked, get the beetroots out saucepan (for later use). Put peeled diced potatoes into the boiling stock, leave to simmer with the bay leaf (maybe add a couple of dried mushrooms as well).
Meanwhile fry the peeled grated carrot with two cloves of garlic, chopped mushrooms, finely chopped onions and a pinch of dry mixed herbs separately in the sunflower oil , add chopped tinned or fresh tomatoes and finely chopped fresh herbs (for those who like it spicy – some paprika would be nice as well). Add the mushroom sauce to the saucepan with potatoes (they must be almost cooked by now). Then slice cabbage, add it to the saucepan, give it a couple of minutes then check whether the potatoes are ready. Add washed and chopped beetroot foliage to the saucepan, then squeeze half a lemon and at last add the grated beetroot (the ones you used before for cooking the stock). Bring it to boil, switch of the cooker cover the saucepan with a lid and leave it for at least 10 minutes to infuse all the vegetable flavours.
If you prefer to use the cooked beetroot – just start with boiling potatoes, follow all the stages and add the grated beetroot with its juice to the saucepan at the end.
The main secret about borshch is not to overcook the vegetables, the lemon juice added before the grated beetroot helps the soup to keep the beautiful beetroot colour.
Borshch is delicious when served with soured cream and crushed garlic, and a pinch of fresh herbs.
About beetroot
Some English people have been put off beetroot because of the tradition of pickling it in vinegar. This delicious sweet vegetable is extremely healthy and supposed to improve brainpower and the immune system. It's very high in the mineral boron. And it's a traditional ingredient in many Russian dishes.
