Borscht - beetroot soup

Beetroot is now in season. We have an abundance of beetroot in our garden at the moment. I have roasted quite a lot, pickled some for use later on in the year and made some soups. It is fantastic fresh with a goat’s cheese salad, great roasted and served with a joint of beef and horseradish sauce, and it also makes a tasty Borscht soup.

 

Borscht is a beautiful rich ruby colour. It is good served with a blob of sour cream, chives sprinkled on top and some rye bread on the side. My father was brought up in the Ukraine, so I think that I have quite a good recipe for this Slavic dish. There are a variety of recipes available for this soup. This one is pretty good and definitely worth a try.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

1.2 litres chicken stock
or dark beef stock

2 tbsp red wine vinegar


225g raw beetroot, peeled and grated 


600g red cabbage, shredded


2 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1 bay leaf


2 cloves of crushed garlic

2 onions, grated


4 tbsp soured cream


bunch of chives, chopped

METHOD

1.Put the stock and vinegar in a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the

beetroot simmer for 10 minutes.

2.Add the cabbage, tomatoes, onions, garlic and bayleaf.

3.Cook for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Season well.

4.To serve, garnish with a blob of soured cream and sprinkle with chopped

chives.