Borscht

Ingredients

• Water - 1½–2 l
• Beef or chicken - 400–500 g
• Pack of beets
• Medium carrot - 1
• Medium onions - 2
• Vegetable oil - 4-5 tbs
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Tomato paste - 2 tbs
• White cabbage - 300 g
• Medium potatoes - 4
• Salt
• Bay leaves - 1-2
• Greens
• Garlic (optional)
• Ground cloves (optional)
• Ground black pepper (optional)

Instruction

Cook the broth

1. Fill a saucepan with cold water, add the meat, and cook over medium heat. The broth will be more flavorful if you use bone-in meat.
2. Keep an eye on the broth and skim off any foam before it boils.
3. When the liquid boils, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for an hour and a half.

Make the frying

1. Grate the beets and the carrots. Chop the onion into small cubes.
2. Pour oil into a frying pan and turn the heat to medium. Fry the onion and carrot, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
3. Then add the beets. Add lemon juice. This will give the classic borscht a truly red color and a pleasant tartness.
4. Cook the mixture for another 5 minutes. Then add the tomato paste, stir, and simmer for another 5–7 minutes.

Assemble the borscht

1. Once the broth is cooked, remove the meat. While it's cooling, add shredded cabbage. After 5-10 minutes, add the potatoes.
2. You can vary the order in which you add the vegetables. If the cabbage is young, it's best to add it after the potatoes, or at the same time if your potato variety cooks quickly.
3. Add the fried ingredients and stir.
4. Add the bay leaf and finely chopped herbs. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for another 5–7 minutes.
5. For added flavor, add a little crushed garlic, ground cloves, or black pepper. Let the borscht simmer, covered, for 5–10 minutes.