Sunday, September 2, 2012

Ukrainian borscht recipe (soup with beets)

From September 14 to September 21, we will have National Cuisine week in Russian team on Etsy. For the week, I'd like to share Ukrainian borscht recipe because I'm from Ukraine :) I wouldn't say this is really authentic borscht recipe; it's just like my mom cooks borscht soup, and how I've learned it from her :)

Ukrainian borscht recipe


So... for a 5-6 quarters pot of borscht, I've used approximate quantities of the next ingredients:
2-3 medium to large beetroots
3-4 medium to large potatoes
1 large yellow onion
2 carrots
1 large tomato
1 clove of garlic
Cabbage
Italian parsley and dill
Lemon juice

Ukrainian borscht recipe

The borscht recipe is very easy :)

Peel and chop the onion for small pieces. Shred or cut to julienne peeled carrots. Preheat medium frying pan on medium heat, add 3-4 table spoons of vegetable oil (or any other oil with no scent). Saute the onion and carrots on the pan until tender.

Ukrainian borscht recipe

Meanwhile, shred or cut to julienne peeled beetroots. Beetroots are mandatory for borscht :) For the borscht soup recipe, I cut them to julienne because I like the shape. But shredding is also OK. Put the beatroots on another large pan. Add water just to cover them. Add 4 table spoons of sugar and 4 table spoons of lemon juice. You can substitute lemon juice with vinegar for the borscht recipe, but I personally prefer lemon juice.  Bring the beets to a boil, reduce heat to slow-medium, and cook approximately 15 minutes until they are tender.

Ukrainian borscht recipe


Ukrainian borscht recipe


Prepare tomato puree. Cut tomato in half and shred it starting with inside part. In this case, all soft will be pureed and the skin will stay in your hand. You also can use chopped canned tomatoes for the borscht recipe. 

Ukrainian borscht recipe


Ukrainian borscht recipe


Add a table spoon of ketchup (it's optional). It'll give a little bit more sharpness to the borscht soup taste.

Ukrainian borscht recipe


Add the tomato puree to the onion and carrots when they are tender and the onion a little bit transparent. Saute more 5-7 minutes.

Ukrainian borscht recipe


Fill a 5-6 quarters pot in half with water and add salt by taste. Place the pot on high heat and bring it to a boil. Add the onion and carrots, the beetroots, peeled and chopped to small pieces potatoes. Also, you can add previously boiled chicken or meat, but it's optional.

Ukrainian borscht recipe

Shred and add cabbage to the borscht. Quantity of the cabbage depends on how you like soups in general. If you'd like to make the borscht thick, just add more cabbage to it.

Ukrainian borscht recipe


Ukrainian borscht recipe


Bring the borscht to a boil. Add salt if needed, add crashed black pepper and bay leaves by taste. Cover the pot with lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook it for 10-15 minutes. Then turn of the heat, and add crashed 1 clove of garlic and chopped parsley and dill. Stir together, and cover the borscht with lid.

Ukrainian borscht recipe


Ukrainian borscht recipe


Serve the hot borscht soup topped with sour cream or mayonnaise :)

Ukrainian borscht recipe

Enjoy!

16 comments:

Kateryna G. said...

Yummy! I'm not a huge fan of borscht and have cooked it only few times (as my husband love it) but your one on photos look very delicious :)

Arctida said...

Yummy! I think I'm gonna try your recipe! In my family we are cooking it differently...

Irenka said...

Oh! yummy! And in western Ukraine in borscht add already brewed beets at the end of cooking + lemon juice or fresh cherries

Nauli said...

I had no idea that borscht is a vegetable soup! I always imagined something with meat! I was just in a restaurant today and skipped even reading about it, as I was so sure! And I'm vegetarian. Gonna try this next time for sure!

IrinaN said...

It may be vegetarian, but originally it cooked with meet. I mentioned in the beginning that this is not an authentic recipe :)

Eugenie said...

It looks fantastic and I can almost smell it! The pictures are terrific and the recipe is indeed authentic. Now I feel I want it... Thanks for sharing!

SocksAndMittens said...

OMG, this looks so good. We are cooking it a bit different but I just have to try this recipe. Great photos, love it!

inessa said...

Looks so good! I like it without meat too:)

Cozy Season said...

I'm a fan of Ukrainian borscht... will definitely try your version of it. Thanks for sharing!

Jane_Bo said...

Thank you for the recipe! I have to try it:)

Anonymous said...

Magnificent! (As usual. :-P )

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the informative article, it was a good read and I hope its ok that I share this with some facebook friends. Thanks.

Evelina said...

i have never tried making it with fresh tomato puree!! that sounds fantastic.

Anonymous said...

Was I supposed to add the beets with the water I cooked it in to the large pot? I drained them because it just said add the beets... It also doesn't say how much parsley or dill to add. It looks yummy...

IrinaN said...

I don't drain beets :) Ad herbs by your taste. I usually add half bunch of each.

Таня said...

Майонез в борщ?! Кощунство!!! :-) але фото дуже апетитнi! добре, що э кому рекламувати нашу кухню)))))

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