Borscht with beef

Borscht is a true culinary art, harmoniously combining rich flavor, vibrant aroma, and appetizing color. Classic borscht, cooked in a fragrant meat broth with beets, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and onions, delights with a perfect balance of sweet and sour notes. The vegetables, stewed together, create a unique palette of flavors, and the addition of tomato paste or fresh tomatoes adds a special depth to the dish. Borscht is traditionally served with fresh sour cream and chopped herbs, making it even more tender and appetizing. This hearty, healthy, and warming soup is the perfect choice for a family lunch or cozy dinner. Try making it at home and delight your loved ones with an authentic Ukrainian borscht!

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1:

Place the beef in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.

Step 2:

Add 1 medium onion and 1 medium carrot, fresh parsley stems, allspice, black peppercorns, cover and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours.

Step 3:

Finely chop 200 g of onion and sweet pepper.

Step 4:

Cut 200 g of carrots, beets and white cabbage into strips.

Step 5:

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, add beets and fry for 3 minutes over medium heat.

Step 6:

Then add tomato paste, juice of 1 lemon, sugar and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Step 7:

Add 200 ml of water to the pan, stir and bring to a boil.

Step 8:

Simmer covered over low heat for 15 minutes.

Step 9:

In another frying pan, melt the butter and fry the chopped onion for 3-4 minutes.

Step 10:

Add 3 cloves of garlic, carrots, peppers, tomatoes to the onion, stir and simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

Step 11:

Transfer the beef from the pan to a bowl, separate the meat from the bone and cut into small pieces, remove the vegetables.

Step 12:

Add diced potatoes, white cabbage, and bay leaf to the pan with broth and bring to a boil.

Step 13:

Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Step 14:

Add stewed vegetables, beets and chopped meat to the pan.

Step 15:

Stir, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Step 16:

Chop the salted lard, 4 cloves of garlic, fresh parsley leaves and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, grind in a mortar or blender and add to the pot with the borscht.

Step 17:

When the red borscht is almost ready, add salt to taste and ground black pepper, stir and cook for 2 minutes over low heat.

Step 18:

Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 15 minutes.

Cooking tips

For a thicker and richer Ukrainian borscht, you can grate the potatoes on a coarse grater instead of dicing them as directed in the recipe. Good tomato paste can be substituted for the tomatoes.

Lemon juice can be replaced with 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar. The sugar will balance the acidity of the tomato paste, lemon, or vinegar.

Red Ukrainian borscht is traditionally served with pampushki (doughnuts) with garlic sauce and sour cream. Without them, you won't experience the authentic flavor of this traditional dish.

See also: Classic recipes
Soup recipes