Really stupid simple borscht

Before we begin, let’s agree that you will never cook a borscht that everyone will like. Arguing about what borscht should be is a part of culture that is deeply rooted in every Ukrainian. Every historical period, region, family, or individual host or hostess has its own recipe. And someone only loves their mother’s borscht, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

So this recipe will be just between us. Cook it and become a little happier that there is a pot of borscht in your refrigerator. And if you want to share it, then only do it with those you really love.

So, let’s go borscht!

Ingredients for borscht

• medium-sized potatoes, 4 pcs
• small beets, 2 pcs
• carrots, 1 pc
• medium onion, 3 pcs
• white cabbage, 300 g
• tomato paste, 2 tbsp
• lemon, 0.5 pcs
• water 1.5 l

To your taste

• salt
• oil
• bay leaf
• greens
• sour cream or yogurt
• green onions
• bread

Put the pot with water on fire. Grate the beets and carrots. Chop the cabbage. Cut the onion, potatoes and herbs.

Now let’s look at the cooking algorithm. To save time, we will fry and boil the vegetables at the same time. Then we will combine them together, and this is how a pot of borscht is born.

Process A: frying.

Put the frying pan on medium heat. Pour in the oil, add the onion and carrot, fry for 5 minutes. Then add the beets and lemon juice. Acid will not only add a pleasant sourness, but also preserve the red color of the beets.

Fry the vegetables for another 5 minutes, add the tomato paste, mix and fry for another 5-10 minutes. When it seems to you that you are ready to eat the frying straight from the pan, it means that it is definitely ready.

Process B: boiling.

Throw the shredded cabbage into the water. After 5-10 minutes, add the potatoes.

Process C: final.

Add the frying from the pan to the pot. Stir the borscht, add the bay leaf and most of the herbs, cover and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat, do not lift the lid and let the borscht infuse for an hour, or as long as you have the patience.

Put everything you like on the table – bread, sour cream or yogurt, leftover herbs, green onions, pour the borscht onto plates.

How to improve this recipe

Cook the borscht with a meat broth base, but adjust the amount of liquid during the cooking process to match the ingredient list.

For a vegetarian version: add a small can of baked beans in tomato sauce at the end of the process.