At the heart of a good borsch is saturated meat broth, high-quality vegetables, juicy and bright beets. But it often happens that everything seems to have been thrown, cooked, but something is missing, some kind of emptiness at the dish, there is no such zest. Maybe it's in the spices. They give the dish a finished look, wake up the appetite before the meal, and after lunch leave a pleasant aftertaste. What to pour into the pan?
Standard spices for any borscht
In the soup always add salt, it is not discussed. Her appearance is a matter of personal taste. Some people like tasty salt more, Himalayan pink or other types. In any case, it is laid at the end, when the vegetables are half ready.
What can be added to the soup:
- Bay Leaf. He is thrown into the finished soup entirely at the end and, preferably, removed in time, otherwise the dish will have bitterness. Boil laurel is not necessary.
- Peppers. It can be black or sweet, ground or peas. With red pepper, chilli pods do not cook, they are served separately to add directly to the plate.
- Coriander. It is cilantro seeds. Coriander is ground or whole, is a small balls. Before adding to borsch, they must be kneaded, it is better to do it in a mortar.
- Dry celery. Finding celery root in the store is one more quest. It is easier to add to the soup a little dry and chopped spices.
- Dry garlic. In the classic version, borsch is seasoned with fresh garlic. But not always need such a rich aroma and taste. You can sprinkle a little dry garlic at the end, it is softer, easier, easier to use.
- Vinegar, lemon juice. This does not apply to spices, but sour ingredients are necessary to preserve the color of the beets and bright taste.
In general, it is better not to make spicy borscht; burning seasonings are served separately. This may be pepper, mustard, adjika, horseradish sauces. If you fill them with cooked borsch, the taste will spoil. In addition, it is customary to cook this dish in large pots for several days at once, and when boiling again, flavored additives change their smell.
By the way, many spices appreciate not only taste, but also medicinal properties. Coriander soothes, relieves seizures, is useful in diseases of the central nervous system. Laurel has an immunostimulating and antifungal effect. And everyone's favorite black pepper cleanses the body and is involved in the blood.
Spices for broth
Very often, the spices are not added to the finished borsch, but during the preparation of the broth, then all this is filtered, using a rich and fragrant broth. It is important to introduce them only after boiling the meat and removing the foam. If a second or third broth is prepared, flavored seasonings are added to the last water after boiling and skimming.
What to add when cooking broth (5 l):
- 1-2 leaves of laurel;
- 5-7 peppercorns;
- 3-5 coriander peas;
- 1 carrot;
- 1 onion in husk;
- parsley root, celery (optional).
The finished broth is filtered through cheesecloth or a small strainer, then the usual borsch is prepared according to the recipe. They add nothing more to it except greens and garlic.
Good advice! Fragrant broth with spices can be prepared in advance and frozen, used not only for borscht, but also other dishes. At any time at hand will be the basis for the soup or sauce.
Cilantro, dill, parsley and other greenfinch
Borsch without greens looks dull, so it is often added to the pan, sometimes immediately in the plate. No need to throw everything that is at home. The choice depends on the basis used, that is, the broth. Greens can be added fresh and dry, frozen, canned, it all depends on the season. At the pot of 5 liters, 35-40 grams of fresh grass is enough, no longer needed (unless, of course, this is not green borsch).
What greens to fill borscht of different types:
- Borsch with beef. Ideal fresh parsley will fit into it. You can also use cilantro, it will not spoil the dish in small quantities.
- Borsch with lamb. Cilantro will perfectly fit into it, you can add a little fresh or dry basil, but it is important not to overdo it.
- Borsch with pork. Dill and fennel will perfectly fit into it. You can use not only greens, but also seeds, for example, omit a whole branch with an umbrella.
- Borsch with chicken, turkey. The perfect supplement is dill, but you can drop a sprig of basil, hold for five minutes and remove. She will leave behind a pleasant but unobtrusive scent.
- Vegetable, mushroom soup. Parsley or dill can be added. Vegetables are perfectly combined with all types of greens, like mushrooms, we choose to your taste.
Important! In no case should not simultaneously use parsley with dill and cilantro. If you also throw basil or rosemary at them, you will get an incredible blend with a hellish aroma. It is advisable to choose one species, but you can offer other types of herbs on a separate plate.
What can not be added to the soup
Although borsch is compared with the hodgepodge because of the huge amount of ingredients, you don’t need to throw everything at it. This can just spoil the dish. Instead of the soup you get a whole casserole of a burning, sour or spicy mass.
What is not added to the soup:
- Cloves, cinnamon and other spices. These spices in the Ukrainian (or is it still Russian?) Dish certainly not the place.
- Ginger. You can serve marinated root to borsch on a separate plate, perhaps someone will like this option. But fresh or dry ginger cannot be added directly to the pot.
- Korean seasonings. It turns out that they are added not only to salads. Mistresses pour this spice mix into sauces, stews, soups, season fish and meat. But it is not necessary to add to borsch.
- Hops-suneli. Another mix that many housewives love. They believe that this is a universal option. Perhaps hops-suneli is suitable for most dishes of our cuisine, but not for borscht for sure.
It’s still better to add less spices than more. If there is little taste in borscht, something is missing, then the old Ukrainian gas station will help out - lard with garlic. You just need to salt them and grind in a mortar, if desired, add chopped greens, allspice.
This gruel is thrown into plates, smeared on bread, added to a saucepan, but only at the very end. Aroma and amazing taste guaranteed!
