How to cook borscht

Borsch is one of the dishes that every self-respecting hostess should be able to cook. Until now, the culinary abilities of the bride "test" on this first dish. It is believed that many men are not indifferent to him and give him preference over other soups. Russian and Ukrainian cuisines dispute the authorship of this unpretentious, but tasty, hearty and fragrant food. Traditionally, in these countries it is prepared according to different recipes, and its variants are also available in individual regions. Classic borscht recipes do not involve the use of rare and inaccessible products. It is based on vegetables that grow in any garden. Therefore, knowing how to cook a borscht correctly, so that it turns out to be really tasty and has a rich red color, plays a primary role. Otherwise, instead of borsch, you risk getting an ordinary vegetable soup, unsightly and unappetizing.

Cooking Features

This fragrant and appetizing borsch of the correct red color is not always possible even for experienced housewives. Tips professional culinary help to cook it the way it should be in the classic version.

Classic borsch is most often cooked in meat broth, although there is also a lean version of this first dish. To make the aroma brighter, it is recommended to boil broth from meat on bone. From meat the preference is given to beef, use of pork is allowed. Sometimes borsch is boiled on poultry meat (in Poltava). Borscht on lamb broth is not one of the classic ones.
When cooking meat it is important not to miss the moment when the broth boils, in order to have time to remove the foam formed on the surface. Otherwise, before cooking borscht broth will have to drain.
Products included in borscht have different cooking times. The sequence of their bookmarks can not be broken. Otherwise, some of the vegetables may be undercooked, others will be overcooked.
A correct borscht necessarily has a pronounced red hue, which gives it beets. You can get this only if you know a few secrets. Beets are required to chop finely or even rub. It is added to the soup shortly before its readiness so that it does not have time to discolor. Before that, it should be lightly fried in frying oil and sweat mixed with tomato paste or fresh tomatoes. To preserve the color, lemon juice or vinegar is added to beetroot.
Fried onions and carrots are often cooked separately. The bow in it should remain soft, juicy. To do this, fry it only until it starts to turn golden a little, then remove the fire to a minimum and cook carrots and onions in a frying pan, until vegetables are soft.
Sugar, garlic, fresh greens help to enhance the taste and aroma of borscht. In the Ukrainian version of the dish, garlic is ground with a small piece of chopped bacon before adding to the soup.

According to the established tradition, borsch is seasoned with sour cream and served with donuts, pies, pancakes, pies.

Classic Russian borscht recipe

Composition:

beef on the bone - 0, 7 kg;
water - 3 l;
beets - 150 g;
potatoes - 0, 3 kg;
carrots - 100 g;
onions - 100 g;
tomato paste - 20 ml;
apple cider vinegar (6%) - 5 ml;
garlic - 2 cloves;
bay leaf - 1 pc .;
salt, black pepper - to taste;
vegetable oil - as required;
sour cream, fresh greens - to serve.

Method of preparation:

Wash the beef, cover it with water. Over medium heat bring to a boil. Remove skimmer foam. Add a teaspoon of salt, reduce heat and cook until the meat is easily separated from the bone. It usually takes about an hour.
Peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes.
Remove the top leaves from the cabbage. Cut a piece of the head of the right size. Divide into pieces about 2, 5-3, 5 cm wide, finely chop using a large knife.
Peel the beets. Cut it into thin bars or coarsely grate.
Heat a sufficient amount of vegetable oil in a pan, put beetroot in it and fry over a quiet fire, stirring for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.
Sprinkle the beets with vinegar, stir and stew for 2-3 minutes. If desired, add a pinch of sugar. Put the tomato paste, stir. Simmer another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Peel the carrots, chop them on a grater with large holes.
Free the onions from the peel, cut it into cubes, not too small.
Heat a new batch of oil in a clean pan. Put onions and carrots in it. Cook the vegetables on medium heat until the onions begin to turn golden. Reduce heat and cook vegetables until soft.
Finely chop the garlic with a knife.
Remove the cooked meat from the broth. If it is not transparent enough, strain it. Add boiled water to bring the volume of liquid in the pan to 3 liters. Bring to a boil, add seasonings.
Using two forks, disassemble the meat into small pieces. Put in the broth and wait until it boils again.
Add the cabbage and wait for the liquid to boil again. Enter the potatoes.
After the soup boils again, boil it for 10 minutes, then put the onion and carrot roast in it. Boil for 2-3 minutes until the next boil.
Add the beet roast, cook 5 minutes after the soup boils again.
Put garlic in the soup. Wait 1-2 minutes and add fresh greens, previously finely chopped with a knife.
Boil the borscht on low heat for 5 minutes.
Turning off the fire, leave the soup to stand under the lid for at least another half an hour. In the old days, they tortured him for a long time in a pot in a Russian stove, thanks to which he had a rich taste and aroma.

When serving to a table, borsch is filled with sour cream. Separately served pies or pancakes, with or without the filling. If you decide to sprinkle the soup with fresh herbs and finely chopped green onions, this will not be a violation of tradition.

The classic recipe of Ukrainian borsch with donuts

Composition:

beef brisket or scapula - 0, 6-0, 8 kg;
pork (optional) - 0, 2 kg;
beets - 150 g;
potatoes - 0, 4 kg;
cabbage - 0, 4 kg;
onions - 0, 2 kg;
carrots - 0, 2 kg;
sweet pepper (optional) - 100 g;
tomato paste - 40 ml;
garlic - 5 cloves;
pork lard - 70 g;
vegetable oil - as needed;
sugar - 25 g;
table vinegar (9 percent) - 5 ml;
salt - to taste;
dry yeast - 10 g;
wheat flour - 0, 45 kg;
water - as needed;
black ground pepper, bay leaf - to taste;
sour cream - to serve.

Method of preparation:

Rinse the meat. Chop it into pieces weighing 100-200 g. Put it in a saucepan. Fill the meat with water so that it is 2-3 cm higher than it.
Bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes. Drain water.
Fill the pot with a new portion of water (need 2, 5-3 liters), put the meat in it. On medium heat, bring to a boil, remove the foam, salt.
Peel the onions and carrots. Add one onion and one carrot to the meat. Leave the rest to roast.
Reduce heat and boil meat until tender.
Remove meat and vegetables from the broth. Vegetables will not be needed - they gave the soup its flavor. Cool the meat and cut it into small pieces.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes, immerse them in the broth.
Chop the cabbage and send it after the potatoes as soon as the soup boils again. Cook for about 20 minutes. If you use sweet pepper, you need to fill it up about 5 minutes after laying the cabbage, but not before the soup starts boiling again. If you see that the soup is too thick, add warm boiled water.
While vegetables are being cooked, make a fry of vegetables. To do this, cut the onion into medium-sized cubes, cut the carrots and beets into thin, short sticks or grate. In our time, you can chop vegetables using a grater for Korean salads. Mixing vegetable cutting is not necessary.
Heat the oil in a pan, lightly fry the onion in it, add the carrots and fry until the vegetables are soft.
Add tomato paste, stew vegetables for 5 minutes with it.
Place beetroot over the rest of the vegetables. Immediately sprinkle it with sugar (half a teaspoon is enough) and pour vinegar. Stew over low heat with the rest of the vegetables until the beets are soft.
Fry in borsch, mix. Boil 5 minutes.
Finely chop the bacon and 3 cloves of garlic with a knife, pound them in a mortar or mash with a wooden spoon. Add to soup, mix.
Turn off the heat, leave the soup to stand under the lid for at least an hour. This time will be enough to cook the donuts.
Pour a glass of warm water into the bowl, dissolve a large spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt in it.
Pour in high-speed yeast and pour in 3 tablespoons of oil, mix.
Gradually add flour, knead the dough.
Make small balls (about 3-4 cm in diameter) from dough; place them on a greased baking sheet.
Place it in an oven heated to 220 degrees for 20 minutes.
Pass the remaining garlic through a press, mix with two spoons of oil.
Lubricate the finished pampushkas with this mixture.

Serve Ukrainian borsch with sour cream and donuts. If you cannot master the whole pot, do not be upset: the next day the soup will be even more delicious. Do not forget to put a few pieces of meat on each plate.

There are other borscht recipes that are considered classic. They are similar to the above. Only the lean borscht, which is cooked without meat, but with beans, which must be soaked before, differs from them. Lay it first, the remaining ingredients are added alternately after it is cooked until half cooked.