My father is originally Polish and at home we often had pots of barszcz sitting around, ready to be heated and served with a dollop of sour cream. Beetroots were an unknown ingredient in Rome in the ‘80s and I felt privileged drinking that incredibly fuchsia liquid that was sweet and earthy. Not many savoury foods were pink, and colours definitely played a role in food preferences at the time.
I rarely make Borsch but I still love it. Yesterday I bought a bunch of beautiful organic beetroots thinking it would be the perfect time to revisit this childhood favourite.
This recipe is closer to the Ukrainian Borsch, which is thicker and has more ingrdients than the Polish version. It’s delicious cold out of the fridge as well, like a gazpacho.
Ingredients: (for 6)
4 large beetroots, roasted, peeled and grated (use gloves)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
Meat from the bones you used in your stock
2 lt bone broth
2 medium carrots, grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 small white cabbaged, cored and finely sliced
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt, fresh dill and black pepper to taste
You’ll need 2 lt of bone broth approximately. Choose meaty bones (ribs, for example) to make it and once it’s ready and has cooled down, take the meat off the bones to use in the soup.
Add your bone broth to a large pot and heat over medium fire. Add the shredded meat, beets, potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and season to taste. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let it simmer covered with a lid.
In another pan heat some olive oil and add the carrots and onion, cook over medium heat until caramelised, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Add the minced garlic and stir for another 30 seconds approximately, until golden. Add the stir fry to the pot together with the sliced cabbage, cook for about 20 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Turn the heat off, add the lemon juice and serve with a sprinkle of fresh dill.
It’s common practice to throw a boiled egg into borsch, a good way to get more proteins with your meal.