This regional soup, although it comes from Ukraine, conquers the tables in many countries – Ukrainian borscht! As the saying goes, as many cooks as many recipes for borscht. Some serve it with potatoes, others with cabbage and groats, some add the cream to it, others don’t. It has a different taste depending on the season, because the root vegetables have different flavor intensity in winter and summer.
The Ukrainian borscht gains a wonderful color thanks to beets, of course the more of them the better. I added beetroot juice to my soup, which you can get in healthy food stores or in one of the bigger drugstores. It adds a deep purple color to the soup.
You should also be careful not to boil the borscht too much, because the color of the beets will start to turn brown. It is enough to cook everything over medium heat so that it only gurgles slightly and the color remains correct.
BEETROOT – it dyes your hands a lot, so it is worth wearing gloves when you peel and grate it. I do not recommend buying ready-made peeled beets in a plastic package, as they have already lost some of their color during previous processing. In summer, it is worth buying fresh beetroot and using beetroot and part of its leaves for cooking. They are edible, full of vitamins and give the soup a great flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 parsley
- a piece of celery
- 3 red beets
- a piece of leek (optional)
- 2 liters of broth
- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
- 1 can of white beans
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 bay leaves, 3 allspice, 1 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar
- 150ml of vegan cream
- parsley or dill for decoration
- beetroot juice (if you can find it)
- salt
UKRAINIAN BORSCHT – PREPARATION
- Simmer the diced onion in a wide pot with a bit of oil. Add the peeled and grated carrots, parsley and celery and fry for about 3 minutes while stirring.
- Peel the beets and grate them, add to the pot. Pour the broth in and boil it.
- Meanwhile, add the tomato paste, beans, garlic cloves and spices. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- After boiling, reduce the heat and cook under the lid open for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Finally, add a little vinegar or lemon juice, take off the heat and add vegan cream and beetroot juice (if you find it in the stores).
