Borscht

Ingredients

• 700 g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1/4 white cabbage, finely shredded
• 300 g potatoes, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 40 g butter
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• soured cream, to serve
• a big handful of dill

Method

1. Soften the base

   Cook the onion, carrot and garlic in the butter until soft and sweet.

   10 min

2. Beetroot with acid, from the start

   Add the grated beetroot, tomato puree and vinegar and cook for 10 minutes. The acid goes in now, not at the end: without it the beetroot cooks to a dull brownish-orange instead of staying deep red.

   10 min

3. Stock and potatoes

   Pour in the stock, add the potatoes and bay, and simmer until the potato is nearly tender.

   20 min

4. Cabbage last

   Add the shredded cabbage and cook only 10 minutes more. Cooked longer it goes sulphurous and grey and takes the whole pot with it.

   10 min

5. Balance it

   Taste and adjust with more vinegar, salt and a pinch of sugar if the beetroot is not sweet. Borscht should land sharp first, then sweet, then earthy.

6. Serve

   Ladle into bowls with a spoonful of soured cream and a lot of dill. Better on the second day, and it freezes well without the cream.