Borsh - The Traditional Russian & Ukrainian Dish

Many of my clients, once tasted Borsch, enthusiastically asked me about its recipe. FinallyI decided to meet the many requests of my guests and to acquaint you with the recipe of this wonderful dish.

Background & Ingredients

Borsch is one of the most famous and favorite dishes of Slavs. Borsch came to Russia from Ukraine, here it undergone some changes. Traditionally the Borsch is cooked from meat or bone broth (although there is meatless beet Borsch) with the addition of a variety of vegetables - potatoes, cabbage, beets, onions, tomatoes. Even mushrooms, prunes and dried fruit are added in Borsch in some regions. However, this is only regional features that are not inherent in the traditional Russian or Ukrainian borsch.

Depending on the combination of products or the shape of sliced vegetable Borsch is called differently: Ukrainian, Moscow, navy, etc. Ukrainian Borsch is cooked with bacon and potatoes, in Moscow Borsch we put the beef, ham and sausages, and in naval Borsch (which is traditionally cooked with bacon) we put sliced vegetables, and for everyone else cut them straw.

So, let's get acquainted with the recipes of Russian and Ukrainian Borsch!

Russian Borsch

For the broth: 1 kg of bacon, 500 g of bone, 4 liters of water. For the Borsch: beet - 200 g, cabbage - 300g, carrots - 50g, parsley - 5 g, onions - 1 clove, tomato puree - 50 g, flour - 25 g, margarine - 10 g, sugar – 5g, vinegar 3% - 8 g, sour cream - 10 g, bay leaf, pepper, greens.

Fold the breast meat and bones in a pot, fill it with water and put on the fire to a simmer. Once the meat in water to boil - remove the foam of a spoon, lower the heat and cook for a half-open lid on low heat for 1.5 hours.

While the broth is cooking, beets, cut into strips or slices, you must put out in a closed pot with the addition of fat, tomato puree, sugar. To save the color of beets (depending on condition) you can add 2-3 grams of vinegar (but not the essence). Don’t let the beet get burnt: stir it, adding as needed broth or water.

First you should stew the beets on high heat, and when it comes to a boil and settles, the heating must be reduced and maintain only a slight boil. Mature beets should be stewed for 30-40 minutes, the young one for 10-15 minutes. Chop fresh cabbage to thin straws (approximately 5 mm).  Put the cabbage into a cauldron of boiling broth, let the contents of the pot to a boil, add beets, braised, fried spices and onions and cook Borsch for 20-30 minutes. Then put the sliced potato cubes and cook until done. In 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking borscht can be charged with white sauce, put spices (bay leaf, pepper), salt and tomato puree.

Serve with sour cream.

Ukrainian Borsch

For 5 liters of water: meat - 600-700 g (better pork ribs), potatoes - 2-3 pieces, beet - 1 small piece, onions - 2 pieces, carrots - 2 pcs, tomato - 5-6 pieces (make puree), Bulgarian pepper (red and green, can be bitter) - 1, cabbage, greens, a small piece of old bacon, 1 clove garlic, salt.

First of all boil the broth and make seasoning. To do this, omit the meat and bones in a pot with water and cook in the same manner as the broth for Russian Borsch. Then in a pan fry the grated carrots. After a couple of minutes add the tomato puree to it and fry over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Thinly beet cubes throw into boiling meat broth. Beets must be cooked for a long time to the other vegetables are not stained while cooking. Let the beets be cooked until it become almost white.

Onions cut in small cubes and toss into the boiling broth. After 3-4 minutes you can through sliced potatoes into the broth. Salt Borsch when the potatoes begin to boil. Potatoes should be boiled until cooked. Once the potatoes are cooked - add cutting thin cubes of cabbage and semirings of pepper. If you are cooking a young cabbage it should not be boiled, because it will lose elasticity and taste characteristics. You just need to doge, until it starts to boil, and add seasoning of tomato. If cabbage is old and rigid, it should be boiled for 3-4 minutes. The cabbage should not be boiled for a long time anyway. The overdone cabbage looks like rags, and the taste is not better. You should add seasoning of tomato next. Let the broth be boiled for 5-10 minutes after it. Then add greens and boil it for 2-3 minutes.

Before serving obscure piece of pork and garlic in a mortar and add them to the bottom of each dish. It makes a wonderful savory flavor.
Traditionally, Russian and Ukrainian Borsch is served with fritters - fluffy rolls, grated garlic and herbs.