Beef Borscht

Ingredients

• 400 g Beef
• 1 Onion
• as needed Oil, for frying the beef and sautéing the vegetables
• 4 Beet, small
• 1 Cabbage, small
• 2 Carrot
• 1 Garlic
• 15 ml Oil, for frying the beets
• 15 ml Tomato paste
• 5 ml Mustard
• 5 ml Sugar, for initial seasoning
• if needed Sugar, for final adjustment if needed
• 4 Black pepper, whole peppercorns
• 1 l Beef stock
• 1 Bay leaf
• to taste Salt
• 15 ml Vinegar, 5% acidity
• 100 ml Water
• Sour cream, for serving

Method

1. 01

   Heat the beef stock

   Bring the beef stock to a simmer in a large pot.

2. 02

   Prepare the beets

   Coarsely grate the beets. Heat 15 ml oil in a frying pan, add the beets, and fry for 3–4 min. Add the vinegar and 100 ml water, cover, and simmer gently for 10 min. Set the beets aside.

3. 03

   Brown the beef and sauté the aromatics

   Cut the beef into small cubes and chop the onion, carrot, and garlic. Heat the oil in a frying pan, brown the beef briefly, and transfer it to a plate. Sauté the onion, carrot, and garlic in the same pan until softened, stir in the tomato paste, and cook briefly.

4. 04

   Combine the borscht

   Cut the cabbage into strips. Add the browned beef, sautéed aromatics, cabbage, and prepared beets to the pot of hot stock. Stir in the mustard, sugar, and peppercorns.

5. 05

   Simmer the borscht

   Add the bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender and the beef is cooked.

6. 06

   Finish and serve the borscht

   Season the cooked borscht with salt, tasting as you go. If needed, add a little more sugar and vinegar to balance the flavor, but add acidity only if the soup needs it. Serve hot with sour cream.

Note

Serve with a spoonful of sour cream. The finished borscht should be slightly sweet and sour, so adjust the final balance to taste.