Borsht
Description
Borsht is Eastern European vegetable soup which has countless national, regional and family variations. It generally has beetroot in which gives borsht its characteristic red colour. You can eat this soup hot or cold, with or without the added bits.
Ingredients
500g fresh beetroot, washed peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 low salt vegetable or chicken stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve with: 500g white potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes and boiled or steamed until tender
125ml single cream
Methods/steps
1. Heat the oil in a soup pan and gently fry the beetroot and apple for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable or chicken stock, sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat to a fast simmer and cook until the beetroot is soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Blend using a hand blender or mash with a potato masher.
5. Serve hot with the cooked potatoes and a swirl of cream, or cold with just the cream.
Additional Tips
Robin Van Creveld, Community Chef, www.communitychef.org.uk