This recipe was born in Ukraine, but this dish is largely used in Russia too. The Russian variant includes also cabbage. By now, this borscht soup is part of Finnish culture too since Finland has been under Russian domain for a century. I’m fact, only in 1917 Finland became independent. That explains why Russian culture is part of what Finnish culture is too.
Normally, when people prepare this soup, they will make it a lot because since it cooks so slow. So don’t worry if you can’t finish it all at once! You can freeze it without problems and keep it when some “emergency” strikes, for when you won’t have 3 hours to spend in the kitchen 😀 Then, all you’ll have to do will be thawing it out.
Also in this recipe, rye bread covers an essential part, if you want to enjoy this dish in the very traditional way 😉
Talking about the flavors of this soup, they surely are unique in their genre. It’s a strong and clear flavor, but at the same time very enjoyable. Parsley doesn’t only decorate the plate and give it the right shade of color, but also complete the savor. Finally, borscht soup cannot be served without smetana, crème frâiche or, more simply called, sour cream.
Here in Finland you can easily find pickle beetroots. If you are not able to find them where you live, don’t despair! Use the beetroots that you find (peel them if fresh) and substitute the beetroot vinegar with 200 ml of apple vinegar.
[col1]Preparation time: 20 min[/col1]
[col2]Cooking time: 2 hours [/col2]
[col3]Total time: 2 hour and 20 min[/col3]
Serves: 12 people
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 kg of baby beetroots pickle
- 200 ml of beetroot vinegar
- 1 onion
- 1 leek
- 1 head of cabbage, approximately 500 g
- 200 g of bacon
- 1 liter and a half of broth *
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Parsley
- Two tablespoons of oil
- Smetana or Crème fraîche
*You can substitute the broth with 1 liter and a half of water and two vegetables stocks
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Fry the leek and the onion in a frying pan with oil
- Grate the beetroots and the cabbage
- Place the grated vegetables in a kettle, cover them with the broth and boil them
- When they start to soften, add the vinegar, the rest of the broth, the fried leek and onions
- Fry the bacon and add it to the soup
- When the vegetables will be soft, adjust with pepper and salt
- Serve with parsley and smetana
