This vegetarian borscht brings back fond childhood memories
As a child, I had a very good friend whose family were Russian. It’s hardly surprising then, that we often had borscht for lunch at her house. I used to really look forward to a colourful and mouth-watering bowl of steaming hot borscht. It seemed so exotic and exciting to me. These joys all came to an abrupt end, when I decided to give up meat. Though my friend’s mother did suggest she just scoop out the meat for me, it didn’t feel right to cheat, even for a delicious bowl of borscht. So, I developed a vegetarian borscht recipe, which I have enjoyed cooking for many years. I always think of my childhood Russian friend and her family. Although vegetarian borscht is not quite the same as a borscht with a rich meat stock, it is equally delicious in it’s own way.
Borscht is a classic Eastern European dish
Borscht, known also as borsch, borsht and bortsch is popular in many Eastern European countries, such as Ukraine, Poland and Russia. There are many different varieties of borscht, most of which are not actually bright red as you might think. These range from sorrel based green borscht, to cabbage borscht. Borscht can be thick or thin, and can be served hot or cold.
The most famous variety though, is probably beetroot borscht. It is traditionally made with beet sour (fermented beetroot juice), cabbage, meat and meat broth, and typically accompanied by smetana, Russian sour cream. You don’t blend the soup, but rather is serve it with chunky vegetables in a very tasty broth.
The perfect balance of earthy sweetness and tangy sourness
I make my vegetarian borscht with a mix of root vegetables, potato and onion, which produce a surprisingly tasty broth. The beetroot and carrots give the soup an earthiness and sweetness, which is balanced by the addition of vinegar for a tangy sourness. I like to add red wine vinegar to increase the red colour, although apple cider vinegar is also a good option. You can also use lemon juice, although I find I prefer the final result with vinegar. Stir in some chopped dill at the end to give your vegetarian borscht a lovely fresh note.
Vegetarian Borscht
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 stick of celery, diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 medium potato (approx. 250-300g), peeled and cut into 1-1.5cm dice
- 2 medium tomatoes (approx. 300-350g)
- 450g beetroot, peeled
- 200g white cabbage, coarsely sliced
- 1½ litres vegetable stock
- 4-6 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 bouquet garni (4 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 5 peppercorns tied in muslin cloth)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 60-70ml fresh dill, finely chopped
- Sour cream or yoghurt to serve (for vegans, leave off)
- Extra dill to garnish
Instructions
- Peel the tomatoes. To do this, cut a cross in the skin on their bases, place them in boiling water for about 15-30 seconds (depending on how ripe they are), and then plunge them into ice water. The skins should slide off easily. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove their seeds over a sieve over a bowl, to catch the juices. Reserve the tomato juice and coarsely chop the flesh.
- Cut the beetroot into julienne matchsticks. To do this, thinly slice them, and then cut the slices into matchstick-size strips.
- Place the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery and sweat until soft. Don’t brown.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the potato and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the beetroot and cabbage, and then pour the stock and the reserved tomato juice into the pot. Add 4 tbsp. vinegar and the sugar.
- Tie the bouquet garni to the side of the pot, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently stir the soup to combine the ingredients.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes, cabbage and beetroot are cooked. If the soup doesn’t have enough liquid, add a little more stock.
- Check the seasoning and add more salt, pepper, vinegar or sugar as needed. Stir through the dill.
- Serve with sour cream or yoghurt and garnish with dill. For vegans, simply leave off the sour cream or yoghurt.
