Borscht – Beetroot Soup

Borscht is a beetroot Soup that originates from eastern Europe and is one of the regions best kept culinary secrets – in my opinion.

We don’t often each much beetroot soup here in the UK and this makes me feel like we’re missing out.

Additionally, Beetroots are the easiest root vegetables that one can grow and will germinate in trays and sets, ahead of planting them in the ground.

There’s a whole variety of beetroots to choose from and in my experience, they are quite a hardy and resilient plant one can grow in the garden and in containers.

I’ve been known to grow them in toilet roll seed starters.

Borscht – Beetroot Soup

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A gorgeous beetroot soup to indulge in

If you’re going down with a cold, this beetroot soup is unbelievably good for you and will help to warm you through and recover.

Ingredients

Ingre

1. 4-5 decent sized beetroot, peeled and grated
2. 2 onions, diced
3. 2 carrots, cut into coins 
4. 5 tomatoes, diced
5. 1.2 litres of vegetable stock
6. 1 knob of butter
7. 3 celery sticks, diced
8. 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar 
9. 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional)
10. Salt and pepper for seasoning (optional)

Directions

1. First of all, melt the butter and fry off the onions until they are soft.
2. After that, turn the temperature to a low heat and then add 2 thirds of the the beetroot, the carrot and the celery and cook for 5 minutes. Stir to make sure nothing sticks.
3. Increase the temperature to a medium heat, and then add the garlic, the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, sugar and the vegetable stock. Once added, bring the mixture to the boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to bubble away for one hour or until the vegetables are soft.
5. Add the remaining beetroot and season with salt and pepper and then leave to cool for around ten minutes.

Additionally, to impress presentation wise, a dollop of sour cream is a fantastic addition to the dish.

Like most soups, this borscht is a great soup to have with crusty bread and butter for dipping.

Have you tried Borscht before? If yes, please leave a comment below and tell me what you think.