Ukrainian Borscht with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers

Ukrainian Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup)

1. 

   First, you need to prepare the broth. There are two methods:

   Classic Rich Broth. Pour water into a large pot (6 quarts), add meat, peeled carrot, and yellow onion, and place over heat. Once boiling, remove all foam with a skimmer and simmer covered over low heat for 1½ to 2 hours. It's best to add spices and salt toward the end of cooking. You can also enhance the broth with parsley root, parsnip, or a piece of celery.

   Double-Boiled Meat Broth. Place the meat in a small pot with cold water, bring to a boil, and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse the meat to remove any coagulated protein, transfer it to a pot with fresh cold water, add vegetables and spices, and cook as you would a regular broth. This pre-boiling method results in a leaner and clearer broth, and eliminates the need for skimming foam.

2. 

   While the broth is cooking, prep and chop all the vegetables for the seasoning base.

   Sauté the diced onion in hot vegetable oil until lightly golden. Use a large, deep skillet for this.

3. 

   Add the julienned beets and a pinch of sugar to the sautéed onions. Cook the beets over low heat until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

   Tip: For balanced flavor and to preserve the color, you can add ½ teaspoon of white vinegar (6% acidity) or lemon juice.

4. 

   Add julienned carrots to the pan and cook everything together for 2-3 minutes.

5. 

   Add thinly sliced or diced bell pepper, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

6. 

   Add tomato paste to the vegetable mixture, stir well, and let it heat through for 1-2 minutes.

   Nuance: Sautéing the tomato paste allows it to caramelize slightly. This reduces its acidity, creating a sweeter and more pleasant flavor while enhancing its aroma. Additionally, sautéed tomato paste develops a deeper, richer color.

7. 

   Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and mix well, cover the vegetable base and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. The vegetables are done when the beets are tender.

   If the tomatoes aren't very juicy, you can add more tomatoes, some tomato juice, or 1 ladleful of meat broth. In winter, you can substitute fresh tomatoes with frozen ones or canned whole peeled tomatoes.

   Tip: Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water first and remove their skins. Then you can either finely chop them, grate them, or purée them in a blender.

8. 

   Remove the carrot and onion from the broth - we won't need them anymore. Add the potatoes cut into medium cubes to the broth, return to heat and cook for 10 minutes.

   If you're using bone-in meat for your broth, remove the meat, separate it from the bones, cut into serving pieces and return to the pot. You can strain the broth to remove any small bone fragments that may have settled at the bottom of the pot.

9. 

   Add the shredded white cabbage to the broth and cook together for 5 minutes.

   Nuance: Add early-season cabbage just 5 minutes before the end of cooking, as it cooks very quickly. Late-season cabbage takes about the same time to cook as potatoes.

   If you prefer your borscht with slightly cooked, crispy cabbage, add it towards the end of cooking.

10. 

    Add the sautéed vegetable mixture to the pot 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking.

    After 5-7 minutes, taste the borscht and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding salt, pepper, sugar, or acid as needed.

11. 

    2-3 minutes before the end of cooking, add the finely chopped fresh herbs. When the borscht is fully cooked, add pressed garlic, stir, and immediately turn off the heat.

    Cover the borscht and let it rest for 20-25 minutes.

12. 

    The Ukrainian borscht with pork ribs, tomatoes and bell peppers is ready.

    Traditionally, red borscht is served with sour cream, fresh herbs, garlic, pork fatback (salo), dark rye bread, or garlic pampushky (Ukrainian garlic rolls). When in season, you can also serve it with green onion tops, young radishes, fresh garlic, spread made from pork fatback, or onion skin-braised pork belly.