Classic Russian Borscht

Recipe steps

We take a pot with a capacity of 2 to 2.5 liters.

The key is well-prepared broth. We thoroughly rinse the beef with bone in cold water, place it in the pot, add cold water, and start cooking.

We bring it to a boil several times, then reduce the temperature and remove the foam. We salt it and let it simmer for about 1.5 hours.

Ten to fifteen minutes before the broth is ready, we add whole pepper and bay leaf.

We remove the meat and filter the broth. The meat should be tender, so we tear it into pieces about 2-3 cm long by hand. We can also cut it into cubes.

We return the meat to the broth and increase the heat.

We peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes of 2x2 cm, and add them to the broth. We bring it to a boil, then reduce the temperature and cook for about 15 minutes.

We put the chopped cabbage into the pot, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the temperature. We cook it on a gentle flame.

Meanwhile, while the potatoes and cabbage are cooking, we prepare the other vegetables. We peel the onion and cut it into small cubes, peel the carrot and beetroot, and grate them.

In a pan, we sauté the onion until it turns golden, then we add the carrot and sauté it for a moment.

We add the grated beetroot to the mixture and sauté everything together for a little longer.

From the pot where the potatoes and cabbage are cooking, we take only the broth - about two ladles, which we pour into the pan. We season with salt and pepper, add tomato paste, and stir everything well, then let it stew until soft.

After the beetroot has softened, we transfer the mixture from the pan to the pot and bring it to a boil. Then we reduce the temperature and cook the borscht for another 2 minutes, then turn it off.

We stir in crushed garlic into the borscht and mix well. We cover the dish with a lid and let it sit covered for about 15 minutes.

Traditional Russian borscht is served with sour cream, chopped dill, and parsley.