| Borscht |
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Soups are always on the menu in Russia, no meal is complete without one. The soup base is a meat stock and the vegetables are cut into strips – I was told that puréed soups were relatively uncommon. This Russian Borscht recipe differs from our interpretation of a smooth beetroot soup. Incidentally, there is a friendly rivalry as to whether Borscht is Russian or Ukrainian.
Ingredients Meat stock:
To serve:
Method Place the water, marrow bone, beef, bay leaf and peppercorns into the AGA stockpot, bring to the boil for 5 minutes. 2, 3 and 4 oven AGA: Transfer to the simmering oven for 1-1½hours. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.Melt half the butter in a saucepan and slightly brown the onions, carrots and celery. Reserve. Place the prepared beetroots in a saucepan with the remaining butter and vinegar with just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and place in the simmering oven for 25 minutes. Then sprinkle the flour over the beetroot and mix in. Remove the meat stock fromthe oven and strain, reserving the stock and meat – discard the bay leaves, peppercorns and marrow bone. Return the stock to a clean AGA stockpot and add the slightly browned vegetables, the beetrootmixture, cabbage and tomatoes. Return to the boil for 5minutes and place in the simmering oven for another 30 minutes. Cut the retained meat into manageable pieces and add to the soup. Reheat and serve topped with soured cream and dill. Conventional cooking: Cook on the hob.
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