Borscht as we made it

• 3 mid sized beetroots
• 3 carrots
• 3 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 4 spoons of tomato paste
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 head of cabbage
• olive oil
• salt, pepper, parsley, summer savory
• 1 spoon of sugar
• sour cream
• fresh parsley or fennel

Attention: beetroot has very strong red color, which is hard to remove from clothes and skin! I highly recommend using gloves and apron when handling with it.

First prepare the vegetables: peel and shred beetroots, peel and shred carrots, peel and cut potatoes into cubes, clean and shred cabbage and finally: peel and chop an onion.

Take a bit pot and pour 2L of water in it. Place is over the medium heat and wait until it boils. Then add beetroot and let it boil for about 15min (until the beetroot looses the color). Then add carrots and potatoes, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. After that add diced tomatoes and cabbage and slowly cook for a few minutes.

Take a pan, add some oil and cook until tender. Then add tomato paste and a cup of water, stir well and add to the soup. Mince the garlic and add it to the soup. Taste and season the soup with salt, pepper, parsley and savory. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Before serving, add a spoon of sour cream and garnish with fresh parsley or fennel.

Optional you can also add sliced pork sausage or cooked egg in the soup.

Borscht as we ate it in Ukraine

This soup looks suspicious at first, since red color is not very common in our diet. But once you try it, you will be convinced that it is truly tasteful.