Classic Tasty Borscht: Detailed Recipe

Step 1

Start cooking the meat broth. The recipe doesn't specify what meat to use, but I took pork and beef 1:1. I'll say right away - it turned out great.
Wash the meat, cover with clean cold water (3.5-4 liters) and bring to boil on high heat. Then reduce heat to a slight simmer, skimming off any foam that appears. Cook the meat for about 1.5 hours. When it can be easily pierced with a fork or knife, it's ready.
About halfway through cooking, add bay leaf and peppercorns.

Step 2

Cut the onion into batons. Peel the onion, cut into 4 parts and slice thinly. The onion should be quite large.

Step 3

Cut carrots and beets into thin matchsticks. It's believed that chopped vegetables are better for borscht than grated ones.

Step 4

Thinly shred the cabbage and cut celery into matchsticks.

Step 5

When the meat is ready, remove it from the broth and cut into serving pieces.

Step 6

Strain the broth, return it to the pot, add salt and put the chopped meat in it. Note that salt is added at the very end of cooking the broth.
Add cabbage to the strained broth and continue cooking until the cabbage is done.

Step 7

Put beets, onions, carrots and celery in a pot with vegetable oil, add a little (100-150 ml) broth and simmer covered over low heat for about 20 minutes.
While simmering, stir the vegetables to prevent burning.

Step 8

Halfway through simmering, add peeled and chopped tomatoes, sugar and vinegar to the vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are completely cooked, then add them to the broth with the cooked cabbage. Turn off the finished borscht and cover to let it steep for a while.

Step 9

When serving, add sour cream and herbs to the borscht. Garlic and black bread go perfectly with borscht.