RECIPE: Borscht

[Guest guest]

While we're talking about herbs and foods that are good for us ;=) I thought I'd

add a recipe that would be good for a sore throat and great for the immune

system. It's that old-fashioned favourite, borscht - the Russian beet and

cabbage soup - but made in a slightly different way than I have been

accustomed to. I have made this recipe twice now, and I have a pot of it

simmering on the back of the stove as I key this in ;=)

 

This recipe is slightly adapted from Colin Spencer's _The Adventurous

Vegetarian_ (which is a great little book, btw. Recommended). It is the long

simmering which makes this simple recipe especially good. It can also be

served chilled, of course.

 

750 g (1-1/2 lb) raw beetsroot, peeled and diced OR same of cooked*

1 small cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 small carrot, chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 onions, chopped

1.5 litres (2-1/2 pints or 6 US cups) vegetable stock (homemade if you have it)

sea salt to taste (depending on the salitiness of your stock)

freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 Tbsp vinegar (taste carefully as you add it)

vegan yoghurt or sour 'creme' for garnish

grated cucumber for garnish

 

Put all the vegetables in a large pan and add the stock. Bring to the boil and

simmer for 2 hours. (You could also do this in a crockpot or slow cooker.)

 

Put the soup in a blender in batches, season with salt and pepper and add a

Tbsp of vinegar, then another half Tbsp depending on your taste. Reheat

gently, garnish with the 'creme' and grated cucumber. Serves 6.

 

*If you are lazy like me, you may want to boil the beets up one day - use some

for another dish and reserve the amount of beets needed for this soup. In that

case, I like to boil the beets in their skins and then plunge them into cold

water. That way the skins just slip off - far less trouble and less mess. The

soup is good either way.