How to Cook the Perfect Classic Borscht: Step-by-Step Recipe

Why return to the classics and how to prepare borscht so that it turns out rich and balanced, explained nutritionist and active longevity expert Elena Zhelyanina.

Classic Borscht Recipe

To prepare borscht according to the classic recipe, simple and accessible ingredients are needed. It is their combination that forms the recognizable taste of the dish.

Ingredients:

Beef on the bone — 1 kg.
Drinking water — 5 l.
Bay leaf — 3 pcs.
Black peppercorns — 5 pcs.
Sauerkraut — 400 g.
White cabbage — 300 g.
Onion — 2 pcs.
Beetroot — 2 pcs.
Carrot — 2 pcs.
Clarified butter — 30 g.
Tomato paste — 50 g.
Apple cider vinegar — 2 tbsp.
Garlic — 3 cloves.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper — to taste.

The Basis of Flavor: Proper Broth

Classic borscht starts with broth. For it, beef on the bone is used, most often brisket with a edge. The meat is rinsed, covered with cold water, and brought to a boil, making sure to skim off the foam.

After that, bay leaf and black peppercorns are added to the pot. The broth is simmered on low heat for about three hours, avoiding a vigorous boil. It is the slow cooking that gives a rich, clean flavor.

Vegetable Preparation: Color and Balance

While the broth is cooking, the vegetable preparation is made. The onion is finely chopped and sautéed in clarified butter until translucent. Then grated carrot and beetroot, along with tomato paste, are added.

The vegetables are poured with a small amount of water and apple cider vinegar is introduced. Stewing on low heat for 30 minutes preserves the bright color of the beetroot and creates the characteristic sweet-sour note of borscht.

Assembling the Borscht: Step-by-Step Recipe

The finished broth is strained, the meat is separated from the bone and coarsely chopped. First, the squeezed sauerkraut is added to the pot and boiled for about twenty minutes.

Then shredded fresh cabbage is added, boiled for another ten minutes, after which the stewed vegetables and garlic, passed through a press, are added. The borscht is salted and peppered to taste, quickly brought to a boil, and the heat is turned off.

After that, the borscht is covered with a lid and left on the hot stove for 15 minutes. The infusion completes the flavor and unites all the ingredients into a whole.

"As a result, it is precisely the adherence to the sequence and cooking time that allows for the classic borscht to be obtained — thick, aromatic, and truly homemade," summarizes Elena.