Borscht

Broth

• beef shin600 g
• onions1
• bay leaves2
• black peppercorns6
• water2½ l

Soup

• beetroot500 g
• red wine vinegar3 tbsp
• carrots2
• onions1
• potatoes300 g
• white cabbage300 g
• tomato paste2 tbsp
• sunflower oil2 tbsp
• garlic cloves3
• sugar1 tsp
• salt

To serve

• soured cream
• dill1 handful

Broth

1. 01

   Halve the onion for the broth. Simmer the beef shin on the bone with the halved onion, bay and peppercorns in 2.5 litres of water for 90 minutes, skimming. Strain, shred the meat and keep the broth.

Soup

2. 02

   Peel and coarsely grate the beetroot. Fry the peeled, coarsely grated beetroot in the oil for 5 minutes, then add 2 tbsp of the vinegar and the tomato paste and cook gently for 15 minutes. The acid is what fixes the colour — beetroot boiled straight in the pot turns the soup a dull brown.

3. 03

   Peel and cube the potatoes, shred the cabbage, grate the carrots and finely chop the other onion. In the broth, cook the cubed potatoes for 10 minutes, then add the shredded cabbage, the grated carrot and the finely chopped onion and cook 10 minutes more.

4. 04

   Crush the garlic. Stir in the beetroot mixture and the shredded beef, add the crushed garlic and the sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes only.

5. 05

   Season with salt and more vinegar to taste. It should be clearly sour as well as sweet.

To serve

6. 06

   Chop the dill. Rest the soup off the heat for 20 minutes before serving, with soured cream and plenty of chopped dill.