Borscht (serves 4)
In childhood I remember beetroot being something that came out of a jar in slices with a vinegary taste and was a firm staple of salads back in the day when a salad consisted of lettuce, tomato, hard boiled egg and slices of beetroot plus cold meat eaten with mayonnaise or Heinz Salad Cream!
You could have it hot with a white sauce but it wasn’t appealing to me though I expect I was made to have a spoonful.
I first tasted borscht at a Russian restaurant somewhere off Beauchamp Place in London – it was heavenly! It’s a good soup for this time of the year – love the color. Secret ingredient is a good dollop of horseradish (Gold’s Prepared Horseradish). I also added some red wine which seemed to blend right in! Make sure diced beetroot and diced potato are the same size.
I can imagine this soup would hit the spot after a day’s skiing, at a shooting lunch or after shoveling snow!
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion – chopped
2 cloves garlic – chopped
3 x beetroot – peeled and diced
1 x large potato – peeled and diced
3 cups of vegetable broth (or more if you like a runnier soup)
1/2 cup of red wine
1 tbsp. prepared horseradish
Heat oil in cast iron casserole dish and when sizzling add onion and garlic and let soften.
Add rest of ingredients with the exception of the horseradish.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for half an hour.
Puree in a food processor, then add horseradish and stir to mix it in.
