Beetroot Soup (Borscht)

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 bundle of soup vegetables (carrot, celery, kohlrabi, parsley)
• 800 g soup bones
• 500 g beef (for cooking)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 200 g turnip root
• 600 g beetroot
• 2 onions
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 200 g white cabbage
• a pinch of sugar
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• 1 tbsp chopped dill sprigs

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel and halve the onion. Wash, trim, and cut the soup vegetables into pieces. Rinse the soup bones cold and combine them with the beef, onion, vegetables, and spices in 1.5 liters of water; bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and grate the celery roughly. Peel the beetroot and cut into cubes. Dice the onions and finely chop the garlic.

2. 2.

   Remove the meat from the broth, trim off fat and sinew, and cube it. Set aside covered. Strain the broth through a sieve. In a large pot melt the butter; sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes while stirring. Add the celery and beetroot and cook together for another 3 minutes. Pour in the beef broth until the vegetables are covered, add the spices and vinegar, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Finely shred or slice the white cabbage into thin strips and add it to the pot with the beetroot mixture; pour more broth so everything is covered and simmer for another 25 minutes. Stir in the beef cubes and reheat. Season with vinegar, sugar, and salt, then fold in the dill. Serve in preheated soup bowls.