Beetroot Soup with Meat (Borscht)

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 Carrot
• 1 stalk Celery
• 1 kg soup bones
• 750 g beef for cooking (e.g., shoulder)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 200 g turnip
• 500 g beetroot
• 2 onions
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp wine vinegar
• a pinch sugar
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• 400 g tomatoes or 200 g diced canned tomatoes
• 2 red bell peppers
• 250 g White cabbage
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp Sour cream

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel and halve the onion. Peel and slice the carrot. Wash, trim, and slice the celery. Rinse the soup bones cold and combine them with the beef, onion, carrots, celery, salt, peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaf in about 1.5 liters of water; bring to a boil. Simmer gently over low heat for about an hour, skimming off foam as needed. Peel and grate the turnip. Peel the beetroot (preferably with disposable gloves) and slice it. Dice the onions and finely chop the garlic. Remove the meat from the broth, trim fat and sinews, and cut into cubes. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth. In a large pot melt butter; sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes while stirring. Add celery and beetroot and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in the strained broth until the vegetables are covered. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper; simmer gently over low heat for about 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Prepare tomatoes by scoring them crosswise and blanching with boiling water. Cool, peel, halve, core, and chop the flesh. Wash peppers, halve, remove seeds and white membranes, and slice into strips. Shred or finely cut the cabbage. Add tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage to the beetroot mixture in the pot; pour broth until everything is covered and simmer for another 30 minutes. Stir in the beef cubes and let them heat through. Season with vinegar, sugar, and salt. Serve garnished with parsley leaves.