Borshch (also spelled borsch/borscht) is one of many deliciously Ukrainian dishes which Russia has taken into its kitchen, and its soul. As with all favourites, everyone has their own version. My borshch recipe is vegetarian, such as is eaten in Russia and Ukraine during Lent. The soup is great freshly made, even better if left for a couple of hours and reheated, allowing the flavours time to combine.

Making the stock
If you’re short of time, skip this section and make up 2 litres from a commercial stock cube.
1 carrot
1 onion
2 sticks celery
Outer leaves of a white cabbage
3 cloves of garlic
15-20g dried mushrooms (porcini is good)
2 bay leaves
5-10 whole black peppercorns
5 juniper berries (optional)

Peel the onion, wash and roughly chop all the veg, put it in a large pan with the bay leaves, peppercorns and juniper berries, and cover with 2 1/2 litres of water. Bring this to the boil, then add the dried mushrooms (rinse them briefly first to get off any grit. Simmer covered for 1 ½ hours. Remove the solids with a slotted spoon. Continue to simmer the liquid for 30 minutes to an hour, until it has reduced by at least a third. Season it with salt and pepper.

A special fermented beetroot juice known as beetroot kvas is also sometimes used half and half with stock though I haven’t included it here for reasons of time and space!

Making the soup
You will need;
1 small or ½ a large white cabbage
3 fist-sized beetroots
1 large carrot
3-4 potatoes
15-20g dried mushrooms pre-soaked
3 tblsps tomato paste
A little sunflower oil
A handful of fresh herbs (e.g. dill and parsley)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp apple or white wine vinegar

Start by preparing the cabbage. Shred it, wash it, and layer it into a bowl, sprinkling salt layer by layer as you go. Leave the salt to extract the juice and crisp up the cabbage, about 5 minutes. Now squeeze the cabbage gently to release the juice, and rinse thoroughly. This is a common method for cabbage, to make the end result tastier.

While the cabbage salts, peel the potatoes and chop them into thick (1/2cm) matchsticks. Separately, do the same with the beetroot and carrot. Bring the stock back to the boil.

Add the potato and cabbage to the stock and simmer for 5 minutes. At the same time, heat the sunflower oil in a good pan and fry the carrot and beetroot, adding the tomato paste and mushrooms after a minute or so. Season, add the vinegar and leave to sizzle. This part is called a passerovka and will give the colour to the final soup.

After 5 minutes, add the passerovka to the soup, stir well and continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes. 1 minute before you stop cooking, add the minced garlic and fresh herbs. This will give a wonderful aroma to the soup.

When serving, swirl a little sour cream into each bowl and sprinkle more herbs. The soup is good served with a roll, pirozhki (little bread pies), or dumplings.