Throughout the world, borscht is considered a Russian dish, although it is prepared everywhere, in Ukraine, Poland, Czechoslovakia and other countries. They say that the housewife passed the cooking test if she learned to cook the classic rich borscht with meat.
Classic borscht is always a soup with meat, beets, fried tomatoes and cabbage.
And everything else is additives and personal preferences of everyone - as you like. It is still impossible to confuse this first dish with another due to its rich red color.
Today in my article I will talk about numerous cooking options. And each is tasty in its own way, and traditional for every nation. But I am sure that there is no person who has never tried such soup in his life.
Honestly, my family and I really love the aromatic classic borscht with meat. And we are happy to cook it at least once a week. I advise you to do the same.
Borscht with pork meat - a classic step-by-step recipe
For the whole family, the best lunch dish is borscht soup. Hearty, aromatic and incredibly tasty borscht that creates a cozy homely atmosphere. Every housewife has her own traditional recipe, by the taste of which you can determine the hand of the cook with your eyes closed.
You can prepare real borscht in pork broth using my advice. The most important thing for the first course is rich broth and beautiful roasting.
To cook six servings of delicious borscht according to this recipe, we take the following ingredients:
- piece of pork with bone – 500 g;
- fresh cabbage - half a head of cabbage;
- carrots and onions - 1 pc.;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 5 potatoes;
- one medium beet;
- tomato paste;
- frying oil;
- salt, sour cream, sugar - to taste.
To prepare borscht, follow these steps:
- Boil the broth, place the cooked meat on a plate, and strain the broth.
- Cut the pork into small pieces, place them back in the pan and put on the fire.
- Peel all the vegetables and cut them: potatoes and onions into cubes, grate the carrots.
- While the potatoes are cooking, pour a little oil into the frying pan and sauté the vegetables over medium heat until golden brown. You need to stir them so they don't burn.
- When the potatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, add the shredded cabbage.
- Cut the beets into cubes, you can use a grater. Place it in the pan with the vegetables and fry, stirring. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Mix everything, add salt and sugar to taste.
- Now we lay out the frying. You should taste the borscht for salt and add more salt if necessary. Keep it on low heat for another 10 minutes and turn it off.
- The finished borscht should “rest” for at least half an hour.
Before serving, flavor classic borscht with sour cream and sprinkle with fresh herbs. And if you also bake fragrant garlic buns, the result will exceed all expectations.
Borscht with fresh cabbage and beets - Step-by-step recipe for meat broth with beef
Borscht – how much has this sound brought together for the Russian heart?! Every self-respecting housewife should be able to cook this soup. There are legends that some men choose their chosen ones only after trying her love potion in the form of borscht) Just a joke, of course. But there is also a significant grain of truth here.
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And this is no longer a joke - that’s how it is. I have many recipes for this soup in my arsenal. One of the fastest is with fresh cabbage. After all, salty food is not always on hand. Although, I must admit, borscht with salted or sauerkraut turns out tastier.
But everyone has different tastes. Opportunities too. I want to offer you my recipe for borscht in meat broth with beef, fresh cabbage and beets. We will look at everything - from the list of necessary products to the main secrets of perfect borscht.
How to cook delicious borscht with beef and fresh cabbage at home
How to cook? Very simple. Even if you are preparing it for the first time, you will definitely succeed. After all, in this article I will try to describe everything in as much detail as possible and will attach clarifying photographs. The end result is so beautiful and delicious!
To prepare we will need:
- Beef ribs (or other part of beef) – 800 grams
- Medium sized potatoes - 5 pieces
- Carrots – 1-2 pieces
- Beets – 1 medium or 2 small
- Onion – 2 small or 1 medium
- Cabbage – 500-600 grams
- Garlic – 3-5 cloves to taste
- Black peppercorns – 3 pcs.
- Cloves (seasoning) – 1 bud
- Bay leaf – 1-2 pieces
- Salt – to taste (about 2 tbsp)
- Granulated sugar (1-2 tablespoons without a slide)
- Ground pepper - to taste
- Table vinegar – 2 tbsp.
- The water is clean
- Tomato paste – 2 tbsp.
- A little vegetable oil
Cooking homemade borscht with fresh cabbage and beef ribs
So, let's begin the cooking process.
1. Let's start with meat. I use ribs. There are bones here, for fat, and meat, for taste and satiety. We cut them into pieces that are convenient for placing in a pan.
To make the broth clear and bright, you need to soak the meat in cold water for a couple of hours. She will “pull” the remaining blood out of him.
2. Then lower it into the pan. Fill with water. I cook in a 5 liter saucepan. Before it boils, foam will build up on the surface. You definitely need to get rid of it using a slotted spoon - a spoon with holes. It will remove the foam, but leave the broth. During the first boiling time, it will still be released; it also needs to be removed. During the cooking process, also ensure that the surface is as clean as possible.
Why do you need to get rid of this foam? If the broth boils and you don’t have time to remove it, it will all go down in flakes. Then it will be cloudy and unpleasant. If you still missed this moment, then this water needs to be drained, the meat and pan should be washed and new water should be poured.
3. You need to cook the meat for at least an hour. I do this longer, 2-3 hours, so that it comes off the bone well and is soft.
4. Let's prepare the remaining products. We peel the potatoes. Cut into small cubes. Place in a bowl and fill with water while it waits in the wings. The liquid will prevent the vegetable from darkening.
5. Peel the onion. Cut into small cubes. First I cut it into 2 parts, then put each half on the cut and cut it into medium strips lengthwise. Now - cubes across.
6. Peel carrots with three graters. If you want, you can cut it finely with a knife - into cubes or strips.
7. Peel the beets. Three of it with a coarse grater. Many will say that beets for borscht need to be cut only with a knife. I rub with a grater - it’s easier for me. If desired, you can cut into thin strips with a knife - as you wish!
8. Let's move on to cabbage. We chop it finely using a knife or a special shredder. If it is too hard, then you need to knead it with your hands so that it releases the juice.
9. So, all the vegetables are ready. Let's move on to the important point - preparing the frying.
10. Pour a little oil into the frying pan. When it gets hot, send the onion here. Fry until translucent, a couple of minutes. Then we add carrots to it. Fry together until soft, another 5 minutes on medium power.
11. Beet queue. We send it to the same pan with the vegetables. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring. Then add vinegar, granulated sugar and a couple of scoops of broth from the pan where the meat is cooked. Add tomato paste and mix everything. Simmer together for 15-20 minutes until the beets are ready. It should become soft. Salt the mixture and pepper to taste. At the end, we send the garlic here through a press. Stir and remove from heat.
12. Meanwhile, the beef has already been cooked. Place it on a plate to cool. And add the potatoes to the broth. If you noticed, we did not salt the contents of the pan when the meat was cooked. So now you need to add salt. We also send cloves and peppercorns here. Cook for 7-10 minutes, then add cabbage. Cook together until the vegetables are ready.
If the cabbage is late and tough, then it is better to cook it together with the potatoes at the same time.
13. When the potatoes and cabbage have become soft, you can add the beetroot dressing here. Separate the meat from the bones. Chop and add to soup too. Mix everything together. At this stage, you can add your favorite spices, for example, dried herbs. We put in the bay leaf (I forgot, but it’s not scary). Turn off the heating.
There is a saying that yesterday's borscht always tastes better. This means that the longer it sits (within reason, of course), the tastier it will be. Therefore, after removing from the stove, cover with a lid and let stand for at least 15 minutes.
The main secrets of ideal borscht - how to cook borscht so that it is tasty
To make your borscht really tasty and rich, you need to know a few simple secrets. Let's look at them right now!
Choosing meat
The choice of meat for making delicious soup is unlimited. You can cook it with chicken, pork, rabbit. But the classic still advises using a beef bone. It gives an unsurpassed richness, characteristic of real borscht!
Borscht or beetroot soup?
Often these two names are used as synonyms, completely replacing each other. But it is not so. Borscht certainly contains cabbage - salted, pickled, fresh - it doesn’t matter! And beetroot soup is prepared without it.
Beets - how to prepare, when to add?
The main ingredient of this dish is beets. Experienced housewives know that adding it to the broth during the cooking process will doom your soup to paleness. It is prepared separately, in a frying pan, by stewing. In order for it to retain its color, add a little vinegar. After it, you can add a little broth to the pan. After the beets are ready and the soup with meat and vegetables has already been cooked, you need to transfer the roast into the total mass and mix. Turn off the fire immediately.
Garlic
Where would we be without him? To ensure that the characteristic garlic aroma is present, this vegetable is added at the very end, when the dish is ready. Stir and let it brew.
Classic borscht with beef
I would like to share a recipe for red borscht cooked in beef broth. This borscht should be cooked in a large saucepan so that there is enough for the whole family for several days.
Good housewives know that on the second day the borscht becomes very tasty, as it has been thoroughly infused. This recipe does not require frying vegetables; they are simply stewed in a small amount of broth.
The beef broth itself contributes to the full richness of the first dish, so vegetable oil is not used. The calorie content of the finished borscht per 100 gram serving is only 33 kcal.
To prepare three liters of borscht, prepare the following ingredients:
- Beef – 500 gr;
- Cabbage – 400 gr.;
- Carrots – 1 pc.;
- Onion – 1 pc.;
- Garlic – 3-4 cloves;
- Potatoes – 5 pcs.;
- Beets – 400 gr.;
- tomato paste – 4 tbsp. l.
- salt, sour cream - to taste.
How to cook?
- Wash the meat thoroughly.
- Place beef in a saucepan, add water and place over medium heat. After boiling, skim off the foam and cook over low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours. It depends on the quality of the meat ingredient.
- Peel and cut vegetables: potatoes and onions into small cubes, cabbage, beets and carrots into strips.
- Place vegetables in a frying pan, add broth and simmer.
- Add tomato and spices, salt and press garlic. Gently stir everything and remove from the stove.
- Remove the cooked meat and cut into small pieces.
- Put potatoes into the boiling broth, wait for it to boil, then cabbage and boil for 10 minutes.
- When the vegetables are ready, add the dressing, boiled meat and salt. Keep the borscht covered for a few minutes, then set aside and let it brew.
This borscht is eaten hot and seasoned with sour cream.
How to cook delicious beef borscht
Not every housewife can cook tasty borscht. This recipe will tell you how to cook delicious beef borscht and reveal in detail all the secrets of cooking. You can replace some of the ingredients used, since not every housewife may have them on hand. If it’s hard for you to find fresh tomatoes, you can replace them with 1 cup of tomato or 1.5 - 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, diluted in 200 ml. water. Instead of dry dill, you can use frozen (according to the season) or 5-6 sprigs of fresh, which will be ideal.
Let's get started making this undeniably delicious beef and beet soup.
Step-by-step recipe for borscht with chicken - simple without cabbage
This is the recipe for borscht prepared by Belarusian chefs. It turns out to be dietary, its calorie content is only 20 kcal per 100 grams. This culinary dish is significantly different from traditional borscht, but has an excellent taste.
For Belarusian soup you will need:
- 500 g chicken with bones;
- 4 potatoes;
- 1 carrot;
- 2 onions;
- 1 large beet;
- sunflower oil for frying;
- 3 tbsp. adjika;
- Bay leaf;
- 1 tbsp. vinegar;
- black peppercorns;
- ground black pepper;
- salt;
- fresh parsley.
Step by step recipe:
Step 1. Place the chicken in a container, add water and place on the stove.
Step-2. The broth is boiling, at this time you need to remove the foam. Cook until the meat is done, then remove the chicken.
Step-3. Place diced potatoes into boiling chicken broth.
Step-4. Fry grated carrots and chopped onions. Add chopped beets to the pan to simmer together. At the end, add fresh tomatoes or homemade adjika and a little vinegar.
Step-5. Cut the meat and put it in the broth.
Step-6. The potatoes are boiled, the stewed vegetables go into the pan, after that the borscht will boil for another 10 minutes, you need to salt it, add herbs and spices.
Step-7. Be sure to let the finished dish sit for at least 15 minutes, as a result it will become richer.
This borscht is served with sour cream.
Simple arithmetic: counting calories
Before we move on to studying recipes, let's figure out how many calories are in borscht with beef and other types of meat. As a result of simple calculations, you can plan your diet correctly and safely for your figure.
Attention! The indicated number of calories is calculated for 100 g of ready-made borscht.
- Borscht cooked with pork ribs contains 100 Kcal.
- The energy value of the first course based on pork broth is only 40 Kcal. However, it should be borne in mind that the added ingredients increase the calorie content of borscht:
- potatoes contain 78 kcal;
- cabbage – 64 Kcal;
- beets – 49 Kcal;
- onion – 41 Kcal;
- carrots – 40 Kcal;
- sour cream – 50 Kcal.
- The calorie content of beef borscht is 77 Kcal.
- First courses made with chicken broth are considered a dietary option. Thus, its energy value is 34 Kcal.
On a note! Borscht is considered an easily digestible and healthy dish that has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, the calories contained in it normalize the functioning of the entire body, without being stored as extra pounds.
Authentic Ukrainian borscht – a classic recipe
The richest borscht is cooked in Ukraine; the dish has a bright red color and is appetizing. Serve it with garlic donuts or black bread, topped with sour cream and a bite of lard. We prepare it according to a recipe that is feasible for any novice housewife.
Products for the recipe:
- rack of pork ribs;
- bulbs – 2 pcs.;
- carrots – 2 pcs.;
- water – 3 l;
- fresh cabbage – 500 gr.;
- beets – 2 pcs.;
- ½ lemon or 1 tbsp. l. vinegar;
- tomato paste;
- butter;
- vegetable oil;
- salt, sugar, black and red pepper, paprika - to taste;
- Bay leaf;
- lard - a little;
- garlic and herbs.
We act step by step:
- Wash the ribs and place them in a pan with water.
- Wash the onion and one carrot and place in boiling water.
- Bring the broth to a boil, remove the foam in a timely manner, otherwise the broth will be cloudy. Cook the meat until done.
- Cut the peeled beets into strips, place them in a deep frying pan, pour in broth, salt and sugar. We send pepper, paprika and tomato to the beets. Everything must be simmered over low heat until the beets are ready.
- Cut the carrots into the same strips, and the onions into half rings.
- Melt 30 grams of butter in a frying pan and saute the vegetables until soft.
- When the meat is cooked in the broth, take it out and cool. Strain the broth from the remaining carrots, onions and bones. We return it to the fire again.
- After boiling, add cabbage, potatoes and sautéed vegetables. The borscht is cooked over moderate heat for 20 minutes.
- Garlic and lard are crushed until smooth, chopped herbs are added to the mixture.
- Separate the cooled meat from the bones and return it to the borscht.
- At the end of cooking, squeeze in lemon juice or vinegar. This will give the soup an amber-red color.
- Add beetroot dressing and mix gently.
- The bay leaf should be added to the borscht at the end of cooking, 3 minutes before.
- Remove from heat, add lard and garlic dressing, stir.
- Cover the pan with a lid and wrap it in a warm blanket. Leave to infuse for 1-2 hours.
Classic hot beet soup with meat on a beef bone
Excellent beetroot soup with meat - very tasty and satisfying. It is very simple to prepare such beetroot soup; the main element of its richness is beef on the bone.
Product set:
- beef with bone – 400 gr.;
- beets, carrots and onions - 1 pc.;
- potatoes – 250 gr.;
- 1 tomato;
- half a bell pepper;
- salt, spices, herbs;
- garlic;
- sour cream.
Prepare beetroot soup as follows:
- We wash the meat under running water, put it in a saucepan and put it on the fire.
- Cut the peeled beets into small pieces and place them in the broth.
- After boiling, remove the foam, add chopped onions and carrots.
- Cook the broth until the meat is cooked, usually within one hour. Then we take the beets out of it,
- Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes and place them in the pan.
- Cut the finished meat into pieces and return it to the broth.
- Grind the beets, add them to the pan, you get a very beautiful color. Salt the soup to taste.
- While the beetroot boils, cut the bell pepper into cubes, grate the tomato and chop the garlic. Place in a saucepan and turn off the heat after a minute.
- 2 bay leaves add a finishing touch to the dish.
Beetroot soup should be served with herbs and sour cream. Spicy, tasty and satisfying borscht-beetroot soup will please you and your family!
Borscht with sauerkraut and beans
Ingredients to prepare the recipe:
- Beets – 1 pc.;
- Carrots – 1 pc.;
- Potatoes – 2 pcs.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- tomato paste – 3 tbsp;
- tomatoes – 1 pc.;
- cabbage sauerkraut – 100 gr.;
- canned red beans – 1 can;
- sugar – 1 tsp;
- lard – 50 gr.;
- beef with bones – 500 gr.;
- garlic;
- salt.
To cook this borscht you need:
- Make beef broth, remove the cooked meat from the liquid and cut into pieces.
- Chop the vegetables.
- Melt the lard until the fat releases, in which first fry the onions and carrots, then the beets.
- Place sauerkraut in a frying pan, add sugar, cabbage juice and fry.
- Then add the tomato, mix everything and fry, stirring continuously.
- Place diced potatoes into the broth.
- Then add the broth to the broth and cook for 20 minutes.
- Cut the skinless tomato into cubes and place in a saucepan.
- Salt and add beans.
- Cook the soup for another 15 minutes, then add the garlic. Once the potatoes are ready, turn off the heat.
Maybe you will be interested in the recipe for pickle with barley and pickles - take a look!
Compound:
- Water – 4 l
- Beef – 400 g
- Cabbage – 1/3 head
- Beetroot – 2-3 pcs.
- Potatoes – 3-4 pcs.
- Onion – 1 pc.
- Carrots – 1 pc.
- Bell pepper – 1 pc.
- Tomatoes – 1-2 pcs.
- Lemon – ½ piece (only lemon juice is needed)
- Bay leaf – 4 pcs
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Salt - to taste (about 1.5 tablespoons)
- Sugar – 1.5-2 tbsp. spoons
- Dried herbs (dill, parsley) - to taste
Preparation:
Wash the beef, remove fat and chop. I usually use beef tenderloin and cut it into cubes. If you use meat on the bone, then after the broth is ready, you will need to remove it, cool and cut it, removing all excess, so that the finished soup contains only selected pieces.
Pour water into a deep saucepan and boil. Throw the meat into boiling water, so it will be juicier than meat placed in cold water. Cook the beef broth for 1 hour, periodically skimming off any foam that forms on the surface.
While the broth is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Wash and peel the onions, carrots and bell peppers. Cut the onion and pepper into small cubes, grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and add chopped onions, carrots and peppers. Saute the vegetables over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
In parallel with cooking the broth and sauteing the vegetables, peel the potatoes and beets. Cut the potatoes into small strips. Before adding potatoes to the soup, be sure to rinse them in cold water to remove excess starch.
Grate the beets on a coarse grater.
Wash the cabbage, remove the top leaves, cut off the required amount and finely chop.
Place potatoes, cabbage, sautéed vegetables and half the beets into the prepared broth. Peel the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them for 1-2 minutes, cut into cubes and place in borscht. Add the juice of half a lemon. Cook vegetables for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, add salt, sugar, pepper and dried herbs to the borscht. Taste the borscht; if there is not enough salt or sugar, add more. The final step is to add the remaining beets to the borscht and add the bay leaf.
Bring the borscht to a boil and turn off immediately. Do not boil it under any circumstances, otherwise it will lose color. Cover the finished soup with a lid and leave to brew for 20 minutes.
The beef borscht is ready, serve it hot, flavored with sour cream or mayonnaise. When serving, sprinkle the borscht with chopped green onions, dill or parsley.
Bon appetit!
Below you can watch a funny video:
A favorite and regular soup in most Russian families. What would lunch be without delicious rich borscht? It’s difficult to describe how healthy this soup is. Traditional Ukrainian borscht is prepared with the addition of lard (it is ground in a mortar with garlic and added at the end of cooking the borscht). The classic Russian recipe is very similar to the Ukrainian one, only it does not contain lard. The borscht according to the recipe below turns out very tasty, with a rich red color. Try it, you will definitely like it!
Borscht dressing “You'll lick your fingers” – a recipe for the winter
The taste of the main dish depends on the borscht preparation. I have a favorite recipe for winter dressing, which is an indispensable component of delicious classic borscht.
You will need the following products:
- beets – 3 kg;
- tomatoes – 1 kg;
- sweet pepper – 400 gr.;
- onion – 300 gr.;
- garlic – 2 heads;
- vegetable oil – 800 gr. refined;
- vinegar essence – 100 gr.;
- sugar – 4 tbsp;
- salt – 60 gr.;
- ½ pod of hot pepper.
Cooking method:
- Pour some vegetable oil into a frying pan, add chopped onion and fry it until a beautiful golden hue.
- Place grated beets, chopped peppers and chopped tomatoes in a frying pan with the onions. Add a little hot pepper there.
- Salt the mixture of vegetables to taste, add a little sugar, pour in the remaining oil, and simmer.
- Combine the sweet pepper with garlic and simmer again for another 20 minutes. 2 minutes before readiness, add vinegar.
- Place the dressing in sterilized containers, wrap it up and let it brew.
On my website there are excellent options for preparing borscht dressing for the winter - it will be useful for every housewife!
How to cook borscht so that it is red
The beautiful color of borscht depends on the correct order of adding vegetables to the broth. There are several simple secrets to avoid mistakes.
- We must prepare beets separately from other ingredients, for example, in the form of a dressing, without adding water to it. This root vegetable can be stewed along with other vegetables.
- Vinegar or a few drops of citric acid will make the color last longer.
- After adding beets to the soup, do not keep it on the fire for more than 5 minutes.
- Add beets to the first dish last, when all the vegetables are cooked.
- After preparing the main dish, it should “rest”; the beets will help to saturate the other ingredients with their color and taste.
- To add rich colors to the borscht, you can add tomato to the beetroot dressing.
Just as colorful and aromatic, and incredibly tasty is the mixed meat solyanka - worth paying attention to!