Borsch

For about 4 persons

Broth

• 300 gr Ossobuco or other meat with bone
  
• 1 whole onion without skin but without removing the extremes
  
• 3 L of water
  
• 2 ham bones
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 13 black peppercorns
  
• Coarse salt
  

Beet sauté

• 1 small or 1/2 large onion
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 250 gr carrots
  
• 500 gr fresh red beets
  
• 80 gr red bell pepper
  
• 1 large tomato
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 300 ml water
  

Borsch

• 2 L broth
  
• Sauteed beet
  
• 200 gr potato
  
• 200 gr cabbage or plain cabbage
  
• 1 clove garlic
  
• 1 bunch of parsley and dill
  
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
  
• Salt and ground black pepper
  

First make the broth. Place the ingredients in a pot and add about 3 L of cold water, bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat and remove the impurities. The broth should be crystal clear. It should boil for about 3 hours.

Next we start with the stir fry.

Chop the onion finely. Cut the carrot into sticks, cut the tomato into squares, cut the bell pepper into sticks, peel the beet and cut into sticks. In a large frying pan, add the oil and add the onion, which should be fried golden brown (not poached) over medium-high heat, once browned, add the carrot, sauté for a couple of minutes and add the beet and bell pepper, sauté for about 10 minutes alltogether, add the tomato, sauté for a minute and add the two tablespoons of tomato concentrate (tomato paste) and add the 300 ml of water, when it comes to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for half an hour, stirring from time to time.

Then when the broth has finished boiling for 3 hours and has cooled a little, remove the onion and discard it together with the pepper and the bay leaf, remove also the meat, but separate it from the bone and cut it into small pieces and return the meat to the broth. Cut the cabbage into very fine julienne strips. Cut the potato into squares. Bring the broth with the meat to the boil and add the cabbage, cook for about 5 minutes; add the potato and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the sofrito of beet with vegetables and add if necessary a little more water, although it should be thick. Cook for about 5 minutes more.

Chop the garlic very finely, as well as the handful of parsley and dill.

When the 5 minutes are up, remove from the heat and add the herbs and garlic for flavoring, they will cook with the remaining heat, add salt and ground black pepper if necessary and also add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. We cover it and wait at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with a spoonful of creme fraîche (sour cream or smetana).