Simple Borscht

As you may know, I don't like a lot of fuss when it comes to recipes- they shouldn't take days to prepare unless you are making something pretentious, ridiculous, and most likely Parisian. Most of the time, I don't think that the taste is much affected if it takes you 2 hours to cook instead of 2 days. This recipe I amended to be quick and easy. It is surprisingly tasty and one of my winter favourites.

Boscht, or Bortsch, is eaten from the Ukraine to Poland and Russia and can take many different forms, be eaten hot or cold, the common factor generally being beetroot. This version tends to be more typically Russian.

Ingredients:
8 cups beef stock
500g shin-in stewing beef
2 onions, peeled and chopped
5 medium carrots, chopped
8 medium beets, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 large potato, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 cups of thinly sliced cabbage
3 tsp red wine vinegar (lemon juice is a good substitute)
Double cream Greek yoghurt to serve (or sour cream)
Pepper to serve

Method:
This method is much simpler than the original recipe as you will see...
Add your stock, meat and onions into a large pot and let it get to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour until meat is cooked. If you like, you can get the meat out, cut it off the bone and cut it into bite-sized pieces to make it easier to eat.
Time for the carrots, beets and potato to go in. Let the pot simmer for an additional 30 min.
At this point, the meal is almost ready. Add in the cabbage and simmer for 15 min.
This is when you add the vinegar and stir in. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with a couple of tablespoons of the yoghurt and sprinkle with pepper.

Enjoy with a nice bread, or if you have a burst of energy, look up piroshski  (small Russian pies often enjoyed with borscht) and try making some.

Notes:
To illustrate how Borscht is made in different ways, Constance Spry's recipe involves egg white and the only vegetable included is beetroot, other variations do not include beetroot at all, some rather include cucumber and others include a tomato base.


Beetroot are good for your heart, liver and can help prevent diabetes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeturia

I got my recipe from Simply Recipes and adapted it a bit: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/borscht/