‘My grandma would always say the spoon has to stand up straight [in a borsch] – it has to be full of vegetables,” says the Ukrainian cook and food writer Olia Hercules in a video we made together of her plant-based borsch. She adds that, while borsch is a soup, it’s also a hearty meal in itself that gets better with time, so she advises making a big batch and enjoying the leftovers over the following days.
What strikes me about borsch is that, beyond the beetroot, the other ingredients are pretty flexible, making it a great fridge-raid recipe to use up all kinds of vegetables. Add potatoes and/or any beans, other root veg such as parsnips, turnip or swede, and greens in the form of beetroot leaves or any cabbage or kale – I use both red and green cabbage in today’s recipe, which is in support of the #CookforUkraine initiative.
Fridge-raid borsch
Like the famous Italian ribollita, this vibrant Ukrainian soup is hugely adaptable and can use up all sorts of seasonal odds and ends. To prevent waste, don’t peel any of the veg, and include the cabbage cores and kale stems, both of which can be grated or cut into fine matchsticks along with the beetroot.
Olia’s book Summer Kitchens: Recipes and Reminiscences from Every Corner of Ukraine features a borsch with duck and smoked pears, but my recipe is plant-based; if you want, make a thrifty meat version by using a rich duck or chicken stock made with carcasses saved from the butcher’s bin (they often come with scraps of meat on them, so pick this off and add to the soup, too.
Serves 6
2 small beetroots (with the leaves, if available)
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar, or other vinegar
200g peeled onion and/or leek
1 carrot
1 tbsp olive oil
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes, or 400g fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock, or water, or chicken or duck stock
300g potatoes and/or other root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, swede) and/or beans of any kind
400g greens (white cabbage, kale, beetroot leaves, etc), sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
Soured cream and dill, to serve
Cut the beetroots into fine matchsticks, then with the vinegar.
Roughly dice the onion and grate the carrot, then saute in the oil in a large saucepan until they start to caramelise.
Stir in the beetroot and its vinegar (save a few beetroot sticks to garnish), the tomatoes and stock, and add the root veg and beans – I used diced potatoes and haricots. Bring to a boil, simmer for five minutes, then add the greens. Return to the boil and simmer for five minutes more, until the greens and roots are tender.
To finish, stir in the garlic, season and serve topped with soured cream, dill and the reserved colourful beetroot sticks.
