Lenten borscht with thyme and anise
8 servings
30 minutes
Meatless borscht with thyme and anise is a fragrant and rich dish of Ukrainian cuisine that captivates with its combination of simple ingredients and deep flavor nuances. This version of borscht is meat-free but compensates with a rich palette of spices and herbs. Thyme gives the soup a slight bitterness and herbal notes, while anise adds a subtle sweetness. Bright beets provide the borscht with a rich ruby color, and lemon juice balances the taste with a light acidity. Potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomatoes create a harmonious texture, while turmeric adds gentle warmth. This dish is not only nutritious but also refined, making it perfect for a meatless diet; it warms and satisfies. Borscht becomes even tastier as it steeps, revealing new flavor dimensions with each passing hour.
1
Cut the potatoes into small sticks, put them in a pot of water, and bring to a boil.
- Potato: 3 pieces
2
Grate the carrot and onion on a coarse grater and sauté in olive oil.
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 piece
3
Add salt, turmeric, and anise.
- Salt: to taste
- Turmeric: 1 teaspoon
- Anise (star anise): 1 teaspoon
4
Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot with boiling potatoes.
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 piece
5
Then grate the beetroot on a coarse grater and add it to the pot. Cook for a few minutes. The beetroot can be any: baked, boiled, or raw.
- Beet: 1 piece
6
Since all the vegetables are finely chopped, everything cooks very quickly. By the time the beet is added, the vegetables are already cooked.
7
Therefore, at the end, after adding beetroot to the soup, add one sliced tomato into small, thin wedges, a sprig of thyme, and lemon juice. The amount of juice is best determined by taste. It depends on personal preference. Then the law of any soup comes into play: the longer the soup infuses, the tastier it becomes.
- Tomatoes: 1 piece
- Thyme: 1 stem
- Lemon juice: to taste