Borscht with prunes, beans and smoked brisket
12 servings
180 minutes
The fruity and at the same time slightly smoky taste of prunes goes well with any smoked meat and creates the outline of the recipe. The broth can be any: with chicken the soup will be lighter, and the taste more transparent. Beef and pork lead in the direction of brutality. You can take the classic dressing, from sour cream, or you can be a little creative and add baked garlic passed through soft goat cheese, which is then put in a plate on the surface of the soup in the form of a quenelles.
1
Pour five liters of water over the chicken, add one onion, one carrot, a celery stalk to the same pot, and place it on the heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the flame, add parsley stems (leaves removed), bay leaf, and black peppercorns. Simmer for two hours, periodically skimming off foam and fat. If making broth with beef and pork bones, it takes three hours; bones can be roasted for half an hour at 220 degrees to enhance flavor and remove excess fat. Strain the finished broth through a fine sieve.
- Chicken: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 head
- Carrot: 3 pieces
- Celery: 1 stem
- Parsley: 30 g
- Bay leaf: 2 pieces
- Black peppercorns: 6 pieces
2
Peel the beetroot and cut it into thin strips. Do the same with two carrots and cabbage. Slice the red onion into thin half-rings. Cut the smoked pork belly into small cubes.
- Beetroot: 1 kg
- Carrot: 3 pieces
- White cabbage: 400 g
- Red onion: 2 heads
- Smoked pork belly: 200 g
3
Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan and add the brisket, frying until it starts to form a bronze crust. Then add onion, carrot, and beet to the pan, mix, and simmer for about twenty minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add finely chopped tomatoes and prunes, and simmer for another five to ten minutes.
- Vegetable oil: 50 ml
- Smoked pork belly: 200 g
- Red onion: 2 heads
- Carrot: 3 pieces
- Beetroot: 1 kg
- Tomatoes: 400 g
- Prunes: 200 g
4
In a large pot, combine the broth with vegetables and brisket, add cabbage and cook for twenty to thirty minutes, then add beans to the borscht, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another ten minutes.
- White cabbage: 400 g
- Canned beans: 400 g
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
5
Finely chop the parsley leaves, crush the garlic, and mix the herbs and garlic into the borscht. Remove from heat and serve with sour cream or soft goat cheese.
- Parsley: 30 g
- Garlic: 6 cloves
