Borscht with black croutons and garlic
12 servings
120 minutes
Borscht with black croutons and garlic is a vibrant dish of Ukrainian cuisine, infused with the warmth of home. Its deep ruby color, rich meaty aroma, and balanced taste—from the sweetness of beets to the slight acidity of tomatoes and lemon juice—make it a true gastronomic masterpiece. Borodinsky croutons, crispy and infused with fragrant garlic, highlight the richness and fullness of flavor. This borscht is a symbol of family dinners, cozy evenings, and centuries-old traditions that unite generations. It pairs perfectly with sour cream, which adds softness to it. This dish not only satisfies but warms the soul and awakens memories of home.
1
First, we boil a large pot of strong beef broth. We add carrots, an onion, bay leaves, and black pepper to taste. We remove the vegetables from the broth and discard them, separate the meat from the bones and membranes, cut it into pieces, and set it aside for later.
- Onion: 1 head
- Bay leaf: to taste
- Black peppercorns: to taste
- Beef brisket: 1 kg
2
We add one peeled and halved beet to the broth, cook until it releases its color, then remove and discard.
- Beetroot: 1 piece
3
We cut the potatoes into sticks and put them in the broth.
- Potato: 3 pieces
4
In vegetable (refined sunflower) oil, we fry the fat (the cut bacon) until it becomes cracklings. We remove the cracklings with a slotted spoon and add them to the broth.
- Refined oil: 3 tablespoons
- Salo (cured pork fat): 200 g
5
In the resulting fat, we fry the julienned carrots until golden, carefully remove them, and add to the broth.
- Carrot: 5 piece
6
Cut the second beet into strips and fry in the same fat until soft, then add to the pot with the fat.
- Beetroot: 1 piece
7
We blanch and slice fresh tomatoes, cut fresh cabbage into strips - and add it to the broth.
- Cabbage: 0.5 head
8
We taste the broth, add salt, taste again; if it's not sweet enough, we add sugar or honey, and if it's not sour enough, we add lemon juice, then taste again.
- Sugar: to taste
- Lemon juice: to taste
9
Once the cabbage becomes softer, we add fresh chopped parsley and sliced garlic.
- Parsley: to taste
- Garlic: 7 cloves
10
We turn off the stove and let it sit for 15 minutes while we fry croutons from Borodinsky bread in fragrant unrefined sunflower oil.
- Unrefined sunflower oil: 0.5 glass
- Borodino rye bread: 1 piece
11
We place the boiled meat on plates, pour the borscht, and enjoy it with sour cream and garlic-rubbed croutons.
