Ukrainian Borscht

Step 1

First you need to cook the broth. For this, add the pork and the bay leaves to a pan with high sides. Fill the pan with water, add the lid, and cook for an hour on medium-low heat from the moment of boiling.

Step 2

While the broth is cooking, thinly slice the cabbage. Also, wash and grate the carrot. Peel the onion and finely chop it. Then also peel the beetroots (if using raw beetroots) and grate them. Be careful since it can be messy and beetroots can leave stains.

Step 3

Put the canned tomatoes in a tall glass and puree with an immersion blender until you have a homogeneous thick puree. If you bought tomato puree in the first place, skip this step!

Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the chopped onion and grated carrot for roughly 5 minutes on medium-high heat stirring regularly so that they don't burn. Then turn down the heat to low.

Step 5

Now add the grated beetroots, stir them in and fry everything for another 7 minutes. Remember to keep stirring regularly.

Step 6

Pour the tomato puree, tomato paste, 1/3 teaspoon of salt and pepper into the pan with the vegetables. Stir, then cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 7

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes or strips.

Step 8

Once the 1 hour is up, remove the cooked pork and the bay leaves from the broth. Then add the chopped potatoes, vegetables in tomato mixture, and chopped cabbage to the pan with the broth. Cut the pork into cubes and return it to the pan as well.

Step 9

Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and cabbage are soft. Then add salt and spices to taste. If you want to get a little sourness, you can pour in one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

Step 10

Serve the hot borscht with sour cream, fresh herbs and bread. It also tastes delicious with a slice of fresh onion or garlic.