Beef borscht with beets and cabbage

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Make the broth

   Place the beef in cold salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 1.5 hours, until the beef is tender. Remove the beef and strain the broth.

2. Sauté the vegetables

   Finely chop the onion and cut the carrot, parsley root and celery root into thin matchsticks. Heat the butter and oil, add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the root vegetables and sauté briefly. Add the sliced garlic, chopped cabbage, diced potatoes and tomato paste, and stir to combine.

3. Simmer the borscht

   Pour the strained broth over the vegetables and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the beets cut into matchsticks and the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt, add the black peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf and paprika, and simmer until tender, about 15–20 minutes.

4. Season and serve

   Season the finished soup with sugar and lemon juice. Remove the bay leaf, cut the beef into pieces and return it to the soup. Heat through.

   Serve the borscht with a spoonful of sour cream, a sprinkle of parsley and a lemon slice.

Tip: To keep the borscht deep red, add lemon juice as soon as the beets are tender—the acid helps preserve their color. Prolonged cooking makes the beets fade and the soup turn brown.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Boršč s hovädzím mäsom, cviklou a kapustou