Secrets of cooking borscht: a step-by-step recipe with a description and a photo, cooking features

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It is known that borscht is a famous old dish, very tasty, he althy and rather unusual. Culinary experts continue their inexhaustible debate about the methods of its proper preparation. Today, this dish is considered truly international - information about the homeland of borscht has been lost, and in different cuisines of the world this dish is prepared in its own way: in Ukraine - with donuts, in Moldova - with chicken, in Lithuania - with kohlrabi and mushrooms, in Poland - with bread kvass, in Siberia - with meatballs, etc.

Borscht is a recognized symbol of home comfort and warmth. Therefore, all housewives try to cook it as fragrant and tasty as possible. This hearty and appetizing dish is loved by everyone: both adults and children. Each family keeps its signature secrets of making delicious borscht, passing them from generation to generation. In our article, we will tell you how to prepare this first dish so that the saucepan with it invariably becomes empty long before the end of the weekend.

About secretscooking borscht

There are countless ways to create this culinary masterpiece. In this, borsch is akin to Kazakh pilaf, known for its rich recipe variations. What are the secrets of making borscht?

Bouillon is the basis of taste

The basis of delicious borscht is the broth. It should certainly be cooked on the bone, according to the housewives, preferably pork or beef. Chicken legs are also used to make broth, but, according to experienced housewives, they do not provide the necessary fat. The broth for delicious borscht must be fragrant and strong. This can be achieved by special preparation of the bone. Before laying it in the pan, the bone should be chopped. This is done so that the bone marrow can freely enter the broth.

Another important secret of cooking borscht is the need to maintain the correct proportions of ingredients. One serving of the dish at the end of cooking should account for about one and a half cups of broth. At the beginning of cooking, you should use twice the amount of water indicated. It is recommended to remove the meat from the finished broth until the very moment the dish is served.

If the water boils away strongly when cooking broth or vegetables, it is recommended to add only boiling water to the dish. Cold water at this stage can significantly spoil the aroma and taste of borscht. It usually takes about 2-2.5 hours to prepare the broth. But if you cook borscht in a slow cooker, one hour will be enough. Seasonings are usually added to the broth to taste: a mixture of peppers, s alt, garlic (driedor pressed through a press), bay leaf, etc.

How to make rich broth?

To make borscht rich when preparing broth, many housewives recommend not to spare meat. Cooking it on a bare bone does not make sense. Before cooking, the meat should be washed and covered with water.

The basis for borscht will turn out tasty and fragrant if you put the meat in cold water at the very beginning of cooking. The product is put into hot water if the hostess is not interested in rich broth, but in delicious boiled meat.

Cook the base for borscht slowly and very thoroughly. Bring to a boil, remove the foam and keep on low heat for about two hours. After the meat is ready, it is removed, separated from the veins and bones, and then cut into large or small pieces at the request of the hostess. Ready broth is recommended to be filtered, otherwise it will not be transparent.

How to choose meat?

There are a huge number of variants of this first course. Vegetarian borscht is also prepared, in fish or bird broth, in a decoction of smoked meats or canned food, etc. However, the real classic of the genre is borscht, cooked on a broth made from pork ribs or pork with beef.

Some apologists for the classic rich borscht claim that real broth as the basis for a delicious dish will come from beef bone. Moreover, it will be better if the cook uses the brain bone from the forelimbs of the animal. A brisket containing a sufficient amount ofmeat, fat, as well as connective tissue and gelatin, which provide the necessary consistency of the brew.

One of the important secrets of cooking borscht is the following: the meat must be chosen clean and fresh, without films and veins. After all, everyone will agree that the quality of the ingredients used in the preparation of any dish is directly related to its taste and appetite.

Roasting

An equally important part of cooking borscht (a photo of the process of creating food is attached) is frying. The consistency of the dish and its color depend on how saturated it is. First, fry the carrots and onions. Carrots are grated or cut by hand - in this case, it looks better in the broth. Heat up a frying pan and add vegetables. After the onions and carrots are browned, add the tomatoes (tomato paste) and reduce the heat slightly. If the frying is too thick, add a little water (boiled) to it. This is important - otherwise, the frying may turn out to be burnt, and the borsch - spoiled. Next, the mixture is s alted, peppered to taste and added to the strained broth.

Vegetables

Meanwhile prepare vegetables: peel potatoes, cut cabbage, etc. If borscht is prepared without beets, as soon as the broth boils with frying, potatoes are thrown there. For those who love boiled vegetables, 10 minutes after the potatoes boil, you can add chopped cabbage. If you like cabbage in borscht to be crispy, it should be added along with greens, inlast moment. Then they wait for the borscht to boil again, and turn it off. Some housewives recommend letting the finished dish stand - real borscht will be tastier. Served with garlic and pepper (hot). To make meat or vegetarian borsch more rich, butter (a piece) is added to it.

About the secrets of cooking red borscht

The main and most important ingredient in delicious borsch is considered by many to be beets. Some housewives refused it, but it is beets that give sweetness and color to this popular first course. In the process of preparing borscht with beets, the housewives recommend using the root crop not borscht, but salad. This vegetable has a burgundy hue, due to which the dish will turn into the necessary beautiful red color. Some people use canned beets, but they don't have the rich color of fresh ones.

Many people prefer to grate beetroot - at the same time it gives more juice. It is added to the frying 10 minutes after the tomatoes were added there. Then the frying is slightly diluted with water (boiled), garlic is added (for smell) and simmered over low heat for 15 minutes, with regular stirring.

Color nuances

Housewives share one of the secrets of making red borscht: to make the color of the dish, as in the picture in the culinary booklet, lemon juice or vinegar is added during sautéing - just a few drops are enough. In addition to saturated color, this maneuver also preservesbright sour taste. In addition, many housewives advise stewing beets separately from carrots and onions.

Features of cooking beets

Beetroot is laid immediately after cabbage (if it is cooked directly in borscht). It will take 10 minutes to cook the vegetable (if cut into thin strips). However, experienced chefs do not advise cooking beets in borscht: this way it loses its beautiful color. The vegetable should first be steamed or baked in the oven, and then cut into strips (thin) and sent to the broth. If borscht is prepared with bacon, you can additionally fry the beets in lard.

Borsch is given a bright red color and a rich beet flavor by using sweet and dark beet varieties. Pink beets complement the taste of tomatoes well.

About garlic

Some housewives refuse to add garlic to borscht during cooking, believing that it is much tastier to eat it with donuts. However, the classic recipe for borscht with beets, cabbage and other vegetables involves the addition of garlic along with lard (pork). Moreover, the fat should have a smell, and the garlic is not crushed, but finely chopped. Parsley, dill and other herbs should be added to this mixture. Garlic with bacon is put into borscht at the very end of cooking. It is these two products that are responsible for the final flavor of the dish.

One of the secrets of cooking Ukrainian borscht is the use of crushed lard with garlic. However, many gourmets do not consider lard in dressing to be an indispensable element. But withoutsome borscht does not recognize garlic. Many housewives recommend not cutting or crushing the garlic with a press, but crushing it with s alt in a special mortar.

On the order of adding vegetables and how to process them

The recipe for making borscht with beets, cabbage and other vegetables provides for the following order of sending the ingredients to the pan: first put potatoes in the broth, then cabbage, stewed beets and other ingredients (they are first sautéed and thoroughly stewed). After the borsch is ready, greens and spices are put into it: pepper (black), bay leaf, celery, dill, parsley, bell pepper (in pieces), etc.

Passerovka

Some people like boiled vegetables in borscht, while others, on the contrary, prefer to fry them, believing that it is tastier this way. One of the great options for cooking vegetables is to caramelize them, i.e. simmering on slow fire. At the same time, the onion becomes transparent, and the carrot becomes soft, but retains its color and aroma. If the hostess decides to boil the onion, it should be removed from the water before the potatoes are added.

How should tomatoes be cooked?

Tomatoes in borscht are recommended to be cooked before potatoes are put in. During the cooking process, they should become soft. The tomatoes are taken out, rubbed through a sieve and at the end of cooking they are again sent to the borscht. The hostess often replaces ripe tomatoes with tomato juice or paste.

What is the best way to cook potatoes?

This vegetablethey are cut coarsely, and for borscht, the hostesses recommend choosing one that does not boil soft. Before laying the potatoes, it is better to fry a little, while the dish will turn out to be more saturated and rich. Together with potatoes put carrots, which are pre-cut into strips.

How is cabbage prepared?

In the process of cooking borscht with beets and cabbage, the latter should be kneaded before being put into the pan - this way the vegetable will give the broth the required amount of juice. Cabbage is added after the potatoes are already half cooked. The sauerkraut is boiled for about one minute, and sauteing is added immediately. Winter cabbage (white) is cooked longer, about ten minutes. It is not recommended to cover the borscht with a lid all the time while the cabbage is being cooked - some housewives believe that it can spoil the dish with its specific aroma.

What is the best way to acidify borscht?

To acidify the dish, housewives most often use vinegar, which simultaneously acidifies and preserves the color of the beets. But vinegar can not be considered the most useful additive. Alternatively, the beets are sprinkled with lemon juice before being added to the broth. For acidification, tomatoes are used, which are added to the frying, as well as sour cabbage or a spoonful of cabbage pickle.

Which cookware should I use?

There are no trifles in the preparation of this legendary and beloved first course. It is important not only to follow all the rules and secrets of cooking meat and vegetables for borscht, but also to think over the dishes in which the treat will be cooked. The fact is that the broth, which is the basis of the dish, requires a very careful attitude. The broth is not recommended to cook on too high a fire. To prevent borscht from boiling over, it is recommended to use a saucepan with thick walls and a two-layer bottom. In such dishes, the contents heat up faster and cool down more slowly. In addition, the hostess will not be afraid to move away from the pan for a while: the risk of overboiling in it is the smallest.

Cooking borscht (step by step recipe)

Introducing the classic way to make borscht. Ingredients:

• beef on the bone - 400 grams;
• beets - 2 pcs.;
• carrot - 1 pc.;
• white cabbage - 300 grams;
• four potatoes;
• tomato paste - two tablespoons;
• garlic - one head;
• lard (pork);
• to taste: s alt, herbs, black pepper;
• oil (vegetable).

Cooking

A step-by-step recipe for making borscht involves the following steps:

1. In a saucepan (3-3, 5 l) place the meat (piece) and pour water (2 l). Boil over low heat, removing foam as needed.
2. When the water boils, the fire is reduced, the pot is covered with a lid and left to cook for an hour.
3. Meanwhile, peel and chop onions, grate (large) carrots and beets (some housewives chop the latter into strips).
4. Spread the vegetables in the pan,preheated with vegetable oil. They are sautéed for several minutes, after which tomato paste is added according to the recipe and after about three minutes they are removed from the fire.
5. The meat is taken out of the finished broth, cut into pieces (portions).
6. Cabbage (thinly chopped) is put into the broth, and after ten minutes - potatoes. At this time, the broth should be s alted.
7. After the potatoes are ready, add vegetables (sauteed) and return the cut meat to the broth.

At the end of cooking put bay leaf, pepper, herbs mixed with lard and garlic into the borscht. Borscht is covered with a lid and boiled for another five minutes. Bon appetit!