First courses play an important role in our diet. Their assortment is very large, but Ukrainian borsch is considered one of the most delicious and fragrant.
Borsch is a dish that occupies a special place in Ukrainian culture; it was prepared hundreds of years ago. Since then, the recipe has evolved, but the basic components and the cooking process have remained the same.
The question is how to cook Ukrainian borsch, it worries many housewives, but there is no single recipe for cooking this dish. Each region has its own characteristics. Despite the huge number of recipes and recommendations, it should be remembered that a truly tasty and fragrant borscht will turn out if you cook it with love and in a positive mood.
I suggest you cook borsch in Ukrainian according to one of the most common recipes used by modern housewives. But before proceeding with the description, I want to remind you that all the components used for cooking should be fresh and of high quality.
Ukrainian borsch
Ingredients (based on a 4 liter pan): pork ribs (600 gr), potatoes (6-8 pcs), one beetroot, fresh cabbage (0.5 heads), onions (1-2 pcs), one large carrot , a few tablespoons of tomato paste, fresh tomatoes (2-3 pcs), herbs, a piece of bacon. Beans, bell peppers and garlic are optional.
Cooking. Rinse and divide the ribs into portions. Put them in a pan and pour cold water. We pour a lot of water, since the cooking process is long, half will evaporate. After boiling, make a small fire and cook the pork ribs in slightly salted water. At the same time, do not forget to remove the foam in time - if time is lost, the broth will turn cloudy.
While the meat is being cooked, we prepare the vegetables. Beans must first be soaked in water for several hours (it is better to leave overnight). Wash and peel the beets, cut into thin strips. If Ukrainian borsch is cooked in winter or spring, then it is better to pour beets with boiling water and leave for several minutes, since by this time of the year it may have a specific smell. Beetroot is the main ingredient of this dish, in different recipes there are various options for adding it to borsch. In some cases, beets are cooked separately from borsch and added only at the end of cooking. There are also recipes where grated beets are pre-fried, sprinkled with vinegar or lemon juice (to preserve color), and 10 minutes before cooking is placed in borsch.
Peel the potatoes and cut into medium sized straws. Shred the cabbage. Dice the onion, three carrots on a medium-sized grater. Tomatoes are also grated.
After the broth is boiled for half an hour, put the beets and beans in it. When the pork ribs are almost ready, put the potatoes in the pan.
Do the frying. We cut the fat into small cubes and fry it in a preheated pan, when it becomes golden brown, add the onion, lightly fry. We put carrots to the onion and sauté. When the carrots get a light orange color, put a few spoons of tomato paste in a pan, fry. We also send grated tomatoes here. We leave everything on fire for a few more minutes.
Before turning off the borscht (10-15 minutes), finely chopped white cabbage and sweet pepper, previously peeled and cut into strips, put in a pan, pepper and add salt to taste. After another 5 minutes, we send roasting there, finely chopped greens, optionally put ground or finely chopped garlic. Mix everything, remove from heat, cover with a lid and let it brew for a few minutes. Ukrainian borsch is ready.
This dish is served hot, always with sour cream (mayonnaise) or garlic pampushkas.