Smetana, or Eastern European sour cream, is used to garnish borscht, the fabulous beetroot soup that can be made either with meat or without as a vegetarian option.
I grow beetroot on my allotment and I swear by it, as it’s naturally high in folic acid and manganese. It also reportedly has medicinal properties, such as helping to purify the blood, improve circulation, treat liver problems and calm nerves.
There are many variations on how to make borscht. This is a vegetarian carbohydrate-based recipe that is low in salt, gluten-free, and vegan if you omit the sour cream
Preparation time: 10 minutes before cooking, the rest is done during
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized beetroot
2 medium-sized potatoes
1 small carrot
¼ cabbage
½ small onion
1 tomato
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1 tablespoon of dill
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Sour cream
Filtered water
Method:
1. Scrub and grate the beetroot and carrot, and dice the tomato
2. Put a tablespoonful of olive oil in a large pot on a medium heat, then add the beetroot, carrot and tomato
3. Stir in the lemon juice and two tablespoons of water
4. Turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer
5. Meanwhile, dice the potatoes and onion, shred the cabbage, halve the garlic and finely cut the dill
6. After almost 20 minutes’ simmering, boil a litre of water and add to the pot. Bring to the boil, and then add the salt
7. Add the potatoes and cabbage, and cook for a further 10 minutes
8. Meanwhile, add a little olive oil to a frying pan on a medium heat and sauté the onion until golden brown. Then add to the pot and stir well
9. Add the garlic, parsley and a generous sprinkling of black pepper, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes
10. Remove from the heat and serve the vegetarian borscht, adding sour cream and dill to each bowl
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