Borsch with Smetana and Pirozhki

Of Ukrainian origin , this is the most popular and widespread soup in Eastern Europe but also in North America where it was introduced by the Jews Azkenaziti .The name means " red soup " or maybe just " soup " given that there is also a green Borsh. Not knowing Russian, however , I can not be sure.The traditional recipe includes as ingredient even meat, not only in the preparation of the broth but also in the soup itself, along with chopped vegetables but, however, a popular Polish version traditionally served on the Christmas Eve diner  is made only by vegetables as taught me a Polish friend.The essential ingredients are beetroot and cabbage (any kinds of cabbage except the red one) but the key feature of his taste is a mild acidity that you get especially with vinegar or lemon juice and that was formerly obtained by a process of fermentation .Like all these complex soups, it is better eaten the next day after resting a night.Ingredients for Borsch: Meat broth q.b. , 700g  of meat (beef, pork or chicken as you prefer or available) , 300g raw beetroot (now it is easy to find, often also organic), 400g of green cabbage , 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 potatoes , parsley , some tomato ( if you have , a clove of garlic (if you like ) , butter or oil, vinegar or lemon. Sour cream or greek yogurt for garnish.

Leave aside the cabbage and tomatoes and wash the other vegetables including beets. Peel and cut them into small slices. Fry them in a pan over medium heat with a little butter or oil. Add meat cut into chunks, season, add the tomatoes cut into small pieces too and then the cabbage coarsely chopped into strips. At this point, stir occasionally to prevent ingredients from sticking wasting the soup . Add broth and simmer gently at least 2 hours and even more, refilling evaporated liquid.
At the beginning, Borsch has a dark red color tending to orange but as the soup cooks his color becomes more similar to the color of wine or of a dark plum juice and even the parfume will become more harmonious, well structured, moving away from beetroot original smell, which at first seemed to be quite strong, integrates very nicely with the scent of other ingredients: the beet's sugar caramelizes, due to the heat.
Halfway through cooking, add vinegar or lemon juice, tasting in order to decide the amount. Salt at the end.
Serve piping hot with, apart, a bowl of  Smetana sauce or sour cream (which can be replaced by good greek yoghurt) to garnish and  with Pirozhkis, the traditional rolls stuffed with meat or vegetables.

I  don't use almost never vinegar but lemon as a learned from one of my Polish friend and, to tell the truth, I  like my vegetarian Borsch most than others. 
This is not only is a very nutritious soup and a confort food, but it's really healthy.

In winter it warms like nothing else. But in some Eastern European countries, it ts also consumed cold in the middle of summer, well mixed with sour cream. 

Borsch activates metabolism, improves blood circulation and balance fluids that affect blood pressure.

Traditionally it is eaten with Smetana and also Pirozhki and sometimes it is accompanied even from toasted strips of bacon or lard that Ukrainians  like so much.

Francobolli Ucraini dedicati al Borsch

Images of this post present Ukrainian tamps dedicated to Borsch and some Pirozhki ( image taken from Google images)