On this relatively cold and windy night (yes, it is summer after all) I felt like cooking some nice comforting food. After checking what’s in the fridge I discovered a poly bag with some of last year’s beetroot which kept remarkably well.

So I decided to make a big pot of borscht, a traditional Eastern European soup of possibly Russian or Ukrainian origin. I have a brilliant recipe from my friend who cooked the soup for us when visiting Shetland a few years ago. Since then I’ve been addicted to this authentic hearty soup.

Here’s the recipe:

3 tbsp olive oil

250g beef

4 medium potatoes cubed

1/2 cabbage or a jar of sauerkraut

4 carrots grated

2 medium raw beetroot  peeled and cubed

2 onions chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

100g tomato puree

2 beef stock cubes

2 bay leaves, 5 allspice berries, marjoram,salt and pepper

1.5l water

1. Cut the beef into cubes, brown it off in the olive oil, then add water, stock cubes, salt, pepper and spices and boil until the meat is tender.

2. Add potatoes and after ten minutes add shredded cabbage or sauerkraut

3. In a separate pan fry onions until golden brown, then add the carrot and beetroot and fry for 5-7 minutes, then add tomato puree and garlic. Add this in the first pan and boil for further 20 minutes.

4. Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Delicious with rye or sourdough bread.

There are many recipes and ways of cooking borscht and if you fancy experimenting and trying a different version follow this link.