Borscht with Prunes, Beans, and Smoked Bacon

⏳ Time

3 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

In this borscht, you can use either chicken or beef broth, and you can add pork bones as well. The borscht made with chicken has a lighter texture and a vibrant fruity flavor. Beef and pork in the broth somewhat mute this zestiness. For the dressing, you can mix goat cheese with sour cream and garlic — either in a blender until smooth or in a bowl using a fork.

Ingredients

Poultry - 1 piece
Celery salt - 1 stalk
Carrot - 3 pieces
Onion - 1 head
Garlic - 6 cloves
Spanish onions - 2 heads
Parsley - 1.1 oz
Bay leaf - 2 pieces
Green peppercorns - 6 pieces
Tomatoes - 14.1 oz
Beetroot - 2 lbs
Prunes - 7.1 oz
Canned Baby Beets - 14.1 oz
Vegetable Oil - 1 fl oz
White Cabbage - 14.1 oz
Salt - to taste
Salted pork belly - 7.1 oz
Ground Black Pepper - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Place the chicken in a pot with five liters of water, add one onion, one carrot, and a stalk of celery to the same pot, and bring it to a boil over heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat, add the parsley stems (leaves removed), a bay leaf, and whole black peppercorns to the pot. Simmer on low heat for two hours, periodically skimming off the foam and fat. If making the broth with beef and pork bones, simmer for three hours; the bones can be roasted for half an hour at 428°F beforehand to enhance the flavor and reduce excess fat. Strain the finished broth through a fine sieve.

Step 2

Peel the beetroot and cut it into thin strips. Do the same with two carrots and the cabbage. Slice the red onion into thin half-rings. Cut the smoked pork belly into small cubes.

Step 3

In a deep skillet, pour in some vegetable oil and add the brisket, frying it until it starts to develop a bronze crust. Then add the onions, carrots, and beets to the skillet, stir, and simmer for about twenty minutes, until the vegetables become tender. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and prunes, and continue to simmer for another five to ten minutes.

Step 4

In a large pot, combine the broth with the vegetables and brisket, add the cabbage, and cook for twenty to thirty minutes. Then, add the beans to the borscht, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another ten minutes.

Step 5

Finely chop the parsley leaves, crush the garlic, and stir the herbs and garlic into the borscht. Remove from heat and serve with sour cream or soft goat cheese.