Borscht, along with Natascha, Boris, vodka and furry hats, is probably one of the most recognisable lasting stereotypes of Russian culture. The brightly coloured beetroot base is punctuated, variously, with meat, potato, onion, cabbage, herbs and spices. Needless to say, it leaves glorious stains on anything it comes into contact with (the amount of staining is usually directly proportional to vodka consumption). Messy to prepare, messy to eat, messy to clean up... but worth it? You betcha.
The main variation on this dish is whether it's served hot or cold. Without getting into a fistfight with anyone who prefers the insipid, thin, watery, cold and nasty version... the dish originated in Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe is frigid for most of the year. Do the maths. With little regard to the factual cultural background of this variation - if you've got something to burn then you have no excuse for eating the cold form, which, despite global warming and its cultural history, should have remained buried in the 1970s New York hotel buffets where it came to prominence. In my humble opinion, of course.
For the sake of the stereotype, and the interactive fun involved in tweaking the toppings to taste, I serve blinis alongside borscht. To save time and effort, you could carve up a loaf of schinkenbrot, or other black rye bread instead. In our house, regardless of the starch side, the pile of chopped gherkins, onion, sour cream and horseradish are definitely not optional - allowing The Bloke to sour his broth down with polski ogorki, and me to rev mine up with a spoonful of horseradish. It's a nice touch for a dish which otherwise takes care of itself once you've got everything in the pot.
This is a great meal to serve when you've got company, as you can chuck it on to cook and prepare the garnishes and blini batter in advance, leaving you free to drink as much vodka (also not optional) as you can handle before quickly frying the blinis just prior to serving time.
Soup
2kg fresh beetroot, peeled and chopped finely in a food processor
50g butter
2 medium brown onions, chopped
2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 400g tin of tomatoes, smashed up with a knife
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2.5L water
500g piece gravy beef
3 bay leaves
4 cups shredded savoy cabbage
Blinis
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
30g melted butter
To Serve
1/2 cup finely chopped gherkins
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lumpfish caviar
Horseradish
Finely chopped parsley
Method
Borscht
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft. Add all other ingredients except cabbage, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for one hour.
2. Skim fat from surface of soup, discard. Remove beef and shred, return shredded beef to soup with cabbage and simmer, uncovered, for another half an hour.
Blinis
1. Whisk together milk, eggs and butter. Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in milk mixture until well combined.
2. Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a knob of butter to the pan and allow to melt.
To Serve
Ladle soup into pre-warmed serving bowls. Serve with blinis and accompaniments above, a chilled bottle of vodka, and much accented dah-ing.
