Vegan Borscht (Beetroot Soup)
Wow, this Ukrainian soup is incredible. I have not been a fan of beetroot soup in the past but this Vegan Borscht is gorgeous. Perfect from June to October when those beautiful earthy beets are in season. I served mine with Homemade Focaccia.
Ingredients for Vegan Borscht
Serves 5
- A glug of White Wine (optional)
- 4 Medium Fresh Beetroot
- 1 Onion
- 2 Potatoes
- 1 Leek
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Cabbage (Ours is fresh from our Veg Patch)
- 2 Sticks Celery
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Allspice Berries (if you have some)
- Kallo Mushroom Stock Cubes (or some dried or fresh mushrooms)
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Demerara Sugar
- A drizzle of Truffle Oil (optional)
Equipment
- Large Heavy Bottomed Pan
- Knife
- Stirring Spoon
Creating Vegan Borscht
Prep time 20 mins Cook Time 20-30 mins
Phase 1 (Making a vegetable stock base)
- Wash your hands
- Peel the 2 Carrots, Onion & Garlic. & trim the outer leaves of the Leek. Set the trimmings aside
- Put the glug of White Wine in the pan
(A glug is that sound it makes when you tip the bottle & lift again) - Put on a low heat & reduce and then top up the pan with 2 litres of filtered water & add the trimmings (If you do not have mushroom stock cubes add a few dried mushrooms or a handful of fresh mushrooms here)
- Leave this on a low heat to simmer
Phase 2 (Prep the vegetables)
- Thinly slice the Leeks & Onion
- Dice the Celery & Carrots
- Peel the 2 Potatoes and dice a similar sze
- Trim & peel the the 4 Beetroot, Dice 3 of the Beetroot & grate the other, set them aside separately
Phase 3 (Let’s get it on)
- Put the stock through a sieve & whisk in a Kallo Mushroom Stock Cube. Set the Stock aside. The trim can go in the compost bin.
- Add a glug of Oil to the pan & chuck in the Leeks, Potatoes, Onion, Celery, Diced Beetroot & Allspice Berries into the pan on a med-high heat and cook & stir for 5-10 minutes until the veg has a roasted look
- Pour in the Stock and simmer for 20 minutes
Phase 4
- Whilst the Borscht is simmering away wash & finely slice the cabbage
- Crush the Garlic into a puree
Phase 5
- After the 20 minutes check the Potatoes & Beetroot is cooked al dente (firm to bite). If it is not let it continue to simmer, do not overcook though.
- When the Potatoes & Beetroot are al dente chuck in the Cabbage, Garlic & Grated Beetroot
- Let this simmer for another 5 minutes
- Season with 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tsp Demerara Sugar, Salt & Pepper
- Serve & drizzle with Truffle Oil
Happy Eating
For more yummy Vegan Recipes check out our other sections:
