How to cook borscht so that it does not lose its bright red color

Food blogger Iryna Kozachuk shared her secrets of delicious borscht.

In an exclusive commentary for OBOZREVATEL, the expert spoke about the main points and advised what to add to the dish so that it does not lose its color.

According to the food blogger, she uses the following life hacks when cooking borsch:

• For richness of flavor, beets should be pre-baked in the oven, not boiled immediately.
• After adding the vegetable to the pot, reduce the heat to medium or low. Otherwise, the borscht risks losing all its color.
• While cooking the broth, cover the meat with cold water. This will help it not to lose its flavor.

The expert also has her own secret that helps borscht stay rich even after cooking. To do this, she pours a little vinegar into the dish.

For those who will be cooking borsch for the first time, Iryna Kozanchuk advises following these basic steps:

1. Cook the broth.
2. Bake or boil the beets.
3. Add potatoes to the broth. At this stage, you can already add salt and a little vinegar.
4. Add grated beets.
5. Bring to taste: add spices, pepper and a little sugar.
6. Finally, add herbs and remove from heat.

Yevhen Klopotenko also shared his recipe for borscht on his culinary website.

Ingredients:

• pork - 300 g
• beetroot - 1 pc
• onion - 1 pc
• carrots - 1 pc
• potatoes - 2 pcs
• beans - 100 g
• eggplant - 150 g
• cabbage - 150 g
• tomato paste - 2 tbsp
• sugar - 1 tbsp
• bay leaves - 2 pcs
• garlic - 2 cloves
• water - 2 liters
• oil - 2 tbsp
• black peppercorns
• salt
• pepper

Method of preparation:

1. Bake the beets in the oven for 1-1.5 hours. Soak the beans for 1 hour.
2. Salt the meat and bake in the oven with bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Let it cool and cut into pieces.
3. Grate the carrots and beets, chop the onion, and cut the eggplant into medium-thick cubes.
4. Fry the onions and carrots for 2-3 minutes, then add the eggplant and beets. Stew for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and simmer for another 2 minutes.
5. Peel and chop the potatoes.
6. Pour water into a saucepan, add potatoes and meat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add thinly chopped cabbage and beans. Cook for 15 minutes.
8. Add the roast and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add salt, pepper and garlic at the end.