Lenten borscht, a classic recipe

Description

Lenten borscht, prepared according to the classic recipe, is fragrant and tasty. And also very beautiful - thanks to beetroot juice, which is added at the very end of cooking! In order for the taste of lean borscht according to the classic recipe to be rich and bright, in no case should you neglect its last point: the soup must be brewed on a hot turned off stove so that the “sound” of each ingredient combines with the rest into a single wonderful chord. By the way, such a light, low-calorie soup can be fully recommended not only to fasting people, but also to those who want to lose weight.

Cooking

Step 1

Wash beets, carrots, potatoes and onions for lean borscht, peel and cut into thin strips. Peel the top leaves from the cabbage, rinse and chop finely. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the skin and cut into cubes. Peel and crush the garlic.

Step 2

Boil water in a large saucepan designed for cooking borscht, lightly salt. Put potatoes and cabbage, put on a small fire.

Step 3

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, add onions and carrots. Fry, stirring constantly, 5 minutes.

Step 4

Add half of the prepared beets, vinegar and sugar to the pan. Stir, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Put the remaining beets in a bowl, pour boiling water over, add 1 tsp. vinegar and let it brew. (The resulting beetroot juice will be needed at the end of cooking in order to make the color of the borscht more intense.)

Step 5

Add tomatoes to the pan with vegetables, salt and pepper to taste, cover and simmer for another 20 minutes. Transfer the stewed vegetables to the pot with potatoes and cabbage. Add bay leaf. Increase the heat, bring the lean borscht to a boil, carefully remove the foam with a slotted spoon.

Step 6

Add garlic to lean soup. Cover with a lid and immediately remove from heat. Let stand covered for 10 minutes.