Mom’s Pork and Bean Borscht

Kateryna Bondar
Mom's Pork and Bean BorschtMom's Pork and Bean Borscht
Cuisine
Course
Serves 6 people
Prep time
30m
Cook Time
1h 30m

This is bean borscht, the version from households where beans stretched the meat; here they work alongside half a kilo (about a pound) of pork ribs rather than replacing them. Soaked beans and meat go into the pot at the same time, so the beans reach creamy softness exactly when the pork starts leaving the bone.

After that, everything depends on the order things go in. Potatoes 10-15 minutes from the end, sauteed beet and carrot for 5-7, shredded cabbage for the last 5. The beet is sauteed rather than dropped in raw for a reason: acid from the fried tomato paste fixes the pigment, and the soup stays red instead of fading to brick brown. The cabbage should still have a little bite.

Sharpen it with tart apples or a pinch of citric acid; for colour you can add beet kvass, the tangy fermented beet liquid sold in Eastern European groceries (a splash of red wine vinegar does a similar job). Then the non-negotiable part: an hour off the heat, covered. Fresh off the stove borscht tastes like separate ingredients; an hour later it tastes like soup. Serve with smetana — thick full-fat sour cream — and pampushky, the soft garlic-rubbed yeast rolls meant for mopping the bowl.

Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 447 more recipes in the section.

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Ingredients

  • 0.5 Kilograms
    pork (ribs are best)
  • 1 Cup
    beans
  • 0.5 Kilograms
    potatoes
  • 1
    beet
  • 1
    carrot
  • 1
    onion
  • cabbage (to taste)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons
    tomato paste
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • bay leaf
  • garlic
  • parsley
  • sour cream for serving
  • pampushky for serving

Instructions

  1. Soak the beans ahead of time. Put the meat and beans into the pot at the same time and cook until the meat is done.

  2. Add the diced potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes.

  3. Add the coarsely grated, sauteed beet and carrot and cook for 5-7 minutes.

  4. Add the finely shredded cabbage and cook for 5 minutes.

  5. Finely chop the onion, saute it, add the tomato paste and fry, then add it to the pot.

  6. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic and parsley, and cook for 5 minutes. It's important that the cabbage doesn't overcook but stays a little crisp.

  7. For flavor, add sugar, citric acid or tart apples if you like. For color, you can pour in beet kvass.

  8. Let the borscht rest for about an hour. Serve with sour cream and pampushky.

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