Close view of red Ukrainian borscht with beef, potato and cabbage, topped with a spoonful of sour cream

Ukrainian Borscht with Garlic Pampushky

Name: Ukrainian Borscht with Garlic Pampushky
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: Ukraine
Ingredients: 905 g beef (sirloin, stew meat or bone-in shank) cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces; 6.62 l cold water; 30 ml salt; 6 beets peeled and coarsely grated; 120 ml olive oil; 30 ml white vinegar; 30 ml sugar; 59 ml tomato paste or tomato sauce; 30 ml unsalted butter; 2 onion finely diced; 4 carrots coarsely grated; 6 potatoes peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces; 1 head small head of cabbage thinly sliced; 4 tomatoes peeled and diced; 4 leaves bay leaves; 2.5 ml black pepper freshly ground; 5 ml salt; 120 ml fresh parsley chopped; 4 cloves garlic pressed; sour cream (smetana), to serve; fresh dill or parsley sprigs, to serve; 235 ml lukewarm whole milk; 10 ml sugar; 7.5 ml active dry yeast; 1 egg; 44 ml sunflower oil, plus more for greasing; 710 ml all-purpose flour; 5 ml salt; 1 egg, for brushing; 30 ml sunflower oil

Nadia Kim Demo

Makes: 16 servings
Active: 1 h 45 min
Total: 3 h

Nut Free 4 Components · 3% Weighed

You’ll Need Large soup pot (at least 6 litres), Large heavy skillet, Box grater or food processor with a grating disc, Baking dishes (two 23 cm (9 inch) round or square)

16 servings · 1 h 45 min active · 3 h total

Nut Free 4 Components · 3% Weighed

You’ll Need Large soup pot (at least 6 litres), Large heavy skillet, Box grater or food processor with a grating disc, Baking dishes (two 23 cm (9 inch) round or square)

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Beef Broth Keep As Written

Beets and Fried Vegetables Keep As Written

Borscht Keep As Written

Garlic and Dill Pampushky Keep As Written

Garlic and Dill Pampushky keeps its own amount.

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Ingredients

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Grams Metric As Written US

Beef Broth

7.57 kg

Beets and Fried Vegetables

1.21 kg

Borscht

2.73 kg

Garlic and Dill Pampushky

811 g

Contains: gluten, wheat, eggs, milk. Based on ingredients. Does not account for cross contact.

Nutrition 407 kcal per serving

Nutrient	Per Serving	Per 100 g
Energy	407 kcal	50 kcal
Fat	17 g	2 g
of Which Saturated	3.9 g	0.5 g
Carbohydrate	47 g	5.7 g
of Which Sugars	10 g	1.2 g
Fibre	6 g	0.7 g
Protein	20 g	2.4 g
Sodium	1416 mg	173 mg

Computed from the ingredients. An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Beef Broth

Rinse under cold water and put it in a large soup pot with and . Bring to a boil over high heat.

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Whole cuts of beef should reach 63 °C (145 °F) at the centre, then rest 3 minutes. USDA FSIS
As soon as it boils, skim off all the grey foam that gathers on top. Do it now: if you wait, the foam breaks up into the broth and clouds it.

the surface is clear, with only a few spots of fat

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Lower the heat, set the lid ajar and simmer gently for , skimming now and then. Get the beets and the vegetables ready meanwhile.

a lazy bubble, never a rolling boilthe beef is tender when pierced

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Beets and Fried Vegetables

Put in a large heavy skillet with and . Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for .

the beets glisten and smell sweet

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Turn the heat to medium-low, stir in and and keep cooking, stirring from time to time, until the beets begin to soften, about . Scrape them into a bowl.

the beets are soft at the edges but still hold their shredsa deep, glossy red

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Without washing the skillet, melt and cook for . Add and cook about more until soft, adding a splash of oil if the pan looks dry.

the carrot is soft and the onion translucentSafe to pause here

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Borscht

Once the beef has simmered at least , add to the pot and cook .

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Add , the fried beets, the onion and carrot and . Simmer about .

a fork slides easily into the potatoes

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Add , and , then taste and adjust the salt. It should taste rounded: sweet from the beets, gently sour, well salted.
Stir in and , put the lid on straight away and take the pot off the heat. Leave it covered for .

the garlic smells mellow, not raw

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Ladle into bowls and top each with a spoonful of and . Serve with the warm pampushky.

Garlic and Dill Pampushky

Whisk , and in a large bowl and leave until foamy, .

a bubbly, beige foam on top
Add , , and . Mix, then knead by hand for a few minutes.

smooth, soft and supple, springing back slowly when pressed

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Oil the bowl, return the dough, cover with a towel and leave in a warm spot for about .

doubled in sizeRefrigerate the covered dough overnight and let it warm up before shaping.
Oil two 23 cm (9 in) baking dishes. Divide the dough into sixteen equal pieces, roll each into a tight ball and set eight in each dish with a little space between them. Cover and leave for about .

the balls have doubled and are touching

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Heat the oven to 175 °C. Beat , brush it over the rolls and bake .

175 °Cdeep golden brown on top
While they bake, stir together , and .

Egg dishes should reach 71 °C (160 °F) at the centre. USDA FSIS
Turn the hot rolls out of the dishes, brush them all over with the garlic oil and sprinkle with . Cool a little on a rack and serve the same day.

the tops glisten and smell strongly of garlic

From Nadia Kim

The beets are fried separately with vinegar, sugar and tomato before they meet the broth, which keeps their colour a deep ruby instead of a tired brown. A twenty minute rest off the heat at the end is not optional: it is when the garlic and herbs settle into the soup. The pampushky, brushed with raw garlic oil straight from the oven, are the classic thing to tear and dunk.

Notes

Beef: any cut works. Bone-in shank or short rib gives a richer broth; boneless sirloin or stew meat is quicker to eat.
Beets: use firm, deeply coloured beets. Pale beets make pale borscht and no technique fixes that.
Tomatoes: to peel them, score a cross in the base, drop into boiling water for 30 seconds, then into cold water; the skins slip off.
Beans: for a heartier pot, add a can of drained white or kidney beans with the cabbage.
Pampushky are optional but traditional. Bake them while the broth simmers so they come out of the oven as the soup rests.

Storage

Borscht keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for 3 months (freeze without the sour cream). Pampushky are best the day they are baked; reheat leftovers wrapped in foil.

Make Ahead

Borscht tastes even better the next day. Make it a day ahead and reheat gently without boiling hard.