Borscht, a rich beetroot soup, is an Eastern European favourite. Whip up a batch yourself with this easy recipe – it’s just delicious with homemade goat’s cheese tartlets
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 60g (2oz) butter
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 med potato, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 500g (1lb) raw beetroot, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 900ml (1½ pints) hot home-made chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- A few sprigs of dill
- For the tartlets
- (makes 12):
- 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
- 130-150g log of goat’s cheese, with rind on
- A few sprigs of thyme
- Salt and ground black pepper
Method
Put the oil and butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion, carrot, potato and garlic, and cook for about 15 mins until softened.
Add the beetroot and sugar and cook for 3-4 mins. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for an hour.
Whizz in a food processor, then push the purée through a sieve. Reheat and add more stock or water to thin it, if you like. Ladle into warm bowls and serve with a swirl of crème fraîche and dill fronds on top. To make the tartlets: Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Unroll the pastry. Cut out 12 x 6.5cm (2¾in) rounds. Mark a thin border around each one using a 5cm (2in) cutter. Put them on a Teflon-lined baking sheet, prick the middles a few times with a fork. Bake for 10 mins above the centre of the oven. Cut the goat’s cheese into 12 slices. Push down the centres of the tartlets and press a slice of cheese inside each one. Add thyme sprigs and season. Bake for 10 mins more.
Top tip for making Easy Borscht with goat’s cheese tartlets
There will be some pastry left over, so make a few jam tarts!
