BORSCHT! - say what?

The origin of Borscht (including its spelling) is debatable, some saying it is of Russian origin, some saying Polish, and others the Ukraine.

I had it for the first time when working in London where my larger than life bar lady from Poland insisted that I try it. It did not go down too well then, but since I have an abundance of beetroot growing in my garden, I thought I would give it a go (with my own twist) considering its enormous health benefits.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp butter

30ml oil (I used peanut, but veg oil will do)

10 organic beetroots, peeled and quartered

2 peeled potatoes, quartered

1 onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 carrots, sliced

2 tbsp fresh thyme

150ml chardonnay (or any other white wine)

500ml light beef stock (2tsp in 500ml boiling water)

Fry the onions, garlic and carrots in the butter and oil until the onions are nice and soft, but not browned. Careful not to burn the garlic as this will cause the soup to taste bitter.

Add the fresh thyme, beetroot and potatoes and saute for a few minutes, followed by the wine. Reduce slightly, then add the beef stock. Season with black pepper and a little salt - the stock will add quite a bit of saltyness already, you can always add more once the soup is cooked.

Cover and cook for between 30 and 40 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Taste it and test for seasoning. I added some raw honey, white pepper and a dash more salt to balance it all out nicely. Once cooled slightly, carefully ladle into a blender and blend in batches. Be careful - beetroot stains!!

To finish the dish off, I made Chilli Bites* with tamarind and honey, added a bit of self raising flour to fluff them up a bit, and fried them in peanut oil until crispy and cooked through - about 3 minutes on each side.

Carefully ladle some soup into a bowel, place a chilli bite in the middle and top with some sour cream. Pretty dam good if I may say so myself!

*You can buy a Chilli Bite mixture from most Pick n Pays, which is produced by Spice Mecca, and then follow the instructions on the box, and add any extra flavourings that you want. They are really easy to make from scratch if you not feeling as lazy as I am - let me know and I’ll send it to you - free, gratis, vir niks!