Beetroot Soup (Borscht)

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef shin (on the bone)
• 1 onion, left whole
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 medium potatoes (about 500 g), diced
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced or grated
• 200 g beetroot, grated or cut into matchsticks
• 1 red pepper, chopped (optional)
• 200 g canned chopped tomatoes
• 6 prunes
• 1/2 white cabbage, shredded
• 400 g canned kidney beans, drained
• 100 ml crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 bunch dill
• Crusty bread, to serve

Steps

1. Put the beef shin, the whole onion, the bay leaf and 2 litres of cold, lightly salted water in a large pot. Cook at a bare simmer for about 1½ hours, skimming off the foam now and then, until the meat is soft and comes away from the bone (it can take up to 3 hours). Remove the onion, take the meat off the bone and break it into pieces in the broth.
2. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10–15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a large, deep frying pan and cook the diced onion and carrot over medium heat, stirring, until soft and just starting to brown.
3. Add the beetroot to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red pepper, if using, and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes and prunes, turn up the heat and let it bubble briefly to reduce a little, then tip everything into the soup.
4. Add the cabbage and kidney beans and simmer for 7–10 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. Taste for salt. Serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche or sour cream, plenty of chopped dill and crusty bread.