Borscht

I was watching 'The Great' the other day, which I am liking very much!, and Emperor Peter was eating borscht. As I was looking for a soup recipe, I came across a recipe for borscht in the Waitrose magazine. Why not, I thought? The Emperor was really found of borscht and I like beetroot, so let's give it a go.

It's easy to make, it tastes deliciously sweet and the fried onions give it a little crunch. The recipe called for crème fraîche but I had double cream in the fridge so that's what I used. However, double cream is sweet and crème fraîche is sour and I think the crème fraîche would contrast well with the sweetness of the beetroot whilst the double cream just augmented it. Next time, I will be using crème fraîche.

Serves: 6 persons.

Ingredients:

• 55g butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 700g beetroot, peeled and sliced
• 20ml dry cider
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 6 shallots, sliced
• 6 tbsp crème fraîche
• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Melt 40g butter in a pan over a low heat and fry the onion and garlic for 5-8 min until soft, stirring occasionally.
   
   
   
2. Add the apples and the beetroot to the pan and fry for a further 5 min.
   
   
   
3. Add the cider and increase the heat. Simmer briskly for about 5 min.
4. Add the stock and salt & pepper to taste and bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 30 min.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Whilst the soup is cooking, warm the remaining 15g butter in a pan and fry the shallots over a medium heat until crisp, stirring frequently. Season.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Once the soup is ready, blitz it and check seasoning.
   
   
   
7. Serve the soup with some shallots and crème fraîche spooned over.