Recipe of the week: beet borscht
Red beets give the soup its characteristic flavour and beautiful burgundy colour

Borscht is a beloved dish in many countries in eastern Europe, says Cristian Broglia. The distinguishing feature of a Ukrainian borscht is red beets, which give the soup its characteristic flavour and beautiful burgundy colour.
Serves four people
Ingredients
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- 455g beef strip steak (sirloin), cut into 5cm chunks
- 5 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion, chopped
- 300g red beets, peeled and diced
- 1 white turnip, diced
- 200g diced peeled celeriac
- 200g sliced cabbage
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- sea salt
- 1 tbsp tomato purée, dissolved in a little warm water
to serve:
- 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
- ½ tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method
- In a soup pot, combine the beef, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 950ml of cold water. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by one-third, about 45mins.
- Discard the bay leaves. Add the onion, beets, turnip, celeriac, cabbage, carrots, sugar, vinegar, and salt to taste. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 30mins.
- Remove the meat chunks and divide them among soup bowls. Stir the tomato purée mixture into the soup and simmer for 5mins over high heat.
- Pour the vegetables and broth over the meat. Top each serving with a tablespoon of yoghurt and some chopped parsley.
- Tip: if the beets come with greens, remove them and rinse well. Cut into shreds and add to the soup, then boil until tender for 3mins.
Taken from The Gluten-Free Cookbook by Cristian Broglia, published by Phaidon at £35. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £27.99, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?
Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
-
'No one should be surprised by this cynical strategy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Intellectual property: AI gains at creators' expense
Feature Two federal judges ruled that it is fair use for AI firms to use copyrighted media to train bots
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Oasis reunited: definitely maybe a triumph
Talking Point The reunion of a band with 'the power of Led Zeppelin' and 'the swagger of the Rolling Stones'
-
Kiefer / Van Gogh: a 'remarkable double act'
The Week Recommends Visit this 'heroic' and 'absurd' exhibition at the Royal Academy until 26 October
-
Mark Billingham shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The novelist and actor shares works by Mark Lewisohn, John Connolly and Gillian Flynn
-
Properties of the week: grand rural residences
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Wiltshire, Devon, and East Sussex
-
Heads of State: 'a perfect summer movie'
The Week Recommends John Cena and Idris Elba have odd-couple chemistry as the US president and British prime minister
-
The Red Brigades: a 'fascinating insight' into the 'most feared' extremist group of 1970s Italy
The Week Recommends A 'grimly absorbing' history of the group and their attempts to overthrow the Italian state
-
Jurassic World Rebirth: enjoyable sequel hampered by plot holes
Talking Point The latest dinosaur reboot captures the essence of the original – but leans too heavily on 'CGI-heavy set pieces'