“Borshch isn’t just a traditional dish – it’s a national symbol. In fact, I’d even go as far as to call it part of our cultural DNA. But don’t worry, there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to make this iconic dish – each Ukrainian family has its own special borshch recipe, lovingly passed on over generations. Among the many recipes I’ve gathered over the years, this one is one of my favorites – the aroma of the smoked pears really highlights the rich flavor of the meat and the delicate vegetables. Dried and smoked pears, along with other dried fruits, are used to prepare “uzvar” – a traditional Ukrainian drink. However, the flavor of smoked pears wonderfully complements borshch and is an essential ingredient in some recipes. If you do not have pears on hand, you can try adding a bit of smoked prunes to your borshch instead.

Oh, and whatever you do, don’t ever call it ‘just a soup’ – otherwise you’ll definitely get a few angry looks from Ukrainians.” - Yevhen Klopotenko

Serves: 6
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pork ribs
2 whole beets, scrubbed clean and peeled
2 ripe tomatoes
¼ celery root, washed
¼ head of cabbage
3-4 medium-sized potatoes, washed and peeled
1-2 medium-sized carrots, washed and peeled
1 whole onion
1-2 smoked dried pears (if you can’t find any, about a teaspoon of smoked paprika will do as a substitute)
2 bay leaves
3 cloves allspice
1 head of garlic
1 sweet bell pepper, washed and cored
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp tomato paste
Can of white beans (optional)
Sprig fresh dill and some sour cream (for serving)
Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 390F.

2. In an ovenproof dish, bake the pork ribs for about 30 minutes or until a golden crust forms. (If you prefer, you can also fry the ribs in a dry pan over medium heat.) Meanwhile, roughly chop the celery root and the carrots. Transfer the baked ribs into a large pot, add about 12 cups of water. Add the celery and carrot chunks, and half an unpeeled onion. Bring the vegetables to a rapid boil, lower the heat and let simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauteed vegetable base – the aromatic basis of the borsch. Finely julienne the bell pepper. Finely dice the tomatoes. Peel and thinly slice the remaining ½ onion.

4. Heat the butter in a large frying pan, add the vegetables and cook them until soft and fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and simmer everything for another 5-7 minutes.

5. Using a box grater, shred one of the beets. Add it to the sauteed vegetables and cook everything for another 3-4 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, dice the potatoes roughly and add them into the pot with the rib broth. Cut an unpeeled head of garlic in half and add both halves to the pot. 

6. Using a food processor with a juicing attachment, squeeze the juice out of the remaining beet (alternatively, you can simply grate it using the fine attachment on your box grater and then squeeze the juice through a sieve). Add the beet juice and the vegetables into the pot with the ribs and celery, along with the allspice and bay leaves. Salt to taste. If you like, you can add a can of pre-cooked white beans to the borsch at this point. This is optional.

7. Shred or finely chop the cabbage and set it aside – it will be added to the borsch just before everything else is done, otherwise it will come out too mushy. Add the smoked dried pears to the pot. They will enhance the borscht with their wonderful smoky flavor. If you can’t find any, you can substitute them with about a teaspoon of smoked paprika.

8. Once all of the ingredients have cooked through and are tender, add the shredded cabbage to the pot. Simmer for 5 more minutes and take the borsch off the heat. Let it rest for at least half an hour before serving. Garnish with sour cream and finely chopped dill. Keep the borsch in the fridge and keep in mind that borsch tastes best on the second day, when the flavors have had enough time to meld together and intensify.