Ruby-red, aromatic and mouth-watering borscht is the dream of every cook who strives to improve his skills.
There are several tricks that will help you get closer to the ideal. Experienced housewives and chefs are guided by these nuances.
Don't fry, but stew
There is an unspoken rule: separate cooking of beets and carrots with onions. But it can be broken if desired. The main secret is that the beets are not fried, but slowly stewed.
The vegetable is sautéed in oil or any fat. This is done carefully so that the beetroot does not fry. After gentle sautéing, broth or hot water is added so that the beetroot is slightly covered. The dressing should resemble a sauce in consistency.
If desired, at this stage the beets can be combined with onions and carrots.
Tomato and sugar
Tomato will help to preserve the rich color. But it is worth adding tomato to the stewed beetroot. Both fresh tomatoes and sauce are suitable.
Sugar also helps to some extent to preserve the beetroot's color.
Cabbage
If you add cabbage at the wrong time, the borscht will become much lighter and all your efforts will be in vain. The vegetable should not be added at the end, otherwise you can forget about the ruby color.
Cabbage is added before or together with the potatoes. It can be added a little later, so that it is crispy. But the dish will be spoiled if you add cabbage at the end.
