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Borscht dressing for winter with beetroot

Borscht Base with Beets for Winter

The best make-ahead starter for anyone who loves a vibrant soup! Make this borscht base with beets once, and you'll have the makings of a wonderful, fragrant borscht for a whole year. It locks in the goodness of the vegetables and saves you tons of time.

Ropotushka

Recipe author

Borscht dressing for winter with beetroot

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beets

1.4

Onion

0.4

Carrots

0.45

Tomato sauce

200

Table vinegar (9%)

Sunflower oil

100

Table salt

Sugar

100

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 10 % 2 g

Fats 20 % 4 g

Carbohydrates 70 % 14 g

92 kcal

GI: 21 / 14 / 64

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make a borscht base for winter? Gather all the ingredients. Note that the recipe gives the weight of the unpeeled vegetables.
Step 2:

For simmering, use a bowl or pot large enough to hold everything comfortably — I used a big pot. Peel and rinse the onion, then cut it into cubes or strips. I like smaller onion in my borscht, so I cut small cubes. Put the onion in the pot and add all the ingredients except the carrots and beets. Mix well.
Step 3:

Peel and rinse the beets and carrots. Grate them on the coarse side of a box grater or cut into thin strips — that julienne is the traditional cut for borscht.
Step 4:

Stir everything together well and set it over medium heat. Wait for the vegetables to release their juices — you can cover the pot to speed this up. Once it boils, simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5:

While the vegetables simmer, prepare jars totaling about 2 liters (2 quarts). Wash and sterilize them well. Here's how I do it: gently pour a thin stream of boiling water into the bottom of the jar, filling about a quarter of it. To keep the jar from cracking, don't let the water touch the sides. Cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes, then pour out the water — the jar is ready to use.
Step 6:

After 45 minutes, divide the base evenly among the jars and seal with the lids. Leave to cool completely at room temperature, about a day. Then store in a cellar or other cool spot.

One 500 ml (pint) jar of the base is enough for about a 3-quart pot of borscht. There's nothing extra in it — just the basics. Some like their soup thick, others thinner, so as you cook the borscht you can add pepper, potatoes, tomato, garlic, cabbage, and whatever else you like to taste.
With this base you can make borscht without any meat. I usually boil chopped potatoes until half-done, then add the base and cook for another 20–30 minutes, seasoning with spices and adding salt if needed about 5 minutes before the end. It makes a very tasty meatless borscht.
Remember that in canning recipes, salt, sugar, vinegar, and their substitutes aren't just for flavor — they act primarily as preservatives. So never reduce the salt or sugar, or swap the vinegar (essence) for a weaker concentration than the recipe calls for; otherwise the vinegar (or salt/sugar) won't preserve properly and the preserve will spoil.
Root vegetables are best washed with a brush or stiff sponge under running water.