Borscht base in jars for winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients on the list. Cooks often make this preserve to cut down on the time it takes to make borscht later. It's also a great way to put up vegetables for winter if you don't have a pantry for storing fresh ones. Wash, peel, and grate the beets. If you're making a big batch, you can use a food processor to simplify things.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash, peel, and grate the carrots, or chop them in a food processor.

3. Step 3:

   

   Peel the onion and finely chop it with a knife, or run it through the food processor too.

4. Step 4:

   

   Put the prepared vegetables in a pot, add vegetable oil and a third of the vinegar (the vinegar helps the beets keep their color as they stew), stir, and set the pot of vegetables on the heat. When the vegetables release their juices, pour in the water and stir. Stew for about 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring now and then so the vegetables don't scorch on the bottom and spoil the flavor of the preserve.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stem ends, dice the flesh, and blend it into a puree, or run it through a meat grinder.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the tomato puree, sugar, salt, bay leaf, and peppercorns to the pot of vegetables and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat, and stew over low heat for about 30 minutes. Five minutes before the end, pour in the vinegar, bring the mixture back to a boil, and turn off the heat.

7. Step 7:

   

   Meanwhile, sterilize the jars for the preserve. Wash the jars in a baking-soda solution and sterilize them by whatever method is handy. I like to sterilize jars in the oven. Set the damp jars neck-down on the rack, turn the oven to 300°F (150°C), and keep 0.5-liter jars in for about 10 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Ladle the hot borscht base into the sterile jars. It's best to use small jars for this preserve, so that once opened, it can be used right away to make soup or another dish. Sterilize the preserve in a water bath for about 10 minutes (0.5-liter jars). Seal the jars with lids, let them cool upside down at room temperature, and store them in a cool place until winter. Enjoy!