Ukrainian borscht from stew

Ingredients

• Canned pork or beef — 1 tin, 550 g
• Potatoes — 3
• Red sweet beetroot, medium — 2
• Carrot — 1
• Onion — 1
• White cabbage, mature — 250 g
• Tomato paste 25% — 30 g
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Bay leaves — 2
• Dried sweet red pepper flakes — 30 g
• Water — 4 l (for a 5-litre pot)
• Sunflower oil — 3 tbsp
• Salt — 1 heaped tbsp
• Sugar — 2 tbsp
• Allspice berries — 3 (or 5 black peppercorns)
• Seasoning of your choice — 1 tbsp
• Parsley — to taste
• Dill — to serve
• Sour cream — to serve

Method

1. Pour 4 litres of water into a 5-litre pot and bring to the boil. Add the bay leaves and allspice straight away.
2. Peel the beetroot, carrot and onion. Chop the onion into small pieces and add it to the boiling water.
3. Cut the beetroot into 2–3 mm matchsticks. Heat a large frying pan, add the oil and fry the beetroot for 2 minutes over high heat, uncovered, stirring.
4. Carefully ladle 5–6 scoops of water from the pot into the pan to cover the beetroot. Add the tomato paste, stir thoroughly, cover and sauté for 3–5 minutes until the beetroot is almost tender.
5. Dice the potatoes into 2×2 cm cubes, slice the carrot thinly (2–3 mm) and shred the cabbage.
6. Add the salt, sugar and the entire beetroot mixture to the boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes — the beetroot should not fall apart.
7. Add the whole contents of the tin, the dried sweet pepper, the seasoning, then the potatoes, carrot and cabbage. Cook until the potatoes are done, about 10 minutes.
8. When the potatoes are almost ready, stir in the crushed garlic and parsley to taste. Boil for 1 minute, turn off the heat and let it rest under the lid for 10–15 minutes.