Menu
Odkrywaj Recipes Categories Ingredients Occasions News
PL EN
Creamy Christmas Borscht with Roasted Beets, Cranberries, and Smoked Plums - photo 1
← Recipes

Creamy Christmas Borscht with Roasted Beets, Cranberries, and Smoked Plums

Pikantne Christmas Eve Soups Vegan dishes Soups 120 min Medium 11 wyświetleń ~39.14 PLN - (0)
Rate:
(0)

Description

This is not your ordinary borscht. It is a velvety soup with a deep flavor and color that will change your perspective on Christmas classics. The secret to its extraordinary aroma lies in roasting the beets, which brings out their natural sweetness and earthy notes, eliminating any raw aftertaste. The addition of smoked plum introduces a surprising, smoky accent that perfectly complements the sweetness of the vegetables. The whole is balanced by refreshing, slightly tart cranberry, which adds elegance and freshness to the soup. Thanks to the addition of coconut milk, the borscht gains a creamy, silky texture that envelops the palate. Perfect for a festive Christmas dinner, served with dumplings, garlic croutons, or simply in a cup to drink. Its ruby color and richness of flavors will make it the star of any holiday table.

Składniki (17)

Servings:
6
  • Beets 1000 g
  • Vegetable broth 1500 ml
  • Onion 2 szt.
  • Garlic 4 ząbki
  • Smoked dried plums 60 g
  • Fresh or frozen cranberries 150 g
  • Coconut milk (thick, from a can) 200 ml
  • Olive oil 45 ml
  • Apple cider vinegar 30 ml
  • Maple syrup 30 ml
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Dried marjoram 2 łyżeczki
  • Allspice 2 g
  • Bay leaf 3.3 szt.
  • Salt 10 g
  • Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony 2 szczypty
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Walnuts 50 g
  • Fresh dill 0.8 pęczek
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~39.14 PLN (6.52 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Roasting beets

1

Preheat the oven to 200°C (conventional mode, no fan). Thoroughly wash the beets under running water, using a vegetable brush to remove any dirt residue. Do not peel them or cut off the ends – this will prevent the loss of juice and color during baking. Dry them with a paper towel.

Ingredients: Beets
Use a large baking tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil, which will make cleaning up later easier. Washing the beets is crucial, but do not damage the skin to keep them juicy.
2

Place each beet on a separate piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle each with about half a teaspoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Rub the beets thoroughly with the seasonings. Wrap each beet tightly in the foil, creating small packets. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.

Ingredients: Beets, Olive oil, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony
Tightly wrapping in foil will ensure that the beets bake in their own juices, making them incredibly aromatic and moist. Be careful not to puncture the foil.
3

Place the tray with the beets in the preheated oven and bake for about 60-90 minutes. The baking time depends on the size of the beets. After 60 minutes, check their tenderness by carefully peeling back the foil and inserting a thin knife or fork into the center of the largest beet. It should slide in smoothly, with no resistance. If the beets are still hard, continue baking, checking every 15 minutes.

Don't rush this step! Well-baked, soft beets are the key to a creamy consistency and deep flavor of the soup. Be careful of the hot steam when opening the foil.

Preparation of the soup base

4

While the beets are roasting, prepare the soup base. In a large pot with a thick bottom (about 4-5 liters capacity), heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Peel the onion and chop it into small cubes. Add it to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 5-7 minutes, until it becomes translucent and soft, but not browned.

Ingredients: Onion, Olive oil
Use a heavy-bottomed pot to ensure even heat distribution and prevent the onion from burning. 'Sweating' means that the onion becomes translucent.
5

Peel the garlic and finely chop it or press it through a garlic press. Add it to the sautéed onion along with the allspice, bay leaf, and dried marjoram (crush it in your hands over the pot). Sauté everything together for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the spices release their aromas.

Ingredients: Garlic, Dried marjoram, Allspice, Bay leaf
A brief sauté of the spices 'opens up' their flavor and makes the soup more aromatic. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it will become bitter.
6

Remove the roasted beets from the oven and let them cool slightly so you can hold them in your hands. The skin should now come off very easily – you can peel it off with your fingers or gently scrape it off with a small knife. Cut the peeled beets into thick cubes and add them to the pot with the onion and spices.

Ingredients: Beets
Put on disposable gloves for peeling the beets to avoid staining your hands. Don't worry about the irregular shape of the cubes; everything will be blended anyway.

Cooking and Blending

7

Add the sliced smoked plums to the pot with the vegetables. Pour in hot vegetable broth. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the pot, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. The goal is to let all the flavors combine.

Ingredients: Smoked dried plums, Vegetable broth
Using hot broth speeds up the cooking process. Simmering allows the flavors to develop slowly and harmoniously, without rapidly evaporating the liquid.
8

After the cooking time is up, remove the soup from the heat. Using a slotted spoon or fork, fish out the bay leaves and allspice berries from the soup. This is a very important step – blending them with the soup would give it a bitter taste and an unpleasant texture.

Ingredients: Bay leaf, Allspice
Thoroughly search the soup. Sometimes allspice berries like to hide. If you're not sure you've removed everything, you can strain the soup through a sieve, setting the vegetables aside, and then combine them back with the liquid.
9

Blend the soup until it is perfectly smooth. You can do this using an immersion blender, blending directly in the pot. Blend for a long time and patiently, moving the blender up and down until there are no lumps. Alternatively, pour the soup in batches into a countertop blender and blend on high speed.

If you are using a jug blender, remember to never fill it with hot soup above half its capacity and always leave a small opening in the lid, covering it with a cloth. This will prevent pressure buildup and the 'explosion' of hot soup.
10

Place the pot with the blended soup back on low heat. Pour in the coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Gently heat, stirring constantly, until the soup is hot, but do not bring it to a boil. Taste and add more salt, vinegar (for acidity), or syrup (for sweetness) if needed.

Ingredients: Coconut milk (thick, from a can), Apple cider vinegar, Maple syrup, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony
Do not cook the soup after adding coconut milk and vinegar! Too high a temperature can cause the milk to curdle, and the vinegar will lose its freshness. It's only about heating and combining the flavors. This is the moment to perfectly balance the taste: sweet, sour, and salty.

Cranberry relish and serving

11

In a small saucepan, place fresh or frozen cranberries, add 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the fruits start to burst and form a thick sauce, which will take about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ingredients: Fresh or frozen cranberries, Maple syrup
This simple relish will be a beautiful and tasty contrast to the creamy soup. Do not cook it too long to preserve the fruit pieces and fresh flavor.
12

Pour the hot borscht into bowls or cups. On top of each serving, add a dollop of cranberry relish and use a toothpick or the tip of a teaspoon to create a fancy pattern (e.g., a heart or a spiral). If using, sprinkle the soup with toasted chopped walnuts and fresh chopped dill.

Ingredients: Walnuts, Fresh dill
The decorative element is very important, especially for Christmas dishes. Even a simple pattern with cranberries will make the soup look incredibly appetizing. Serve immediately.

Fun Fact

💡

The tradition of eating borscht on Christmas Eve dates back hundreds of years and has its roots in pagan rituals. It was believed that beets, due to their blood-red color, have the power to purify and protect against evil. Roasting vegetables instead of boiling them is a modern technique that intensifies their flavor through the Maillard reaction and caramelization, which is the secret to the unique aroma of this version of borscht.

Best for

Kolacja Wigilijna Elegancka przystawka Rozgrzewający posiłek w zimowy dzień Uroczysta kolacja

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the borscht hot. It pairs perfectly with traditional mushroom dumplings. You can also serve it with cream puffs, pastries, or crispy sourdough bread croutons rubbed with fresh garlic. For an extra touch of elegance, before pouring the soup into the bowl, you can place a few cooked dumplings at the bottom and then pour the creamy borscht over them.

🥡 Storage

Soup can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 3-4 days. Moreover, its flavor often becomes even deeper and more complex the next day. Reheat it over low heat, avoiding boiling. Borscht is great for freezing, but it's best to freeze it before adding coconut milk (add it during reheating) to maintain the ideal consistency.

📸 Ugotowane przez społeczność

Zaloguj się, aby dodać zdjęcie
Dodaj zdjęcie gotowej potrawy

Po zatwierdzeniu przez moderatora otrzymasz 10 punktów doświadczenia.

🍲

Nikt jeszcze nie dodał zdjęcia. Bądź pierwszy!

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment on this recipe!

Add a comment

You might also like

Tofu in plum-ginger glaze with buckwheat and quick pickled carrots 90 min

Tofu in plum-ginger glaze with buckwheat a...

Vegan dishes
Kremowa zapiekanka ziemniaczana z serem 90 min

Kremowa zapiekanka ziemniaczana z serem

Sylwester
Corn Chowder 45 min

Corn Chowder

5.0 Soups
Onion soup with Gruyère cheese 60 min

Onion soup with Gruyère cheese

Soups
Aksamitny krem z pieczonej dyni z chipsem z szałwii i prażonymi pestkami 90 min

Aksamitny krem z pieczonej dyni z chipsem ...

Soups
Duszone warzywa w ziołach 45 min

Duszone warzywa w ziołach

Sylwester

Recipe Categories

Christmas Eve Soups
Christmas Eve Soups

Christmas Eve soups are a traditional start to the festive dinner - warming and aromatic. Clear red borscht with mushroom dumplings - a classic of Polish Christmas Eve. Mushroom soup made from dried porcini and boletus - a forest aroma in a bowl. Christmas Eve fish soup made from carp, pike, or a...

See all recipes in this category
Vegan dishes
Vegan dishes

Vegan cuisine features delicious dishes without animal products - healthy, ethical, and environmentally friendly. Plant-based protein: tofu, tempeh, soy, lentils, chickpeas, and beans take center stage. Vegan dairy substitutes: plant milks, cashew cheese, and vegan yogurts. Recipes for vegan burg...

See all recipes in this category
Soups
Soups

Soups are the essence of home cooking - they warm, satisfy, and comfort in any weather. In this category, we present recipes for Polish soups - chicken broth, sour rye soup, borscht, tomato soup, cucumber soup, and pea soup. Our dishes also include cream soups, cold soups, and broths. You will fi...

See all recipes in this category
Dishes for Special Occasions
Dishes for Special Occasions

Dishes for special occasions are culinary masterpieces for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Grilled beef steak with herb butter - restaurant quality at home. Beef Wellington - beef in puff pastry with duxelles. Roast duck with apples - a holiday tradition in a new edition. Pink salmon with...

See all recipes in this category
Reklama