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Ukrainian Borscht

A beet and bean soup with pork or beef, vegetables, and dill yogurt.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Beans and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,713 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Ukrainian Borscht

Serves 6
Timeabout 1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the beans and meat

  1. Drain the soaked beans and set aside.

  2. Place the meat in a large pot and add 3 cups of cold water.

  3. Bring to a boil slowly and remove scum.

  4. Add half of the onion and 2 carrots.

  5. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for about 1 hour.

  6. When done, add the beets and beans, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender.

Build the soup

  1. In the vegetable oil, sweat half of the onion, carrots, and green pepper over low heat until the onions are yellow.

  2. Scrape the sautéed vegetables into the pot and simmer for a few minutes.

  3. Scrape in tomatoes, potatoes, and spices, and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

  4. Add the cabbage and simmer until it has the consistency you like.

Finish and serve

  1. In the meantime, chop the garlic, dill, and pork fat (or bacon) in the food processor, whisking in the yoghurt at the end.

  2. When the cabbage is the way you like it, add tomato paste and the garlic-dill-fat mixture.

  3. Return the pot to a simmer, then cover, turn the heat off, and let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes.

  4. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top the soup with a dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1155Calories
87 gProtein
49 gFat
95 gCarbs

Counts 19 of 21 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 19 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Pork100g cooked242
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Beet1/2 cup (85g)35
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Beansnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beans + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,713 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Carrot + thymetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,563 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  3. Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,585 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Tomato + thymetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,370 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beets
Give the soup its characteristic deep red color and earthy sweetness.
Beans
Add body and substance, becoming tender during the long simmer.
Pork or beef
Contributes rich meaty flavor and savory depth to the broth.
Tomato paste
Adds concentrated tomato flavor, color, and gentle acidity.
Potatoes
Thicken the soup slightly and add starchy body as they break down.
Yoghurt
Adds creamy tang that balances the sweetness of the beets.

The step that matters

Adding the yoghurt mixture. Yoghurt can curdle when it meets a hot, acidic liquid. Whisking it in at the end, off the heat or with the pot just simmering, keeps it smooth.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, pork, carrot, pepper, tomato, potato, thyme):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Okrafits better
  3. Parsnipfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beans, pork, carrot, pepper, tomato, potato, thyme. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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