Alexandra (Sasha) Shyskina is a Ukrainian-American food photographer based in Dublin. As newcomers to Dublin, Sasha and Blanca met in the Triggerfish cookshop in Blackrock, where she photographed and filmed some of the cooking classes and cookware. Sasha has great talent and determination and faced the prospect of starting from scratch in a new city with optimism and a smile.
Sasha has shared her mother’s recipe for borsch (‘No T, please!’ Sasha says), a treasured heirloom that can make us reflect on the culinary heritage of Ukraine, where this soup hails from. Borsch, a light beetroot and meat soup, is well-known but it has its little tricks and tips. For instance, Blanca had never heard of zazharka, the Ukrainian sofrito that you can add to borsch, but Blanca’s Ukrainian neighbour, Serhiy, prefers to omit it because of the oil. He also despairs at how often a floury potato can ruin borsch. In addition, some cooks, such as Sasha’s mother, blanch their beetroot because they prefer a less pink soup (something Blanca personally adores).
Serves 4–6
For the stock:
500g beef oxtail or short ribs
1 onion, cut in half
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fine sea salt or to taste
2 litres water
For the zazharka:
2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, grated
2 tbsp tomato purée
200ml water
For the soup:
1 large beetroot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 large onion, diced
4 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed
¼ cabbage, shredded
1 red pepper, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 bacon rashers, chopped and fried
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
100g sour cream
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
soft white rolls or rye bread
garlic butter
To make the stock, put the meat, onion, carrot and salt in a pot and cover with the water. Bring to the boil, removing the fat and impurities that rise to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender – this could be anywhere between 1 and 2 hours depending on the cut and type of meat. (You can reduce the cooking time by using a pressure cooker and cooking the stock for 30–40 minutes at high pressure.) Remove the onion and carrot, then set the stock aside.
While the stock is cooking, make the zazharka, which is essentially a Ukrainian sofrito. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft. Whisk the tomato purée with the water in a separate small bowl, then add this to the zazharka. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until thickened.
To finish the soup, add the beetroot and onion to the pot with the stock and cook for 15 minutes, then add the potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, until softened. Add the zazharka, cabbage and red pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the cabbage and pepper are cooked. Add the crushed garlic, fried bacon and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for a few minutes more.
Serve each bowl with a generous dollop of sour cream and plenty of chopped fresh dill, with soft bread rolls or rye bread spread with garlic butter on the side.
From Blasta Books #5: Soup by Blanca Valencia, Dee Laffan and Mei Chin