Borscht in the oven. In which pan to cook borscht - features of shape and volume and the right material Borscht in a cast iron

If you want to conquer everyone with your culinary art, the first thing you need to learn how to cook is borscht. No matter how trivial it may sound. Each of us remembers this dish from childhood, but few people think about what a rich history, geographical distribution and gastronomic subtleties it has. Meanwhile, borscht is as important for Ukraine as pilaf is for Central Asia.

It is impossible to say exactly when borscht appeared in Ukraine. History of borscht has more than one hundred years, it is mentioned in various literary works, starting with "Domostroy" and has a lot of fans among artists of the past and present. For example, writer Nikolai Gogol, ballerina Anna Pavlova.

Borscht in various variations is prepared in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, and Romania.

Like most dishes of every national cuisine, borscht was originally the food of the peasants - it was prepared practically from what “God sends”. Until the middle of the 19th century, there were no potatoes and tomatoes in the kitchens of the inhabitants of Ukraine, and the main role was played not by cabbage, but by cow parsnip - a large herbaceous plant, from which borscht was originally prepared. By the way, it is thanks to this semi-wild grass that the dish got its name.

Naturally, a couple of centuries ago, borsch had a completely different look. Firstly, most often it was prepared without meat, since for ordinary peasants it was a luxury and appeared on the table only on major holidays. Secondly, the basis of borscht was a stew made from hogweed and beet kvass: the said mumble was poured into a pot, brought to a boil, after which the cook put chopped vegetables into it - beets, carrots, cabbage and other garden gifts of that time. Well, then the pot went to languish in the oven, most often for the whole night.

An integral ingredient of borscht to this day for many is lard with garlic. It can be chopped and fried or mashed with garlic or simply boiled, but in any case it has its devoted fans.

In addition to fat and meat, cooks of all times have added and are adding mushrooms, fish, apples, zucchini, bell peppers, turnips, various herbs, fresh and dried, nettles. And if earlier borscht recipes differed in cooking technology depending on the region, for example, the Right or Left Bank of the Dnieper, Polissya or Podolia, now, in the age of globalization and industrialization, they depend only on the taste and preferences of the cook. Well, the presence of a certain set of products - whether it's porcini mushrooms, or beef, or zucchini and eggplant, or beans - you can argue about the authenticity of the recipe ad infinitum.

By the way about a set of products. In addition to its important role in the lives of most Ukrainians, borsch is also a measure of the state of the country's economy - we are talking about the so-called. "borscht index". The point is that this index shows the state of prices for products that will be needed to prepare a medium - 4 l - pot of borscht. Using this index, you can track in which direction and how often prices for basic food products in the country change.

History of Ukrainian borscht, lost in the centuries, continues to this day. For example, for several years now, borscht festivals have been held in different cities of Ukraine - local ones within one region, and more global ones traveling to different cities. Usually, at such festivals, either several cities exhibit their masters for cooking borscht and, moving from tent to tent, you can taste this dish in plenty, or specially invited chefs prepare several hundred liters of borscht in large cauldrons, which each visitor of the event can then taste.

As you can see, not only paella or pilaf manage to surprise with its scale. Borscht can also surprise the audience - for example, in 2010 in the town of Borshchiv, Ternopil region, chefs prepared, and visitors tasted 5,000 liters of borscht. Naturally, each chef sought to outdo the others in terms of originality and taste. How else to explain the fact that at the said festival one could taste borscht even with cherries?

By the way, about cauldrons. Who thought that borscht is best cooked in a cast-iron dish - a saucepan, a cauldron, a pot? Borscht in according to the cooking technology will be slightly different from the analogue in the pan, but both will have a wonderful taste. And the thing is that cast iron is an absolutely environmentally friendly material that accumulates heat in itself and gives it to the dish inside the dish. No steel, no Teflon and aluminum will ever replace the good old cast iron. You can choose - a universal option, a cast-iron pot for a Russian stove or oven, or in which you can cook borscht for a crowd of 10-15 people. The frying pan lid is useful for frying, frying meat, croutons and other goodies accompanying borscht.

Having picked up a suitable dish, consider, how to cook borscht.

Red borscht- the easiest option.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 1 kg

Potato - 5-7 pcs.

Beets - 1 pc.

Onions - 1-2 pcs.

Carrot - 1 pc.

Garlic - to taste

Meat - to taste

Tomato paste - 50 g

1. Wash the meat, cut it, put it in water, bring it to a boil, remove the foam, reduce the heat, cook for several minutes.

2. Peel potatoes, cut, add to the pan.

3. Thinly chop the cabbage, add to the pan.

4. Cut onion and garlic, fry until golden brown, add chopped carrots and beets, fry for a minute, add tomato paste and 100 ml of broth from the pan. Simmer for a few minutes.

5. Add the dressing to the pan, mix, add salt, herbs, spices, hold on low heat for 5-7 minutes, then turn off the stove and let the borscht brew for half an hour.

A simple and quick recipe that can naturally have a ton of extras. For example, dressing for borscht may consist not only of onions, beets and carrots. You can add bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, apples, mushrooms and even corn to it. In addition, beans and chickpeas will be an excellent addition - they only need to be soaked in cold water for two hours beforehand. Fat lovers can mash it with onions, garlic and herbs, or rub it in a blender chopper and add to the pan closer to the end of the cooking process.

Meat can be replaced with sausage, sausages and even minced meat in the form of dumplings. By the way, “ears” can be considered a traditional addition to borscht - small dumplings with various fillings, including meat. They are boiled and added to plates with borscht.

Well, you can’t count all kinds of herbs that can be added to borscht - in addition to the banal dill and parsley, these are basil, marjoram, tarragon, nettle, thyme, lovage and others.

Knowing how to cook borscht, you can turn around to the fullest extent of your imagination and material capabilities. However, you can do it easier and, without inventing anything, cook green borscht. It is just as easy to prepare, healthy and extremely tasty.

Ingredients:

Sorrel - 0.5 kg

Potatoes - 4-6 pcs.

Onions, carrots - 1 pc.

Egg - 2 pcs.

Meat - to taste

Salt, spices, vegetable oil

1. Myaso, cut, boil until half cooked.

2. We clean the potatoes, cut them, lower them into the broth.

3. My sorrel, cut, add to the pan.

4. Cut the onion, fry until golden brown, add chopped carrots, sauté all together.

5. Add the fried vegetables to the pan.

6. Beat the eggs into a bowl, mix lightly, pour into a saucepan, while stirring the water so that the eggs do not seize in one lump.

7. Add salt, spices, leave for 5 minutes over low heat.

Another simple recipe that can also be slightly modified. For example, you can also add bell peppers and tomatoes, and if the dish turns out to be very liquid, you can add a little oatmeal - they will not affect the taste, but they will make the borscht thicker and healthier. Again, nettles, greens - all this can and should be added to borscht with sorrel.

Borscht in a pot, whether red or green, will take a long time to cook due to prolonged exposure to above-average temperatures. And here borscht in a cauldron interesting in that you can cook a large volume in a relatively short time, and everything - both the dressing and the borscht itself are cooked in a cauldron, without requiring additional pans and stewpans.

A great way to cook borscht in a cauldron was shown in his video by Stalik Khankishiev, a specialist in Uzbek cuisine. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with this video, because it is better to see once than hear a hundred times ... well, or read it.

Wherever you are and whatever cuisine you are a fan of, all roads still lead to borscht. Therefore, it is worth learning how to cook it in order to always be able to surprise guests and please loved ones in the age of fast food and plastic hamburgers with a fragrant and healthy dish.

Experienced housewives and eaters know that borscht tastes better the next day, when it is infused. But freshly brewed, just from, you can not only feed your family, but also offer guests in a beautiful tureen. Hearty and fragrant, lean or in a good meat broth, borscht will be the king of the table. But what to do if the usual version of the dish is tired, and you want something new? The way out is to cook it in the oven.

This method is also called languishing. Being in, the ingredients are saturated with smell and taste. Borsch cooked in this way will be closest to the taste of a dish from a real oven. You can cook in a heat-resistant container, for example, in, or in several small ceramic pots. This makes it easier to serve in batches.

No. 1 - Baked borscht in pork broth

Ingredients:

• pork - 350 - 400 g. Preferably a bone with pulp or ribs;
• potatoes - 5 - 6 pieces. Suitable root crops that cook quickly, but do not fall apart;
• carrots - 2 pieces. It is better to take medium-sized carrots in the shape of a cone. It gives rich, bright color and good taste.

Note tip:Long, flat carrots are easy to peel and grate (choose graters with a capacity, for example, Krauff 22cm), but usually such a root crop is pale.

• beets - 2 - 3 pieces. It should be rich in color, round, not long. An oblong beet looks faded and can spoil the taste and color of borscht;
• onions - 2 pieces. In this case, on the contrary, it is worth taking an oval-shaped onion - it is more convenient to cut it;
• cabbage - a quarter of a cabbage welk;
• a glass of any beans that you like - white, marbled.

Remember: Soak the beans overnight. So it will boil faster and be softer.

Add garlic for taste. Enough 3 - 4 cloves. Let's not forget, of course, the tomato paste. Add 1 tablespoon to the dish. It will be tastier if you use home canned pasta. For frying, sunflower oil, lard or melted fat for frying are useful. Add salt, seasonings and pepper to taste.

cooking process

1. Let's start with the broth.

How to make broth - a recipe for a delicious and rich base. Meat, cut into pieces, must be thoroughly washed, or even soaked for several hours in cold water. Onion, 1 pc., do not peel, but rub with a washcloth. Put the ingredients put on the stove, wait for the water to boil. Cook over low heat with salt, bay leaf, black peppercorns.

2. In parallel, cook the beans.
3. Grate the peeled carrots and beets, chop the onion finely.
4. Using sunflower oil and melted tallow fat, fry the onion until it becomes transparent. Stir in carrots and sauté a little. There, determine the beets, mix, simmer for about 15 minutes. Make sure that it does not burn.
5. Put a couple of garlic cloves, tomato paste into the pan and pour in ⅔ cup of heated water. Leave to stew for a quarter of an hour, stirring occasionally.

Note tip: Instead of pasta, you can take 200 ml of juice. Water in this case will be superfluous.

6. Remove the meat from the finished broth. If there is water left in the bean pot, drain it.
7. Chop the cabbage manually and with the help of. Cut potatoes into cubes. Pour freshly boiled water over the ceramic container.
8. Lay all the prepared products in layers on the bottom and add the right amount of broth.
9. Remove the container in a preheated oven, for example, without covering.
10. Reduce the temperature in the oven to 150˚C, cover the pot. Bake 60 minutes.
11. Pour the finished borscht over, using greens and sour cream for decoration. Season with crushed garlic if desired.

Result

Borscht will smell fragrant throughout the apartment even before it is put on the table. Thanks to pork with a bone, the broth will come out rich. Beans will add satiety and density, "so that the spoon stands." To prevent the dish from being sour, experienced housewives recommend adding a little sugar.

No. 2. Ukrainian borscht with beef in the oven

Ingredients:

• beef ribs - 0.5 kg. The meat must be taken fresh, with a reddish tint. If you use veal, the dish will be dietary;
• oil - 100 g;
• the rest of the ingredients from Recipe No. 1, except for the beans.

Cooking

1. Wash the meat thoroughly, divide the ribs into separate components, put in a cauldron, (for example,) or a heat-resistant ceramic pan (like).

2. Chop potatoes and onion in the form of sticks. On the coarse side of the grater, grate the beets and carrots. Flatten 2 cloves of garlic with a knife (useful).
3. Put the vegetables on the meat, add the garlic
4. Spread the butter cubes evenly over the rest of the food.

On a note: To make it easier to cut the butter, you can put it in for 10 minutes.

5. Put the oven, heated to 180 degrees, for half an hour.
6. Chop the cabbage.
7. Remove the container from the oven, put the cabbage.
8. Dilute tomato paste with water and pour into a cast iron.
9. Add seasonings and salt.
10. Bake in the oven (for example) for an hour.
11. When serving, season with sour cream and chopped herbs.

Good to know: if the greens are finely chopped with your fingers, and not chopped, it will be more fragrant.

Result

Beef is chosen by those who do not eat pork. It takes longer to prepare, but as a result it becomes soft and delicate in taste. Borsch with it will be tender and thick, as the meat will be “baked in the oven” and “take” the aroma of vegetables. The dish according to this recipe goes well with parsley, dill and green onions. An unusual taste will give a sprig of cilantro.

In which pan to cook borsch so that it is tasty and healthy, and washing dishes does not cause trouble?

Everything must be taken into account - the high acidity of the dish, the foam rising during boiling, the need for mixing. It is equally important to correctly calculate the volume, taking into account the number of family members. In this instruction, you will learn which option to choose so that cabbage soup is tasty and safe. After all, mistakes lead not only to the destruction of vitamins, but also to the formation of harmful compounds.

Features of shape and size

Borscht is a multi-component dish, which is usually prepared for several days. For this reason, medium and large-sized dishes are used for cooking. with a bottom diameter of 20 cm. A more accurate volume of a pot for borscht is determined from the ratio: 1 liter per person.

Based on the formula, if the family consists of two adults and two children, in order to cook a sufficient amount of the first, choose a pot with a volume of at least 3-3.5 liters. For a family of four adults (if the children are teenagers and older) - 4-5 liters.

When buying a pot for cooking borscht, pay attention not only to the size, but also to the shape. It depends on the shape how evenly the container will heat up and what the energy consumption will be.

Dishes for first courses are intended for cooking, not for stewing. A stewpan in this case is acceptable, but not the best option, since it heats up unevenly on the burner. You should not choose a cauldron, a deep frying pan, a bowler hat.

The optimal shape of the pan for borscht - cylindrical with high walls. With this, you can not worry that the broth will run away after boiling - high walls will help keep the situation under control.

Delicious cabbage soup is also obtained in a deep dish with convex walls, which looks like a pot. When choosing a similar model, pay attention to the fact that the walls are not very curved, otherwise the container and contents will heat up for a long time.

What material to choose

An ideal borscht pot that guarantees excellent taste can be:

• stainless steel;
• enameled
• ceramic;
• glass;
• with non-stick coating.

Each of these varieties has its own advantages and characteristics, and is also suitable for different types of plates.

Practical stainless steel in the kitchen

In view of the high practicality, professional chefs choose for red and green borscht. Stainless steel is easy to clean, durable, you can store the finished dish.

To get a good borscht, choose a pot from a reliable manufacturer, made of high-quality alloy with the marking 18/10 and up having:

• thick walls - not less than 0.6 mm;
• multilayer bottom;
• a tight-fitting lid with a steam hole that allows borscht to languish, gaining flavor;
• reliable handles made of non-heating material.

Some types of steel pans have a very thick bottom that accumulates heat. This feature allows you to cook at lower temperatures, more fully preserving the vitamin composition of vegetables, making the dish healthier. Low-grade alloy utensils can spoil the taste of food by imparting metallic notes.

It is highly undesirable to store borscht in a stainless steel pan. Better pour the rest in glass or enamelware. This is where it will come in handy.

Universal enamelware

An enameled carbon steel or iron pot is perhaps the most traditional choice for cooking borscht in the home kitchen. The ceramic or vitreous enamel covering the walls is inert and does not spoil the taste of the first course even when stored for several days. In addition, it is easy to care for and looks attractive. This is an ideal pan for green borscht, cabbage soup, beetroot soup, saltwort and other dishes.

About the high quality of dishes says:

• heavy weight;
• thick - about 0.8 mm walls;
• absence of enamel sagging and other defects.

The only drawback is the formation of chips and cracks in the enamel over time. When they appear, enameled dishes cannot be used for food tasks.

Can ceramics be used?

Massive ceramic dishes add rustic taste to the first course. in the form of a pot with a lid. But this option is more suitable for special occasions, and not for every day. Inside, there must be a glaze or enamel that is resistant to acids.

Advantages: attractive design, does not absorb odors, can be used to store ready meals. Slowly heating up and creating the effect of languishing, ceramics retain vitamins better. A feature of such dishes is a small volume - up to 3-3.5 liters, which is only suitable for a small family.

heat resistant glass

Red or green borscht looks impressive in a universal saucepan made of thick refractory glass. Such dishes are environmentally friendly, scratch-resistant, do not absorb odors, withstand heat up to 300 ° C. Can be used for cooking:

• in the microwave;
• on an electric stove;
• on a gas stove with

As a rule, they produce a small volume - 2-3 liters, they are suitable for a family of two. To make the first tasty, you need to cook, covering it with a lid with a hole for steam to escape. Glass lids usually do not have a steam vent.

What utensils should be avoided?

Among the variety of materials from which modern pots are made, not all are suitable for cooking borscht and cabbage soup. Aluminum and cast iron pans are absolutely not suitable for this purpose. without cover. Their surface is easily destroyed under the influence of acids contained in the products that make up the dish.

The walls of aluminum and cast iron utensils are easily subject to oxidation, which leads to the fact that dangerous compounds pass into food, spoil its taste and make it unsafe.

Thanks to a special coating, the cookware is quite suitable for cooking green and classic red borscht. It is easy to wash, but it is important to protect it from scratches - you can only stir with a wooden or silicone spoon. For storage, the remaining cabbage soup needs to be poured.

Knowing the features of each material and the advantages of forms, you can easily figure out which pan is best for cooking borscht, and buy the perfect one for yourself.

In our distant childhood, my brother and I always spent the winter holidays with our grandmother in the village.
Everything was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the boys and I spent all day chasing homemade skates and playing hockey on a frozen lake right in the middle of the gardens.
And then they ran into the house. Frozen, with red cheeks. In the hallway, they took off their felt boots covered with snow and fur coats, and ran to the upper room, where the grandmother, with a long-handled stag, took out a pot of freshly brewed borscht from the stove.

It was the best and most delicious borscht in the world.
Grandma is no longer alive. But I have that pot in which my grandmother cooked borsch for my brother and me then, many years ago ...
And today in the Bachelor's dinner, grandmother's borscht. Boiled in grandma's pot.

We need the most common set of products for borscht:
- brisket with bone - 400-500 g;
- cabbage, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, beans;
- a small piece of fat;
- tomato paste, vegetable oil, salt, allspice, bay leaf
- greens, hot pepper, green onion for serving

First, we cook the meat broth ... I add a little salt to it and add a few peas of allspice at the end

In fact, the whole value of this dish is in a ceramic pot. My grandmother cooked borscht in it when I was still very young. Hundreds and thousands of times it was put in the oven and taken out. With borscht, stewed potatoes, soup...
Grandma has been dead for a long time. But now every time I take this pot out of the cupboard to cook something in the oven, I remember her. Her and her childhood

But back to borscht. While the broth finishes cooking, cut the beets into large strips

And briefly stew it with the addition of broth. Enough minutes 10-15.
After that, we shift the beets into a pot.

We cut the fat into small pieces, squeeze 1-2 cloves of garlic onto it. Mixing...

And in a frying pan, on a slow fire. When the fat releases a little fat, add finely chopped onions and carrots to the pan. We do not keep it on fire for a long time - just a few minutes. And also add to our pot

We clean and cut potatoes into cubes, add pre-soaked beans and cabbage .. Yes, I like borscht only with beans. I just don't get the other one. But this is my personal taste.

Mix everything, add tomato paste and pour the broth with pieces of meat

Now you need to make a lid for the pot. Take half a glass of flour and add a little water, knead the dough.
Knead it until it is smooth and no longer sticky to your hands.

We roll the dough into a pancake and cover the pot with it, tightly squeezing the neck. The dough should not be very thin, otherwise it may then crack in the oven and allow air to enter the pot.

After that, put the pot in the oven, heated to 180 degrees.
Now the borscht will languish in a pot, under a lid made of dough, for 40-60 minutes. You can even longer, you don’t have to worry, the vegetables will not boil.

We get it. As soon as I stirred the pot, a crack appeared immediately on the baked dough lid.

We open. And enjoy the aroma. Let not in the oven. But a real grandmother's borscht. In grandma's pot

Serve with donuts, grated garlic, hot peppers and green onions.

Bon appetit!