4 delicious cold-weather soups

The Russian peasant soup, borscht, is one of the world’s greats, dominated by beetroot in a beef stock base, its other vegetables varying depending on where the soup is made. Common to all versions are shredded cabbage, potatoes, tomato paste and a characteristic sourness which comes from red wine vinegar and the liquid in which cucumbers are pickled. With a dollop of sour cream on top and pumpernickel bread to dip in, it becomes a substantial filler, like a goulash soup without the meat.

Recipes:

Borscht
Serves 6-8

30g butter
2 raw beetroots, finely chopped
½ white cabbage, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
3 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2.5 litres beef or vegetable stock
1 tsp caraway seeds
sprig each thyme, parsley and a bay leaf (tied together as bouquet garni)
pinch of grated nutmeg
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
glass red wine
1 cooked beetroot
150ml sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and sweat the chopped vegetables in it for about 10 minutes. Add the stock, the caraway seeds and herbs and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

2. Simmer gently for 1 hour. Add the vinegar, sugar and red wine and simmer for a further 20 minutes.

3. Grate the cooked beetroot. Add to the soup and heat through. Check the seasoning and remove the bouquet garni.

4. Serve, adding 1 tbsp sour cream to each bowl.

Goulash Soup

Lentil Soup

Kidney Bean and Carrot Soup