In regions where borscht is popular, every home has a cherished recipe. My approach is to make it using whatever is handy, in the house or in shops nearby. This recipe makes around eight portions that can be frozen. The ingredients listed from most to least typically include ... beef stock, bones or oxtails cooked in the soup - 1000 g beetroot - 500 g cabbage, green or white - 400 g potato - 400 g celery - 250 g carrot - 200 g tomato puree - 200 g onion - 150 g chilli - 30 g butter - 20 g vegetable oil - 20 g salt - 10 g black pepper - 5 g garlic - 4 cloves dill / bay leaf / coriander / parsley - as available smetana - 1000 ml The quantities are very flexible. Versions of the soup sometimes include ... dried beans sausage slices salt cured pork fat / Salo For a mild flavoured soup, just boil everything together. For more flavour, fry or roast the vegetables and meat. Roasting bones adds to the flavour and extracts marrow. Cooking times. The soup will be best if the meat is well cooked to extract flavour. The vegetables should be cooked just right and not turned to mush.