Borscht with Beef and Pork

Rinse the meat, cover it with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to minimum, skim the foam from the surface. Simmer the meat for about 1.5 hours until it becomes tender and easily pierced with a fork.

Approximately halfway through cooking, add a bay leaf and peppercorns.

Peel the onion, cut it into 4 parts and slice into thin sticks.

Cut carrots and beets into thin strips. For borscht, this is preferable to grating.

Chop the cabbage into thin strips, cut the celery into julienne.

Remove the cooked meat from the broth and cut it into portion-sized pieces.

Strain the broth, return it to the pan, salt it and add the meat. Add the cabbage and cook until it is done.

In a separate pot with vegetable oil, stew the beets, onion, carrot, and celery under a lid over low heat. Add 100–150 ml of broth and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the vegetables don't burn.

In the middle of stewing, add peeled and chopped tomatoes, sugar and vinegar to the vegetables. Stew until the vegetables are completely cooked.

Add the stewed vegetables to the broth with the cooked cabbage and meat. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid to let the borscht steep.

When serving, add sour cream and fresh herbs to the borscht. Serve with garlic and black bread.