It has been a week of alchemy. I very much enjoyed reading Madeline Miller’s Circe, the sorceress who collects and boils up brews of herbs to work her witchcraft. For me it was for the making of borscht.

It started by seeing some beef bones in the butchers and cooking these with onion, carrots and herbs (bay leaves, lovage, thyme and parsley) into a rich consomme.  Most of the stock was used in the borscht but I also froze some in small pots for making gravy to accompany roast beef.

There are any numbers of soups to be made using beetroot. Borscht is the most famous and even this soup can be very varied. It is essential,however, to use good beef stock. I prefer a lighter borscht.

1 litre good quality beef stock
2 raw beetroot, grated
250g minced beef
Whites and shells of two eggs
1 glass sherry
Salt

Put the beef stock into a pan together with the grated beetroot, minced beef and egg whites, lightly whipped to a froth. Add the egg shells, cleaned and crushed. Over a low heat, whisk the liquid until it starts to boil. Let the liquid rise in the pan before drawing it to one side. Leave to settle and then return to a gentle heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the consommé and season. Allow to cool and strain through a cloth.

To serve, reheat the borscht, add the sherry and serve with sour cream and perhaps some snipped chives. Piroshki are traditionally served with borscht.