Who said that Christmas Eve's borscht must be a liquid? What if we used agar gum and prepared some jelly? Your guest will be absolutely surprised!
Ingredients:
• 1 kg boiled beetroot
• 1 1/2 l vegetable stock
• 1 small onion
• 1 bay leave
• 5 pcs of allspice kernels
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• 15 g guar gum
• 2 glasses sauerkraut
• 1 glass dried wild mushrooms
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1/2 glass olive oil
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 2 pieces of apple
• 2 parsnips
• 20+ rocket leaves
• 2 tbs lemon juice
Preparation:
Borscht
Add boiled and sliced beetroots (cook for 40-60 minutes) to hot vegetable stock (having removed the foam). Bring to boil and keep on a low heat for about 10 - 20 minutes. (don't let it boil for longer!). Add bay leaf, allspice, onion and black pepper. Filter until clear. Put it back into the pot, bring to boil and add guar gum - use egg beater and boil for another 2 minutes. Pour into a few heatproof pots - so that the jelly is 1 cm thick.
Pesto
Blend olive oil with parsley (for about 5 minutes), add salt and pepper. You can warm up pesto before serving - it will add more flavour.
Cabbage with mushroom
Soak mushrooms a day before preparation so that they soften.
Add water to cabbage with chopped mushrooms, cover and boil until cabbage is soft. Drain carefully after boiling. Blend until creamy and add pepper. You can fry it with butter and serve in a tear-shape by using two spoons or just as a ball.
Apple and parsnip garnish
Wash apples and cut them into 2 - 3 mm slices. Slice parsnip as well. Heat up the oven and place apples on one layer of aluminium baking foil and sprinkle with lemon juice, then on a second layer of aluminium baking foil place parsnips sprinkled with oil and sea salt. Bake until soft and nicely glazed (around 15 minutes in 180°C degrees). You can cook parsnip, too.
Garnish
Shaping our jelly and dishing up our platter is the last stage.
Enjoy!
