Onion Borscht

 A borscht made with white and red onion, along with diced beetroot which had been soused in malt vinegar. Cooked with one chilli to add extra bite. 

Beetroot and Parsnip Soup

A simple borscht style soup made with fresh boiled beetroot (2), 2 medium onions, about 100g of turnip or swede, and one medium parsnip.

All the vegetables were peeled and diced, and cooked in boiling water for about 40 minutes. After that they were mashed. I added some vegetable stock (salt will do instead), and a pinch of marjoram.

Served with a plain flatbread, or one flavoured with some diced coriander, and black pepper. Fabulous!

Faux Borscht with Wheat Free Croutons

Beetroot, shredded tomato, tomato puree, chopped carrot, leek, and potato, a vegetable stock cube and a handful of parsley and a pinch of nutmeg. Plus black pepper.  Bread cubes were fried (slowly) in a little butter

There seems to be some disagreement about exactly what constitutes a borscht. This was not a sour dish, and sourness appears to be part of the definition. Delicious nonetheless! The croutons were wheat free.

 I avoid wheat and barley gluten as much as possible, since regular consumption of it makes me feel unwell (as I starkly discovered in 2003, after a couple of days eating  in airports and railway stations, though looking back the symptoms were starting to show in 1997).  I can also eat bread made with Spelt occasionally, which is an unimproved wheat eaten during the Iron Age

Faux Borscht with Wheat Free Croutons