Anastasia looks back on a year of war in her homeland and says goodbye to ntv.de. She takes care of her new start in Germany and once again recommends her borscht on New Year’s Eve – with Pampuschki. And we wish her the best of luck!
Honestly? It is enough. I don’t really want to express myself politically here, because it’s one thing that the situation in my home country is bothering me; that I was so well received in Germany and was able to start a new life, a different one. For which I am very grateful. But now New Year’s Eve is just around the corner: everyone is wishing the best for the coming year and looking back at what has passed. What am I looking back on? To my destroyed homeland and a brutal, senseless war. I can’t put my feelings about this into words, you will understand that. But I can wish for something. And I can fight my grief, for example by cooking something delicious for New Year’s Eve. And for that, I once again recommend my borscht, which you can prepare lean and not so lean. Because that’s always the same in all the chaos in the world: the good intentions – for example, to eat better, not so much alcohol, no more cigarettes, to be nicer to the neighbors and so on.
I wish you all the best for 2023, all of us peace, happiness and health, and I’ll say goodbye at this point: I’m learning German intensively and looking for a job, my son goes to school, we’re starting here and I just need time for that. Warm greetings, and: Smachnoho, Bon appetit!
Preparation for 4 people
Place the meat in the pot of water and turn the heat to medium. Let cook for about an hour.
Wash and trim beetroot, carrots and onions. Grate the beets on a coarse grater and sprinkle with lemon juice. This turns the borscht really red.
Grate carrots on a medium grater. Dice the onion.
Pour sunflower oil into a frying pan and set over medium heat. First sauté the onions and carrots (five minutes), then add the beets.
Fry the vegetables for another five minutes. After that, add the tomato paste, stir and leave on the fire for another 5 to 7 minutes.
When the broth boils, remove the meat. While the meat cools, dip the shredded cabbage into the broth. After 5 to 10 minutes add the diced potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking, remove the flesh from the bones and cut into cubes. Put the meat back into the soup and stir.
Add bay leaf and finely chopped herbs. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve borscht hot with a dollop of sour cream. Or just without. As almost always when I cook: You can also omit the meat.
Serve with some delicious pampushki if you like. Pampuschki taste just as delicious as it sounds, so here are instructions for what I consider to be the most delicious garlic rolls.
Mix the water, milk, sugar and yeast, add the flour and salt and mix in. Add the yeast mixture and half the oil – knead everything for five minutes. Spread the remaining oil in the bowl, put the dough in the bowl, cover and let it rest for 1.5 hours.
Now grease the casserole dish and place the dough on the well-floured surface. Divide into about 12 to 16 portions. Shape everything into small round buns. Now place them in the mold and let them stand covered for 30 minutes. Then brush the Pampuschki with a little milk and put them in the preheated oven (190 degrees Celsius) and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes until they are golden brown. Meanwhile you can prepare the garlic topping.
Puree the salt, oil and peeled garlic in water, chop the dill and add. Brush the buns with the garlic mixture straight from the oven. Then let it rest for at least a quarter of an hour.
Bon appetit – Smachnoho!
