Beef with white cabbage and beetroot

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 kg beef with bone (or 750 g without, e.g. boiled beef)
• 3 potatoes (2 whole, 1 diced)
• 3 carrots (2 whole, 1 diced)
• 3 onions (1 whole, 2 diced)
• 1 stalk(s) Celery , finely sliced
• 2 beetroots, diced
• 500 g white cabbage, finely sliced
• 400 ml tomato puree
• 1 lemon(s), the juice
• 125 g butter
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 peppercorns, black
• 1 bunch parsley, fresh or 2 tbsp dried
• 1 bunch dill, fresh or 1-2 tbsp dried
• n. B. Salt
• 2 cups of yogurt (preferably sheep’s milk yogurt)

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Wotinó me lachano – a Greek version of borscht with a light Mediterranean touch

Cut the beef into 3-4 cm pieces, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Skim off and discard any foam. Then add 1 onion, 2 potatoes, 2 carrots (each trimmed but not chopped), bay leaves, and peppercorns, and simmer for about an hour. Then remove the vegetables and meat from the stock and set each aside separately. Discard any bones. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Finely chop the remaining 2 onions and the celery and sauté in the butter. Add the meat pieces and brown lightly. Now add the white cabbage and sauté briefly. Pour in the meat stock and add the diced beetroot, carrot, and potato, along with finely chopped dill and parsley. Add salt if desired, then simmer for about 45 minutes (the vegetables should still have some bite). Now blend the reserved vegetables (from the broth) with the tomato puree and fresh lemon juice until pureed. Add to the pot, simmer for another 10-15 minutes, and season again with salt. Arrange on plates, garnish with a spoonful of yogurt, and serve. Serve with fresh white bread—and, of course, with ouzo. This dish is a typical example of (Northern) Greek rural cuisine, which is unfortunately largely unknown here. Fresh lemon juice and fresh dill give the stew a subtle Mediterranean touch that sets it apart from the somewhat heavier Balkan borscht versions. Like all stews, the dish tastes almost better the next day.