sea salt (about 1/2 tablespoon) and freshly ground black pepper (about 1 teaspoon)
about 3 tablespoons sugar
optionally: 3 cloves, a piece of cinnamon bark, a piece of star anise
worth adding: 250-500 ml fermented (sour) beet juice
Preparation
Pour 500 ml water into a pot, add the dried porcini. On the stove burner, char the unpeeled onion and 1 clove of garlic.
Cut the onion and garlic in half and add to the mushrooms. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to minimum, cover and cook on minimal heat for about 25 minutes (the broth should only gently simmer and not boil vigorously).
Meanwhile, add bay leaves, allspice berries and peppercorns to the broth.
Wash the beets and celery root, peel them, then grate on a grater (using the large holes, like for salad) or chop in a food processor. Grate the apple together with the skin on a grater.
Place the grated beets, celery root and apple in a large pot (there will be quite a lot of vegetables), add 2.5 liters of water and the mushroom broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil on minimal heat (the boiling should take about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, add cloves, cinnamon and anise if you are using them.
After it comes to a boil, keep the broth on minimal heat for about 10 minutes more. Finally, add the vinegar and mix. Remove from heat.
It's worth adding to the borscht the mushroom broth left over (not necessarily all of it) and 250 ml of fermented beet juice. Season with salt, pepper and sugar if needed. Also add a fresh, finely chopped clove of garlic and let it sit for about an hour or until completely cooled. Meanwhile, you can start preparing the dumplings.
Strain the borscht and store in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving, but do not boil.
You can also pour the hot borscht into jars and after cooling, store in the refrigerator. Keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
