Easy Borscht with goat's cheese tartlets recipe

Borscht, a rich beetroot soup, is an Eastern European favourite. Whip up a batch yourself with this easy recipe - it's just delicious with homemade goat's cheese tartlets

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 60g (2oz) butter
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 med potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 500g (1lb) raw beetroot, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 900ml (1½ pints) hot home-made chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• A few sprigs of dill

For the tartlets

(makes 12):

• 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
• 130-150g log of goat’s cheese, with rind on
• A few sprigs of thyme
• Salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Put the oil and butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion, carrot, potato and garlic, and cook for about 15 mins until softened.
2. Add the beetroot and sugar and cook for 3-4 mins. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for an hour.
3. Whizz in a food processor, then push the purée through a sieve. Reheat and add more stock or water to thin it, if you like. Ladle into warm bowls and serve with a swirl of crème fraîche and dill fronds on top. To make the tartlets: Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Unroll the pastry. Cut out 12 x 6.5cm (2¾in) rounds. Mark a thin border around each one using a 5cm (2in) cutter. Put them on a Teflon-lined baking sheet, prick the middles a few times with a fork. Bake for 10 mins above the centre of the oven. Cut the goat’s cheese into 12 slices. Push down the centres of the tartlets and press a slice of cheese inside each one. Add thyme sprigs and season. Bake for 10 mins more.