Borscht from the Darwin Restaurant in Lviv, Ukraine

Makes 3 liters of soup

Ingredients:

400 g pork ribs

100 g white beans

200 g red beets

300 g potatoes

100 g carrots

100 g onions

200 g white cabbage

50 g tomato paste

oil, salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, and fresh herbs to taste

sour cream or crème fraîche

Set the white beans to soak in water at least 4 hours before starting to cook your borscht.

Place the pork ribs in a pot filled with 3 liters of water and bring to a boil. Add salt, bay leaf and pepper to taste and let simmer. When the broth is ready, add the pre-soaked beans and continue to let the broth simmer.

Peel the potatoes, cut them up in small pieces and add to the broth. Slice the cabbage into thin strips and cook it in with the broth.

Grate the beet and sauté it in oil in a frying pan for 5 to 7 minutes. Add a dash of vinegar or lemon juice and then add the mixture to the meat broth.

Chop up the onion finely, grate the carrot and then sauté them briefly with two tablespoons of tomato paste -- making sure that the vegetables are still firm. Toss the vegetables into the soup and flavour with salt, pepper and garlic. Add the fresh herbs at the end.

Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche. For a truly traditional Ukranian meal, serve it with bacon and rye bread.