SUPER HEALTHY UKRAINIAN CHICKEN BORSCHT

Unbelievably gorgeous dish, this beautiful deep flavoursome hearty hug in a bowl was not expected, I often cook with my very adventurous best friend where we get to try out new recipes on her huge family and extended family the main reason is trying to get more vegetables in their meals without them realising!  They are very clever at detecting vegetables but are always willing to try a new meal.  This recipe was a great success and is loaded with goodness.

Level:  Super Easy 

Prep time 10 minutes / Slow Cooking time 1 1/2 hrs

Ingredients 

(serves 4 generously or 8 moderately)

2 large onion sliced

6 cloves garlic chopped

2 tbsp lard, goose fat or olive oil

600g bacon diced

2 large whole chickens

5 large beetroots skin on grated

6 carrots scrubbed then grated

1 whole savoy cabbage sliced

1 kg potatoes large diced un or peeled your choice

1 whole tube tomato purée 1 heaped tbsp paprika 

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Water

To Garnish

600ml sour cream for garnish

1 bunch flat leaf parsley chopped

In a very large stock pot or recipe divided in to two stock pots place the lard, heat medium hot, add the onions and garlic, soften for 10 minutes without colour, add the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes, place in the whole chickens and the rest of all the ingredients and cover with water until around 2 inches past the top of the ingredients.  Bring to a gently simmer and place on a lid cook for 1 1/2 hours, periodically check if the water needs topping up, take off the heat and carefully remove the whole chickens entirely, place to one side and pull off the breast, leg and thigh meat, tear into pieces and add back to the stock pot, if you feel the borscht is low on liquid add a little more water to make a medium thick soup consistency, bring back to a simmer then take off the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste with further salt, pepper and paprika.  

Serve hearty bowls of this gorgeous borscht garnished with a generous dollop of sour cream stirred through and sprinkling of parsley along with a chunk of fresh crusty bread, enjoy...

Geeky Food Science Bit

Chicken Bone Stock:  Chicken bone stock is so good for you, the broth water has calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, trace minerals, chodroitin sulphates and glucosamine, these latter two ingredients are expensive to buy as supplements, but they are found naturally in bone broths.  You need magnesium so your body and convert vitamin D into it's active form so that it can be used to absorb calcium.  We only need around 400mg of calcium a day, but the RDA says 1200mg, the reason for this is that we do not absorb all the calcium we eat, but if you have a balanced diet the extra calcium you absorb can lead to kidney stones and calcium in the blood stream and heart disease, chicken stock is anti viral, anti bacterial and scientifically proven to be 25% as effective as penicillin.

Garlic:  Garlic allicin and selenium, cleans the liver, King of healing foods, fights food poisoning, stomach bugs bacteria, anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal, reduces risks of clots and cholesterol blood pressure and improves circulation.

Onion:  Onion vitamin C, B6, folic acid, phenolic so flavonoids, anti inflammatory, lowers cholesterol and is an anti oxidant.

Carrots;  Vitamin A, K, B6, C, B3, B1, B2, E, carotenoids, betacarotenes, biotin, fibre, molybdenum, potassium, manganese, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, folate and copper.  Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease, antioxidant, helps prevent damage inside the body, promotes cleaner and healthier liver and kidney functions, protects capillaries, chest, skin and eyes.

Beetroot:  Vitamin C, folate, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, high in plant flavonoids and betacarotenes.  Organ and blood cleansing, lowers risk of heart disease, helps stimulate and improve overall liver function.

Cabbage:  Iron, vitamin K, C, B6, B1, B2, B3, selenium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, choline, copper, potassium, folate, manganese, fibre, sulphur compounds, glucosinolates, sinigrin.  A perfect food, detox's organs, lowers cholesterol, anti carcogenic preventative properties to the bladder and colon.