My Russian Borscht Recipe

Not long after we were married Phil asked me when I was going to make Borscht. He served his mission in St. Petersburg so I said "When are YOU going to make Borscht??" Well it turns out he isn't much of a cook and couldn't even remember how to make it. Finally I decided to find a recipe and try it even though I had never tasted it. It was delicious! At the time I thought I hated beets but this soup changed my mind. My first attempts took me the better part of the afternoon. It involved cooking a roast ahead of time and slicing all the vegetables into julienne strips. I like to make things simple, so this recipe can be done in under an hour. Especially if you have help dicing the vegetables. It's a combination of a few different recipes that I've tried. The great thing about this soup is that it's inexpensive to make, but looks and tastes really special. Make sure you eat it with a slice of yummy dark rye bread.

Lydia's Borscht 

4 cups beef broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

3 medium beets, peeled and chopped 

2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped 

2 large carrots, chopped

About 3 cups shredded cabbage, red or green 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 onion, chopped 

1 pound lean hamburger (or a small roast cooked and shredded)  

2 teaspoons caraway seed (optional) 

3 teaspoons dill weed 

1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar 

1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional) 

Sour cream for topping  

Put beef broth, water, salt, and pepper in a large pot to boil. Meanwhile chop the beets, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, and add to pot along with garlic. Simmer until vegetables are nearly tender. 

Meanwhile add chopped onion, hamburger, and caraway seeds to a skillet and cook until hamburger is no longer pink. Add to pot along with dill weed, vinegar, and brown sugar. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. 

This soup tastes even better the next day, so hopefully you have lots of leftovers. And don't forget to serve with sour cream on the top. Enjoy, and if you try it let me know how you like it :)