Cabbage Borscht

1 ½ cups thinly chopped potato

1 cup thinly chopped beets

4 cups water

2 T butter

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1-2 cloves garlic

2 tsp salt

1 stalk celery, chopped (substitute celeriac)

1 carrot, thinly chopped

3-4 cups shredded cabbage

Black pepper to taste

2 T fresh dill

2 T cider or red wine vinegar

2-4 T brown sugar or honey

1 cup tomato purée

Paul’s hot sauce to taste

For topping: sour cream or yogurt

1.  Place potatoes, beets, and water in a pot.  Cover and cook over medium heat until nearly tender (about 15 minutes), at which point you can add carrots and cabbage to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan and fry onions until they are translucent, add garlic, celery and a bit of the broth from the soup, put a lid on the pan and cook until the celery is tender, then transfer to your soup pot.  

3. Add remaining ingredients.

4. Yields 4-6 servings.  Serve hot and top with sour cream or yogurt. 

   
   

This is a "kitchen sink recipe". You can adjust the ingredients to your preference or to what you have on hand. Proportions are flexible. Last time I made this I substituted celeriac and omitted potatoes, because thats what I had available. Sometimes I don't add the tomato pure, in fall I use fresh tomatoes, and in winter I may use canned. A bit of sugar balances the acidity - the play of vinegar and sugar keeps it interesting - and you can play with that balance according to your taste. I urge you not to skip the hot sauce - a gentle background burn is so yummy.

Recipe adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook by Paul Neufeld

* We usually have a ziplock bag of chopped dill in the freezer from the summer for this soup.