When my boyfriend herd that I made borscht, he asked me to make him some. This time, I started with 2 pounds of ground beef, and about 3/4 of a pound of kielbasa, which I fried, drained, and set aside.

Then, I diced a medium sized white onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and some leek, which I browned in a little butter.

Just before this was done, I added some ginger, rosemary, basil, dill seed, salt, pepper, and a couple of teaspoons of paprika.

Meantime, I poured 2 large cans of tomatoes into a stock pot and ‘squished’ them, but left large chunks and then added the onion and spice mixture and meats to the pot.

I threw in 4-5 cans of water (I use the empty tomato can to measure the water), and brought it all to a slow boil.

I usually add ‘hard’ veggies like the celery, carrots, and turnips first, let them cook a while, and then add ‘softer’ veggies like the potatoes and squashes so they don’t over-cook. I also usually used large carrots, dicing half and shredding the other, but in this case, all I had were ‘baby’ carrots, so its a choice/need thing.

In this case, I used carrot, potato, beet, celery, onion, leek, garlic, beet greens, kale, spinach, peas, beans, and corn. Of course, you can add cabbage if you like it or just about anything else you’ve got kicking around.

Safety Ranger Bob says you might want to wear gloves when working with the beets. It’s also a good idea to leave the stubs of the beets (where the stems meet the top of the root) on to use as a ‘handle’ while you grate them. Oh! And I don’t know if it really makes a difference, but I usually cook 1/2 of the shredded beets and carrots with the soup, and then just before it’s finished, add the rest so that they are el dante (firm) when its served because I like the ‘meaty’ texture it gives.

When all the ingredients are cooked to satisfaction, I often add a little beef gravy if I’ve got it to give it a richer flavor, and check spicing just before its done. For serving, I like my borscht with a little Greek yogurt. Numo!

By the way, once my Ukrainian boyfriend saw what I was up to, he informed me that this was NOT ‘borscht’, but that certainly didn’t stop him from having a second bowl ; )