Cabbage Borscht

The Ukrainians made borsch, and the Mennonites of the Ukraine borrowed the soup but substituted cabbage as the main ingredient rather than beets, and called it Borscht.

 
My Borscht is much like the soup my mom cooked, for which there was no written recipe. But it goes something like this...

Borscht

• 2 lbs. soup bones, with lots of meat
• 8-10 cups water
• 2-4 carrots, sliced
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 large (or 2 medium) onions, chopped
• 1 medium head cabbage, chopped fine
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 whole red chili peppers (dried)
• fresh dill (a handful or to taste)
• 2 tins tomato soup
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (optional)

1. Cover soup bones with water and simmer until meat is tender (several hours).
2. Remove the bone and shred the beef. Add more water to make 8-10 cups of stock before adding the vegetables.
3. Add vegetables and seasonings (put chili peppers and dill into a spice cup or cheesecloth), and cook until vegetables are tender.
4. Add tomato soup, diced tomatoes, and shredded beef...and bring to a boil.
5. Serve with sour cream.

Add a wee bit more of this or less of that, and if you like it fiery hot, add more red chili peppers. I often cook up a large pot, leave the spice cup in the soup and refrigerate it for a week of quick lunches. As the week progresses, our bowl of soup gets zippier!

Fresh dill is the best but can also be harvested in season and frozen in ziplock bags to be used in soup.