Borscht

Borscht. Try and say that again. It's not that difficult or anything but there are 5 consonants in a row. That's a lot of consonants with only 1 vowel. Anyway...

Where was I? Right, Borscht! This is some awesome Ukrainian Borscht. Not sure what borscht is? It's a beet soup with a couple other veggies in it. That's what gives it the wonderfully dark red (almost blood-like) color.

We made a couple tweaks on a traditional recipe, and it turned out to be a huge hit! Like the sweet and salty together? Then you'll love this. Enjoy!

Yields 6+ servings

Ingredients

3-6 small to medium beets
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 small baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped (or the equivalent of dried onion)
1/4-1/2 cup tomato juice, to taste
3/4 cup water
the beet greens from the beets, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh (or dried) parsley for garnish

Directions

Fill a large pot halfway with water(about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the beets, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove beets (don't dump the water), and peel and shred them. Add them back in, add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 more minutes. Add the beet greens.

Add the onion, and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato juice and water until well blended. It should be soupy, not stewy, so add more water if needed. Add the garlic powder to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with parsley.