Mom’s Traditional Ukrainian Borscht Recipe

How to make traditional Ukrainian borscht. This traditional Ukrainian borscht combines the earthiness of beets with the freshness of dill and other vegetables. Beetroots have been linked to improving poor digestion by exciting the nerves in the intestines

Ingredients

• 1 cup of diced celery
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 cup of chopped cabbage
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated or pressed
• 1 tbsp of olive oil (for sautéing onions and celery)
• 8 cups water or broth (chicken, beef or vegan broth)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (home or commercially canned) or tomato paste
• 2 or 3 medium to large sized peeled beets (half grated and half diced)
• 1 or 2 medium carrots, grated
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1/2 cup of fresh dill weed
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Optional ingredients: Green beans, beet greens, any other greens. 
Meat: beef or chicken or mushrooms (vegetarian option)

Directions

1 Sauté the onions, celery and cabbage with the butter until soft and translucent. Then add the can of diced tomatoes and the garlic as well as all of the water or broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat.
2 Peel the beets, carrots and potato. Then dice half the beets and grate the other half. Grate all the carrots. Dice the potato. Add all of these ingredients to the broth. If you would like to add any other optional vegetables (ie. beans, beet greens, mushrooms etc.) do so now.
3 Allow soup to simmer on medium until diced beets and potatoes are soft (test them with a fork or by biting into them!). Remove soup from heat.
4 Stir in chopped fresh dill weed and salt and pepper. Serve hot with a scoop of sour cream and a slice of bread and butter (rye bread is best!)
5. If you choose to cook with meat, then cook meat separate and add to your borscht in the end.