Borscht

Description

This is the same borscht you could enjoy at Alex's Odessa Cafe, on Bograshov Street in Tel Aviv. Charlie Varon brought this recipe back from Israel. 

Prep time: 30 minutesCooking time: 2 2⁄3 hoursTotal time: 3 1⁄6 hours

Ingredients

3 tablespoons
olive oil
1
onion, large (chopped)
6 cloves
garlic (smashed)
3
bay leaves
3
carrots (sliced)
8
beets, large (diced or julienne)
1
cabbage (shredded or thinly sliced)
28 ounces
can of diced or crushed tomatoes (in juice, not puree)
1⁄4 teaspoon
basil, dried
1⁄2 teaspoon
celery seed
1 bunch
parsley, chopped and fresh
1 bunch
dill, chopped
2
lemons, juice only

Instructions

Prepare vegetables as specified above.

In a large pot or soup kettle, sauté the onions, whole garlic and bay leaves in olive oil on low heat, stirring periodically, until quite tender, 20-30 minutes.

Add carrots and beets and sauté another 5-10 minutes.

Add the cabbage and stir. Then add tomatoes, basil, celery seed and water. How much water? Enough to cover.

Cook at a gentle simmer for 1-2 hours.

Add parsley and dill. Taste. Add salt, pepper, more celery seed if needed, and lemon juice to taste. Add water if soup needs thinning.

Notes

Serve with vegan sour cream.

Shabbat