Best of Borscht

My maternal grandmother had Polish roots but was born and raised on Treaty 2 in the Manitoba prairies. I remember Grandma always had a batch of soup on the stove or in her freezer, including borscht. Although I don't actually have my grandma's borscht recipe, this is how I like to picture her making it with her garden grown beets, potatoes, cabbage, and dill (the lemon is likely my own addition as I love my borscht a little tart).  Borscht is packed with antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C and beta carotene, as well as potassium, folate, and fibre. For a complete, balanced meal add a little protein on the side, such as: plain Greek yogurt, slices of cheese, a side of hummus and crackers, or a few slices of farmer sausage.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive or camelina oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

4 beets, peeled and cubed

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 cups cabbage, shredded in food processor (I often use purple cabbage)

1 tbsp parsley, dried

 4 tbsp lemon juice (juice from 1 whole lemon)

1 ½ cups fresh dill, chopped

 6-8 cups vegetable broth (homemade broth see recipe here)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Heat the oil in a large soup pot and saute the onion, garlic, and carrots a few minutes.

2) Add the beets, potatoes, cabbage, and parsley, sauteeing a few more minutes.

3) Include the vegetable broth, lemon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 1 hour.

4) Half way throught the cooking time, add your fresh dill and taste the soup, adding more salt as needed.