Borscht is a type of soup that was originally developed in Ukraine, and has made it's way throughout the surrounding regions. It is now a common food item in Russia. Borscht is generally made from the beetroot, but is sometimes made using tomato as the main ingredient. It can be served hot or cold, and the preparation and consumption experience will differ depending on what temperature you choose. Below is a recipe for hot borscht from "www.natashaskitchen.com."

Ingredients

• 2 large or 3 medium beets, thoroughly washed
• 2 large or 3 medium potatoes, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 4 Tbsp of cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• ½ head of cabbage, thinly chopped (see picture)
• 1 can kidney beans with their juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 cups water and 6 cups broth to get 16 cups liquid total
• 5 Tbsp ketchup
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped dill

1. Fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add 2 - 3 beets. Cover and boil for about 1 hour. Once you can smoothly pierce the beets with a butter knife, remove from the water and set aside to cool. Keep the water.
2. Slice 3 potatoes, add into the same water and boil 15-20 minutes.
3. Grate both carrots and dice one onion. Add 4 Tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet and saute vegetables until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Stir in ketchup when they are almost done cooking.
4. Thinly shred ½ a cabbage and add it to the pot when potatoes are half way done.
5. Next, peal and slice the beets into match sticks and add them back to the pot.
6. Add 6 cups chicken broth, lemon juice, pepper, bay leaves and can of kidney beans (with their juice) to the pot.
7. Add sauteed carrots and onion to the pot along with chopped dill.
8. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is done.