I was studying at the home of my Russian tutor the other day, and she had prepared a huge pot of borscht. It was delicious, and I asked her more about it. She said that although she is Russian by birth, she grew up in Ukraine.  She said her mother prepared borscht often, and it was very popular with Ukrainians. She said there were many different recipes, as Ukrainian cooks liked to make it according to family customs. She said her secret was to sauté the shredded cabbage, carrots, beets, and onion separately. She also liked to make the beef stock for it in a pressure cooker. She does not add any meat to her borscht, but does use beef stock. The final touch was a bit of sour cream on top sprinkled with fresh dill. I ended up eating four huge bowls, and I am going to try her recipe at home.