2 cups peeled, shredded beets
1 cup peeled shredded carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cups beef stock or consomme
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup thick sour cream
Cook beets, carrots, and onion in boiling salted water (enough to cover) for 20 minutes. Add butter, stock, and cabbage. Cook 15 minutes longer. Add the lemon juice. Pour soup into bowls. Top with spoonful of sour cream.
TIM'S NOTES: My Grandma and I used to make this for lunch when we made fruitcakes the Saturday after Thanksgiving. She used to add a few chunks of leftover cooked meat (like beef pot roast) if she had some. Sometimes I add small chunks of a tender cut of beef. I brown it in the pot first, then proceed with the vegetables and water as directed. If you have a food processor with a shredder blade it helps immensely. If you like your vegetable soup a little chunkier, you can just dice up the carrot and beets instead of shredding them. I have done this. I always shred the cabbage. I also like to add a little caraway seed, and dill weed (or dill seeds) to this soup. Dill and caraway were native to Germany as well as beets, carrots, and cabbage, This is German Borscht which uses lemon juice and is milder than Russian Borscht which often uses vinegar. This is a good soup to make in the fall and early winter when root vegetables are plentiful. Much of the time, the beet greens are still attatched. Do not throw them out! Cut off the stems and wash. They can be chiffonaded (cut into ribbons) and made into a creative salad (usuallly with a vinegar based dressing) or stir fried in a hot pan for a few seconds and eaten like most other greens (also with a little salt and vinegar, possibly a little sugar if you find the vinegar a little acidic. The solution to that is use a little balsamic vinegar which has a sweeter taste.) I like to enjoy this soup while listening to the Liebeslieder Waltzes by Brahms! Makes me feel Germanic!
