Borscht - Ukrainian beet soup

I first had borscht at a Russian restaurant numerous years ago. I thought it was extremely tasty and a great way to eat beets. I love the subtle flavors in it including the flavor of thyme, the background flavors of other vegetables such as leeks, celery, carrot and I love that dollop of sour cream on top.I set out to make borscht and found so many recipes on the internet including this one and I looked through them all and made my own version ( with a little input from my friend Shirlee who suggested adding cream to the soup)

Ingredients: 

Beets - 1/2 lb ( about 3 medium beets)- peeled and cut in to 1” squares 

Potatoes - 1/2 lb  ( about 3) - peeled and cut in to 1” squares 

Onion - 1 medium ( diced finely ) 

Leeks - 1 ( diced finely - 1/2 cup )

Carrots - 2 - peeled and cut in to 1” squares 

Garlic - 2 cloves peeled and minced 

Tomato paste - 1/2 tbsp 

Paprika - 1/2 tsp 

Thyme - 1 tbsp dried thyme ( or to taste)

Bay leaf -1 

Salt - 1 tsp - to taste 

Pepper- 2 tsp - to taste 

Sugar - 1 to 2 tbsp - to taste 

Red wine vinegar- 1/2 tbsp 

Cream- 1/4 cup - or to taste 

Butter / olive oil - I put some of each ( 2 tbsp butter and  2 tbsp olive oil ) 

Sour cream- for garnishing the soup 

Instructions

1. Place a deep heavy bottomed pot on medium heat ( I used a Dutch oven)

2. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil and let the butter melt

3. Add the onions to the pot and sauté until translucent

4. Now add the leeks, celery, salt and pepper and sauté, 5. Add a little extra butter and oil to the pan and add the thyme, paprika , garlic, bay leaf and tomato paste and mix well and sauté it. 

6. Add the cubes of beets, potatoes and carrots and mix well.

7. Add 4- 5 cups of vegetable broth to the pot and mix in well. Taste the water to adjust seasoning. If sour add 1-2 tbsp of sugar ( I always add this for enhanced taste)
8. Let the broth boil and then reduce the heat slightly and place a lid on it with some venting and let it cook for 20-30 minutes ( or until the vegetables are soft when poked with a fork). Make sure to replenish broth if it has evaporated and make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the contents from sticking to the bottom 

9. Fish out the bay leaves

10. Now let the soup cool . Once cool add a little bit of the mixture at a time to the blender and grind to a smooth purée. ( you may save some of the veggie cubes to add back in for texture )

11. Add the purée to a pot and mix the cream in to it thoroughly well. 

12. Spoon out the borscht to a bowl and add a splash ( 1/4 tsp ) of red wine vinegar to the soup and mix well. This adds an acidic component to the soup and you can adjust per taste. ( I do this since people have different tolerance for acidity). Season with salt and pepper. 

13. Place a dollop of sour cream on top . Borscht is now ready to serve