Ukrainian borscht re-imagined

Makes: 8 to 10 servings

6 medium beets, cleaned and trimmed 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 pounds stewing beef, like chuck, cut into bite-size pieces, about 1 ½-inches

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, well drained

1 medium head green cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded

10 cups water

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 sprigs fresh dill weed

5 tablespoons good quality red wine vinegar ⅓ cup brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup sour cream, for garnish

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill weed or Italian parsley, for garnish

1. Cover the beets with an inch of water in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until fork tender. Remove the beets from the pan, reserving

2 cups of the beet juice and place them in a colander. Run under cold running water and peel. Cut the beets on a cutting board into ¾-inch pieces and reserve.

2. In a 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches, making sure not to crowd the meat, for about 5 to 7 minutes for each batch. Add more oil if needed. Reserve the beef.

3. Add the remaining oil and saute the onions and carrots for about 6 to 8 minutes or until nicely softened and lightly browned. 4. Add the 2 cups of the beet juice, reserved beef, tomatoes, cabbage, water, tomato paste and dill weed to the vegetables, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, partially covered, over medium heat and cook for 1 ½ hours or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork.

5. Add the reserved beets, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper and simmer 5 more minutes. Taste for seasoning. You may need to adjust the sweet and sour flavoring to your taste.

6. Ladle borscht into deep soup bowls and garnish with sour cream and a sprig of dill weed or parsley.