This is mostly for Julie, but I figured someone else might be curious to try.
This is my mother's recipe and requires you to be comfortable with slightly vague instructions. You'll still get an authentic borsh, just to your own tastes (this applies especially to seasoning it). But be brave.
No special trips to the Russian store required. This is a vegetarian recipe that beef can be added to.
Ingredients:
2/3 medium-sized cabbage
2 medium sized beets (2” ones)
1 carrot
1 potato, not too big
1 stick celery
green peas (frozen or canned), but we sometimes use shelled soybeans.
tomato paste (1/2 a small can)
salt, chili paste (yep), lemon juice (preferably fresh), sugar
optional: cube of beef broth*
fresh dill and sour cream for serving
Peel beets and cut into “straw” (thinnish slices, about 1in long, like the precut carrots you see in the supermarket). Sautee, covered, over low flame with a dash of olive oil. If beets don’t taste sweet enough, add a dash of sugar. Sautee until soft, about 10 min.
While beets are cooking, cut celery, potato, carrot into small cubes; boil in pot filled about 2/3 with water (to leave room for other ingredients) over low flame. Add beef broth cube if you so choose.
Add beets to pot with other veggies; also add tomato paste (it’ll eventually break up and not stay in a lump).
While everything cooks, slice cabbage thinly (just start chopping the whole mass, don’t peel into leaves, it’ll take too long). When carrots/potatoes etc are almost done, add cabbage and peas (if using frozen ones; canned ones should be added when soup is done). Wait for soup to boil, let boil for a few minutes more.
Add salt, chili paste (usually ½ teaspoon to a pot, depending on how potent it is) to taste. Add lemon juice (start with one teaspoon), and add sugar in small increments to balance out taste of lemon. The trick is to find the balance between salty-spicy-sweet, but trust your taste buds.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped dill and, if you’re not having company, some crushed garlic.
*You can use Russian-style canned beef to add flavor/protein; you’ll find the cans in Russian stores, it’ll be called something like “roast beef with gravy” and have a babushka on the label, or possibly a cow. Add some of this to taste. The beef can be frozen to be added to future soups or to pasta sauces, for example.