Vegetarian Borscht

Photo: Yummyfoodies

Ingredients

3 beets

1 carrot

1 onion

1 celery root

3 celery stalks

2 garlic

2 bay leaves

1/4 white cabbage

1 bell pepper

1 large ripe tomato

handfull of fresh dill

salt

black pepper

citric acid

Preparation

Peel and wash the beets, celery stalks and root, onion and carrot. Put them in a large cooking pot add peeled garlic cloves and bay leaves. Full the pot with water and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, chop some dill and cut the cabbage and the bell pepper into thin long straps. Peel the tomato and grate it.

When the vegetables in the pot are tender, take everything out of the soup. Let them cool for a few minutes. Grate the beets, carrot and celery root, and put them back in the soup. Add the cabbage, the crushed tomato and the bell pepper also. Season the soup with salt, citric acid and black pepper. Its better to add the spices gradually and taste the soup all the time. Its should be only a bit sour. Also, if the beets weren't sweet enough, carefully add some sugar. Add the chopped dill.

To keep the cabbage crunchy, don't overcook it. You can even turn off the heat after you add the spices.

Serve hot, with sour cream and some chopped dill.

During the cooking you can add some frozen or fresh pees, fresh green beans or canned dry beans.