Borscht (Russian-Style Beet Soup)

• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 pound Beef Stew Meat
• 1 leaf Bay Leaf
• 8 cups Beef Broth, Divided
• 1-3/4 pound Beets (roots Only; Use The Greens For Something Else), Scrubbed And Trimmed
• 4 whole Medium Carrots, Finely Chopped
• 3 stalks Large Stalks Celery, Diced
• 1 whole Large Onion, Chopped
• 1 whole Large Starchy Potato (such As Russet), Scrubbed And Chopped
• 1/2 pounds Savoy Cabbage, Thinly Sliced Into Shreds (1/2 Pound Should Yield About 5 Cups Shredded)
• 4 cloves Large Cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
• 1/2 teaspoons Coarse Kosher Salt (use A Bit Less If Using Fine Salt)
• 1/4 teaspoons Black Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoons Allspice
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 6 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar Or Apple Cider Vinegar (more Or Less To Taste)
• 1/4 cups Chopped Fresh Dill, Plus More For Garnish If Desired
• Sour Cream, For Garnish (optional)

1. 1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meat in a single layer and cook until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes, flipping once. (You might need to do this in 2 batches so you don't overcrowd the pan.)
2. 2. Add the bay leaf and half of the beef broth, and bring to a boil. Then cover the pot, turn heat down to simmer and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. 3. While the beef cooks, prep all the vegetables according to specifics in the above list. For the beets, shred 1/3 of the beets and finely chop the remaining 2/3, keeping the shredded and chopped beets separate. After an hour, add the finely chopped beets to the pot; bring back up to a boil, then cover the pot and cook 10 minutes.
4. 4. Then add the shredded beets, carrot, celery, onion, potato, cabbage, garlic, salt, black pepper, allspice, tomato paste and remaining beef broth. The vegetables should be just covered with liquid. You can add water if you need more liquid to cover them. Cover the pot and bring it back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
5. 5. Add the vinegar, then turn off the heat and stir in the dill. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as desired.
6. 6. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.
7. Notes:
8. - Peeling vegetables: For this recipe, I use organic beets, carrots, and potato, and give them a good scrub before using. But I don't peel them because the skin holds a lot of nutrition.
9. - Beets tip: Look for smaller beets since their skin is more tender.
10. - The potato sort of melts right into the soup so you will be left with little bits of potato skin, which I didn't mind at all. However, if you prefer, you can peel the potato.

canola oil, beef broth, beets, carrots, stalks celery, onion, starchy, savoy cabbage, garlic, kosher salt, ubc, ubc, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, ubc, sour cream

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/borscht-russian-style-beet-soup/ (may not work)