Baba's Borscht

(The recipe is a photocopied newspaper clipping...  Perhaps from The Philadelphia Inquirer?)

[Note:  The original recipe calls for beef to be included in this dish.  I left that out, of course.  This is my modified version.]

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 large onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 medium fresh beets, skinned and shredded
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 small can tomato paste
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 handful fresh dill, minced
1 handful fresh parsley, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the olive oil until softened.  Pour in the stock and reduce the heat.  Add the beets, cabbage, and tomato paste and simmer on low for 2 hours.  Add water if the soup is too thick.

Toward the end of the cooking time, add the lemon juice, dill, and parsely.  Season with salt and pepper.

(This makes a ton of soup!!  You could go with smaller beets for less mass.  I peeled the raw beets with a vegetable peeler and shredded them in a food processor - very quick and less messy than chopping by hand.  As with most things containing beets, this soup has a startling (bright red) appearance, but tastes absolutely delicious.  Keeps well in the refrigerator.)