It’s preferable to use all organic ingredients…
• Thoroughly scrub & peel 4 midsize beets & cut into quarters
• Thoroughly wash their stalks (beet greens) & cut into 3 or 4-inch lengths
• Thoroughly wash ½ cup of fresh parsley (dry parsley can also be used, but that needs to be added later)
• Wash 2 tablespoons of fresh basil (dry basil can also be used, but that needs to be added later)
• Chop 1 cup of red onion & using a big, stainless steel soup pot, sauté chopped onion in olive oil until glassy
• Chop 3 cloves of fresh garlic & add to onions—sauté for 5-10 seconds
• Add beets & beet greens, stir well for 20 seconds & add bottled water—enough to cover them—cover pot with lid & cook until beets & stalks are soft (turn down heat after pot boils to avoid spill-over)
• Strain the soup; purée solids; & add them back into the liquid
• Add, stir & blend in: ½ cup (more or less, as your taste requires) apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons (more or less, as your taste requires) honey; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; ½ teaspoon powdered ginger; 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan or other salt; (if using dry parsley & basil), add 1 heaping tablespoon of dry parsley & 1 teaspoon dry basil; add ½ teaspoon powdered turmeric
• Cover pot & bring soup to boil for 5 minutes;
• Remove from heat, let cool & refrigerate
• Serve cold or at room temperature, or re-heat for 20 seconds in the microwave
• Serve, preferably, with plain goat yogurt—but organic, low-fat cow yogurt or sour cream are fine, too.
• Although the puréed ingredients thicken this soup, if added crunchiness is desired, it can be served with croutons or even unsweetened cold cereal (such as ‘oat-Os’ or granola).
• This Borscht stays fresh in the refrigerator for at least 10 days.