Borscht

Ingredients

  - 1 large onion
  - Cooking oil for frying
  - 2 medium peeled potatoes
  - 2 peeled carrots
  - 400 g canned tomatoes
  - 1/4 head of cabbage
  - 3 medium-beets
  - 4 large cloves of garlic
  - Parsley and/or dill, to taste.
  - 1 tbsp salt (to taste).
  - 1 tbsp sugar (to taste).

Instructions

  Chop the onions, potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes into small pieces, and grate the beets and carrots into approximately 1-inch long pieces.
  Fry the onions until golden-brown (with about 4-5 tbsp. oil) in a deep frying pan at medium heat. Mix regularly.
  Add the carrots to the onions and cook for two or three minutes more.
  Add the tomatoes and beets to the frying pan. Immediately pour vinegar or lemon juice over the beets to preserve their color and taste. If you are going to add ketchup, do it right now.
  Mix everything, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-10 minutes more at low heat.
  Pour cool water into a large pot so that the water takes up between 1/2 and 2/3 of the pot's total capacity. Turn on medium heat and wait until the water is boiling.
  Add the potatoes to the boiling water and wait 3-4 minutes.
  Add the cabbage and wait about two minutes.
  Add everything in the frying pan to the pot.
  Add the garlic, parsley, and dill.
  Add the salt and sugar.
  Wait until the water is boiling again (as it should have stopped when everything was added) and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, leaving a crack for steam to escape.
  Let the soup cook in its own heat for about 2 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. You may want to refrigerate it and microwave it the next day for an even better taste.
  Serve with sour cream. Enjoy!
  
  Photo courtesy liz west via Flickr