How Do You Make Vegetarian Russian Soup (Borscht)?
Vegetarian Russian borscht is often cooked with mushrooms to substitute meat. Also, there variations of cold borscht made with beets and beet cooking liguid, and once cooled, various veggies and sour cream or kefir can be added. More information here.
I taught English in Moscow, Russia for 2 years and then went back twice after that to St. Petersburg to finish up my degree in Russian. I have to say that a Russian meal is not complete without this incredibly tasty and beautiful vegetable soup. Make sure that before cooking, you always start out with a clean and dry surface. In a large cooking pot, place potatoes, beets and water and cook until the vegetables are tender. (Save the water.) In a large cooking kettle, melt butter over medium heat. Begin cooking the onions in the butter. Add the caraway seeds and salt. Cook until the onions are tender, then add celery, carrots and cabbage. Add water from the potatoes and beets and cook (covered) until all of the vegetables are tender. Add the potatoes, beets, and all remaining ingredients. Cover vegetables and simmer slowly for about 40 minutes. Serve with sour cream, dill weed, and chopped tomatoes. Delicious! ENJOY!
