Russian Cabbage Borscht

Two years ago daughters AE and KA gave me the soup cookbook Mollie Katzen' s Recipes: Soups. Tonight I made a good winter soup from that cookbook, which I will copy below.

Russian Cabbage Borscht

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potato
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups water
1-2 Tbsp.butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
(1 scant tsp. caraway seeds)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 medium-sized carrot, sliced
3-4 cups shredded cabbage
 freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp.dill
1-2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp.Brown sugar or honey
1 cup tomato puree

 Toppings:
sour cream or yogurt
 extra dill

1. Place potatoes, beets, and water in a medium- sized saucepan. Cover, and cook over medium heat until tender (20-30 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot. Add onion, caraway seeds (I didn' t like), and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (8-10 minutes).

3. Add celery, carrots, and cabbage, plus 2 cups of the cooking water from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8-10 minutes).

4. Add the remaining ingredients (including all the potato and beet water), cover, and simmer for at least 15 more minutes. Taste to correct seasonings, and serve hot, topped with sour cream or yogurt and a light dusting of dill. (We did not use any toppings.)

Also, those same two daughters have a vegan recipe blog and recently posted another beet soup recipe: Orange Beet Soup. I may try that one soon, as we're getting another cold front in south TX tonight.