Sweet and sour beef borscht.

I have made borscht exactly once: an icy-chilled vegetarian beet soup topped with sour cream, raw minced onion, and a sprinkling of fresh dill. I liked it, but Mark said "never again."

 Not long ago, though, I was served in a restaurant a sweet, steaming hot, strongly beefy version, thick and glossy with cabbage and onion and a good rich stock. I tried to duplicate it last night. It still didn't quite reach the restaurantversion, but it was good enough to have the whole family asking for seconds. 

"This one," Mark said, "you can make again."

Changes to try that next time: use the crockpot, and use lots of red cabbage for its mellow sweetness.  And maybe use brisket, something that'll fall apart into shreds in the pot.   I should note that I had a head start, since I already had several quarts of 72-hour beef stock chilled, strained, and defatted in my fridge.  The soup would not be the same without it.

Erin's Sweet and Sour Beef Borscht

• 1 bunch well-scrubbed beets with greens, about 1 1/2 pounds 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced 
• 3 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 1/4 head green cabbage, finely shredded
• 4 cups homemade beef stock strained, chilled, and defatted
• 1 lb lean beef cut into chunks for stew
• 1 15-oz can whole tomatoes
• 1/3 cup currants or raisins
• 2 T or more lemon juice
• 1 T or more brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Trim the greens from the beets and pare off the root end. Place in medium saucepan with the stock and the meat, bring to a boil, and simmer 20-30 minutes. Remove beets, slip off and discard skins, and dice the beets small.  Return the diced beets to the pan.

Meanwhile, in a deep pot, saute onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil till tender and beginning to brown. Wash and finely chop beet greens (including stems) and add to skillet, tossing with vegetables till well wilted. Add tomatoes and break them up well with spatula. Add stock, beef, beets, currants, and cabbage, return to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for the rest of the day (I put the pot in a 300-degree oven).

Before serving, add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 T sugar, plus salt and pepper. Taste and correct the seasoning, including adding more lemon and sugar if necessary.