Simple Borscht

1. Peel beets and carrots, grate them with a food processor or by hand.

2. Wash the leek, cut in half and slice thinly.

3. Thinly shredd the cabbage.

4. Place a 4-quart pot on the stove to warm on medium high heat. When warm, add oil and leek; sauté for a minute, do not let brown. Then add carrots and cabbage, sautee for 2-3 minutes while mixing the vegetables. Add beets and mix well.

5. Bring water to a boil in a kettle and pour in with the vegetable fond; add bay leaves and white pepper. Adjust heat first higher to bring to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer.

6. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until all ingredients are done.

7. Turn off the heat, add vinegar and parsley; mix well.

8. Plate and serve with desired amount of creme fraiche.

Recipe doesn’t mention salt, as I try to avoid it whenever possible. Even though the vegetable fond is low-sodium there still some salt in it. I find that it is enough, but feel free to use salt to your taste.

Sometimes I add sliced, browned, low-fat, low-sodium, hotdogs to this, but then it’s not vegetarian any more. The picture shows the hotdog version of my borscht.