Vibrant Vegetarian Purple Borscht

Place the beets into a large pot and cover with 4 cups of water.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low,

cover, and simmer until tender, 20 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, place

the tomatoes and tomato puree in a blender and blend until smooth.

Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the

onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned

translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until

tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, tomato mixture,

half of the dill, and the vegetable bouillon. Continue cooking and

stirring until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the beets from the cooking liquid and place them in the

freezer in a bowl. Stir the mushroom mixture, potatoes, kidney

beans, including the liquid, and 6 cups of water into the beet water.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low,

cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Peel, then grate the chilled beets. Stir the beets, cabbage, and

remaining dill into the soup. Cover and simmer until the cabbage is

tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt

and pepper. Remove from heat and allow soup to rest for at least 2

hours. Bring soup to a boil, and serve hot with a dollop of sour

cream.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Chinese