Beth's Mom's Recipe for Homemade Beet Soup!

[ok_nurse]

I went to the farm Market this early Saturday morning and got me some fresh beets to try this!~D

"I love mine hot,, some love it cold

Get some young fresh smallest beets first picking if possible so they dont stay tough
prepare onions and carrots by chopping them.
Pour a little vegetable oil into a skillet and add the carrots and onions. Cook until softened, and set aside. 8 small beets, or 6 large beets,,
Peel the beets and chop or slice both into small bite-sized pieces.
Remove the seeds from the green pepper and chop.
Put the chopped beets and green pepper into a small saucepan and add about ½ cup of broth and the tomato paste. Cover the pot and simmer the vegetables for about 30 minutes until the beets are tender.
While the beets and peppers are cooking, pour the remaining broth into a large saucepan and heat it almost to boiling.
Chop the cabbage and add it to the broth.
Peel the potatoes, cut them into bite-size pieces and add to broth.
Add cooked onions and carrots to broth. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes.
When the beets are tender, add them to the broth. Add lemon juice, salt, sugar, parsley, and garlic cloves.
Simmer 10 more minutes, and serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl.
Serves 10 to 12."

Thanks Beth!

[bhscarlett]

please let me know what u think of the soup.... . blessings , beth

[ok_nurse]

What size tomato paste should I buy? what kind broth? I'm also wondering if I buy a bag of coleslaw, which I frequently do this for soups-would it take one pound bag (equal to one med head) or two? Lemon-half squeezed or is this too much? How many green peppers? What size bag of carrots- 1 or 3 pound?
If I could just watch you make it one time-I'd be cool. Or if I could taste it I know I could duplicate it-but I'm having a bit of difficulty with the ratios here now that I'm actually trying to do it so far away.
Thanks Beth

[bhscarlett]

I think you can adjust it any way possible,, you know what you will have no problems,, i would say a large can of tomato paste for your family size and large carrots, I dont think you can go wrong, and the broth ,, one large can, not smallest of the 16 oz size because you want lots of flavors,, if you do smaller or 6 people i think you could go with smaller porortions,, I have not made in awhile,, and not that big either as my family now doesnt like beets,, so for me its a waste , so if you try it and do smaller size porpotions,, slip me the stats on what you used,, I want to come and enjoy it at your home together we can make the correct portion sizes or someone else ,, please help us out,, Blessings,, Beth

[ok_nurse]

OK-I did change it to my families preferences, and for ease of cooking-but it tastes awesome! Definitely on my favorite list for homemade soup! This is what I did:

1 large garlic clove
1 x-large onion
1 2# bag of carrots
bacon
8 bullion cubes
1 16 oz package of cole slaw-not prepared-just cabbage
3 6 oz cans tomato paste
6 large potatoes
1 1/2 green peppers
1 leek
half fresh lemon
salt pepper sugar to taste


In a large soup pot (I use a canning pot)-fill a little over half with water and 8 boullion cubes. High heat.

In a large skillet put a Tbs oil and the following:
1 clove garlic chopped
1 x-large onion chopped
1 2lb bag carrots chopped (I don’t peel because I like roughage for my family.
Place 4 strips of beef bacon on top of ingredients in skillet and cover.

Add to pot of water:
boullion cubes
one bag of cabbage (sold for cole slaw).
3- 6 oz cans of tomato paste
8-10 early season beets-smaller ones have better taste. Cut up stems and leaves and throw all into pot.
6 large potatoes-diced (again, washed but not peeled)

Cover pot. By the time you get those six potatoes diced and in the pot, the skillet needs attention.

To the skillet add:
1 ½ chopped (remove seed) large green pepper and more bacon if needed

Finally, thin slice a leek (No roots or thick green-tender green is ok) and add to pot. Scoop out vegetables (I leave bacon and grease out) from skillet and add to pot. Add salt to taste-I use about 3 Tbs, 1 tsp pepper,4 Tbs.sugar,and half sliced lemon in pot. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 mins. Remove lemon if desired. Serve with or without a dollop of sour cream in each bowl.

Thank you Beth! And tell Mom thanks too!

[bhscarlett]

but i wish many times i had her long list of polish foods,, I hope the one you had was yummy,, your family being large and ours is very small and only me , now loves polish foods,, but i really love them,, or almost all of them,, having grown up with them alot,, wish mom had wrote them down, they just used fist of this and eyeballed receipes,, so i did write it down to the best of my abilities for a family size of four,to no more than five or six,, i dont ever remember huge leftovers for the next day unless she passed them along,, theres sooo much i dont remember, i guess in the day it wasnt necessary to write things down,, but for me its a must and i must do it alot to make it the best,, im sure you know what i mean cooking for a larger family, my mom grew up in one like that with ten children always hungry for more,,,, blessings,, beth,,,, Im sure yours are doing much better,, for sure,,