variation on a borscht

i took this one from the new york times, as well: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/253srex.html?ref=dining

my fantastic roommate receives a csa produce box every other week and lately she's been getting a lot of cabbage. after an unsuccessful attempt at cabbage soup, a second head of cabbage that was slowly making its way to the black hole at the back of the fridge, and yet another head arriving in last week's box, it was time to take matters into our own hands. drastic times call for drastic measures. luckily, i had recently bookmarked a recipe for beets and greens borscht from the nyt.

it turned out really well and only took about 2 hours from start to finish. this recipe makes a LOT of borscht, so invite your friends over. if you don't, you'll be eating leftovers for a week like us. (and just in case you don't have any friends, it keeps very well in the fridge, thanks for asking.)

ingredients:
5 beets with greens, chop the beets into 1/2 in. dice. remove the stems from the greens and chop them coarsely
1 head of cabbage, chopped or shredded
1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large onion, chopped thinly
1 can kidney beans/2 cups home cooked beans
salt
5 medium-sized potatoes, chopped into 1/2 in. dice. (if you have lots of beets, use fewer potatoes and more beets)
11 cups of water
2 tbsp tomato paste
balsamic vinegar
any other leftover veggies you have - throw them in the pot.

to make:
in your biggest pot, combine beets, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, kidney beans, onion and 9 cups of water.
mix 2 cups of water with 2 tbsp tomato paste and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. add to the pot.
the water should just cover the veggies. don't add too much water!
bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. cook for an hour or until beets and potatoes are tender. don't worry if it boils for a while after you turn it down - this helped ours cook a lot faster.

just before you're ready to serve the borscht, sautee the chopped beet greens in a skillet with olive oil. when they're tender, throw them in the pot. add more balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

serve up and garnish with sour cream.

sides: fresh sourdough bread.
for spicing up the leftovers that you will undoubtedly have: serve over cooked quinoa or with quinoa pancakes (see recipe post). reheat over medium heat. add more balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.