• salt	to taste
• extra virgin olive oil	1-2 tbsp
• onion	1 large
• water	2 liters
• sour cream	to serve
• tomatoes	4 medium size
• green onion	optional
• potatoes	2 medium size
• carrot	1 medium size
• green dill	optional
• bell pepper	1
• pepper	to taste
• pork or beef with bone	400-500 g
• beet	1 large
• white cabbage	300 g
• dried basil	to taste
• Italian seasonings	to taste
• green parsley	optional

1. Meat and peeled onion put in a large pot. Add water and boil. When the water begins to boil, remove the foam with a spoon; cover pot with a lid and cook about 1.5 hours over low-medium heat.

2. Take the meat and onion out of the broth. Meat set aside on a clean plate to cool, and throw away the onion.

3. Add water to the broth, if needed. Water should be visually about 2 liters. Boil.

4. Peel, wash and grate a beet on a coarse grater (or cut beet on thin sticks). Place the beet into boiling broth. (From this step I prefer to cook the borsch over high-meduim heat).

5. Shred the cabbage and add to the broth.

6. Peel, wash and grate a carrot on a coarse grater; place to the broth.

7. Peel, wash and cut potatoes on small cubes; put in soup.

8. Peel, wash and cut a bell pepper into strips ; put in soup.

9. Wash tomatoes and cut into small cubes.

10. Heat a medium size skillet; add oil, tomatoes and dried basil, and cook tomatoes over medium heat about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes in soup.

11. Take the meat off the bone; cut the meat into small pieces and add in soup.

12. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, water, if needed, and cook the soup 10 minutes more.

13. Optionally, cut greens, add to borsch.

14. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid and let it sit for 10 minutes.

15. Serve with sour cream.

Borscht