During Rach's most recent trip to Ukraine, she taught kids at a youth education center how to make a classic beef borscht. Although the country considers borscht a national dish, many of them had never prepared it. Suffice it to say, both the cooking lesson and the resulting deeply flavored beet-based soup were a big hit!
For more from our special Ukraine episode, Rachael takes us inside a safe house and shares an emotional visit with the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi.
Heat olive or canola oil in soup pot over medium-high to high heat. Brown meat 7 to 8 minutes, then remove. Reduce heat a bit, add butter and onions, carrots, celery, ground cumin and coriander, sugar, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Soften a few minutes, add garlic and stir a minute. Add beets, beef, stock, water and tomato sauce and simmer at low boil 45 minutes. Add potatoes and cook 15 minutes more. Add beet greens and cabbage and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more. Add herbs and lemon juice and serve with sour cream and warm bread.