Spicy Borscht with Sausage

I never liked beets as a kid, but I loved a spicy borscht that my Mom would make.
It's the sweetness of beets that I objected to, weird from a normal candy munching kid. So this soup was what I liked (even as a kid); spicy, meaty and colorful too.

My Mom was having a hard time remembering the exact recipe for the soup I liked, but mentioned that she got the recipe from an Russian lady.  This is my rendition of what I remember about the soup; it did the trick to return me down memory lane.

I've labeled this recipe as a 'crock pot' recipe too, but in full disclosure, I haven't tried it.  I just know it will work.  Brown the pork and the onions together, add to the crock pot with everything else and cook for 5-6 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low.  It could probably stand to be stirred every once in a while, but I think it would be OK if you didn't.  I promise to try this again using this method, as soon as I get to the bottom of the vat of soup I just made.

I did freeze half this soup for another day.

Makes 8- 16 servings, about 1-2 cups each
Ingredients:

1 lb pork sausage (or 2-3 cups leftover cooked beef or pork, shredded or finely chopped)

1 large onion, chopped small

3 large beets, about 5 cups shredded

1/2 head red cabbage, about 4 cups shredded

3 medium carrots, chopped small

3-4 stalks of celery (inner stalks & leaves are perfect), chopped small
8 cups chicken or beef stock

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp cumin, or coriander

1 tsp garlic powder, or 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 Tbsp beef base, or 3-4 beef bouillon cubes
3-4 cups water, as needed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sour cream, for serving (optional)


In the bottom of a large soup pot, brown your sausage.  Drain most of the fat away.  Saute the onions, then adding the carrots and celery.  I used my food processor, because it was so easy!

I did kind of a rough mince.

Add the shredded cabbage, again I used the slicer on my food processor to make this quick.

Using the grating attachment on my food processor, I grated the beets.  This made all that chopping very fast work with a quick cleanup. It was from this to...

 
... to this, in about 2 minutes.  Yeah!

Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce to medium low and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the veggies are nice and soft, but still holding their shape.  If it seems too thick add a bit of water.  Add the seasonings and the appropriate amount of salt and pepper. 

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, and maybe a sprinkling of green onions, or fresh dill.  A filling and satisfying dinner, or lunch.