Recipe - Heart Russian Beet Soup

1 cup Navy beans, dry
2 One half pound Lean beef
One half pound Slab bacon
10 cup Cold water
1 Bay leaf
8 Whole peppercorns
2 Cloves garlic
2 tablespoon Dried parsley
1 Carrot
1 Celery stalk
1 Large red onion
1 teaspoon Salt (opt)
8 Beets for soup
2 Small beets
2 cup Green cabbage, shredded
2 Large leeks, cut or sliced up
3 Medium potatoes, cut
Into eighths
1 cn (1 pound 13 oz) tomatoes
1 tablespoon Tomato paste
3 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
4 tablespoon Sugar
1 pound Kielbasa (opt)
2 tablespoon Flour
1 tablespoon Butter, melted
One half cup Sour cream (opt)

Cover beans with water and allow to soak overnight; cook until tender;
drain; set aside. Place beef, bacon and water in large soup pot; bring to
a boil. Skim fat from surface. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, parsley,
carrot, celery, onion and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1
One half hours.

Scrub beets for soup and cook in boiling water until tender, about 45
minutes; drain and discard water; cool. Peel and cut each beet into
eighths. Scrub small beets; grate; cover with water to soak.

Remove meat from soup; set aside. Strain soup into another pot and add
cooked beets, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar,
sugar, beef and bacon. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes.

Cut kielbasa into chunks and add with navy beans to soup. Simmer 20 minutes
more.

Mix flour and butter together to form paste. Stir into soup to thicken
slightly. Strain raw beets, saving liquid and discarding beets. Add beet
liquid to soup.

Additional sugar or vinegar may be added for sweeter or more sour flavor.
Slice meat and arrange in individual soup bowls. Pour hot soup with
vegetables over meat. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream, if
desired.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini