Borscht: Slavic-Style Beetroot Soup

When you wake up to a blizzard at 4 in the morning...

You stay in...and make borscht.

Recipe from the Ontario Vipassana Centre in Canada, adapted from one that feeds 150 to one that feeds up to 5 as a side dish

Ingredients: 
1 small-sized yellow onion, sliced
2 medium-sized carrots, grated
2 medium-sized beetroots, grated
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley (or dried dill, or dried oregano, or dried basil)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 small (smallest) tin of tomato paste - about 1/2 a cup
2 medium-sized yellow potatoes, grated
1/2 of a small green cabbage, sliced thinly OR 2 handfuls of Brussels sprouts, sliced thinly
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper to garnish

Creative steps: 
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for three minutes, or until the onion starts to soften. Add the carrots and cook for three minutes, or until the carrots start to soften. Add the beetroots, dried parsley and thyme, vinegar, tomato paste, and a cup of water; the resulting consistency should be that of a thick tomato sauce - add more water if needed. Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

In another pot or large pan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add potatoes, cabbage, and bay leaves - if the vegetables are not totally submerged in the water, add more hot water until they are. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Then transfer the potato/cabbage mixture into the other pot, add salt, and then simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft but still retain a bit of texture or crunchiness; check for readiness at the 15 minute mark to ensure that the vegetables do not get overcooked. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, and ta ta enjoy!