Borscht, with a twist

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 chops
• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 small head of white cabbage
• 3 small carrots
• 2 onions
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 ½ liters of water
• ½ tube(s) tomato paste
• oil
• salt and pepper
• Parsley, finely chopped
• Sour cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Peel and halve the potatoes, and place them in a bowl of cold water. Quarter the cabbage, remove the stalk, and finely slice the cabbage. Peel the carrots and cut them into approximately 2.5 cm pieces, and dice the onions. Fill a large pot with 2.5 liters of water and cook the chops whole for about 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, add a teaspoon of salt. Remove the cooked meat from the pot and place it on a plate. Add the potatoes and carrots to the water and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add the white cabbage and cook for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly fry the onions in a pan with oil and add the tomato paste. Add the tomato paste, onions, and bay leaves to the pot. Cut the meat into pieces and add it back to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley and served with sour cream.