Borscht

½ head cabbage, cut up
4 beets, in strips
2 big carrots, in strips
4 potatoes (often I use less or no potatoes)
1 lb. stew beef, cubed
1 onion, diced
1 small can tomato sauce (optional, I leave out)
1 tsp. each dried dill and parsley, use more if fresh
salt to taste
pepper - I use 1/8 - 1/4 tsp.
sour cream

Boil meat, add salt when it starts to boil (I use beef stock when I have it). When it’s almost done, add the potatoes and cook midway. Meanwhile in a different pan put oil (I use lard) and the beets and carrots cut into strips. Add ½ cup water and simmer until softer, continue watching and stirring. When halfway cooked, add onions and tomatoe sauce/paste and cook until almost soft. Then dump it all into the other pot of meat and potatoes and add cabbage. Let it all cook together until the cabbage is cooked. At the very end add the dill and/or parsley and black pepper, then let it simmer 5 minutes to get the full flavor. Serve with sour cream stirred in.  It's delicious!

There are many, many ways to make Borscht.  The above are the instructions I got from Russian friends.  Other methods include:  Put it all in the crock pot. ~ Simmer all the veggies together, then add cooked meat.  ~ Simmer everything together except the beets, omit the carrots.  Steam the beets, then add (I guess that's quicker?  Beets do take a long time to soften).  ~ Use ground beef instead of stew meat, make small meatballs with salt & pepper added, put these in at the end as they cook quickly.  ~ Add diced tomatoes and garlic.  ~ Use browned ground pork sausage instead of beef.  ~

Russian Cucumber/Tomato Salad

6 Tomatoes
2 Cucumbers
1/2 C Sour cream
3 Green onions, finely chopped
Salt & black pepper (to taste)
1 sprig fresh Dill, finely chopped

Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into large bite-sized pieces. Mix in remaining ingredients. (If preparing in advance, don't mix in the sour cream until ready to serve.)

Source: Kate & Elena

This is a great dish for a hot summer day.