WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For a lighter, fresher version of too-often-heavy borscht, a version that truly focused on the beets, we used vegetable broth and swapped out starchy potatoes for wheat berries. Toasting the wheatberries gave them a rich, nutty flavor and a pleasant chewy consistency in the soup. To build a flavorful backbone, we sautéed onion, garlic, thyme, and tomato paste before stirring in the broth. Red wine vinegar, red cabbage, and a pinch of cayenne helped to round out the flavor of the beets as well. A dollop of dill-flecked sour cream to finish added tang. You can use the large holes of a box grater or a food processor fitted with a shredding disk to shred the beets and carrot. Do not use presteamed or quick-cooking wheat berries here, as they have a much shorter cooking time; be prepared to read the package carefully to determine what kind of wheat berries you are using.

Serves 6

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• FOR DILL CREAM:
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup minced fresh dill
• ½ teaspoon salt

• FOR SOUP:
• ⅔ cup wheat berries, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 1½ cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 pound beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

• FOR DILL CREAM:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Set aside until ready to serve.

• FOR SOUP:

1. Toast wheat berries in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to darken, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer toasted wheat berries to a bowl.
3. Heat oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering.
4. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and cayenne and cook until fragrant and darkened slightly, about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in toasted wheat berries, broth, water, cabbage, beets, carrot, bay leaf, and ¾ teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer until wheat berries are tender but still chewy and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours.
8. Off heat, discard bay leaf and stir in vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt.
9. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve, passing dill cream separately.