Beet Borsht

4 medium size beets with tops
1 onion, peeled
4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup mild vinegar or 1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar (or to taste)

Cut tops from beets 2 inches from the roots. Scrub beets thoroughly; cover with cold water, and boil 15 minutes or until tender enough to pierce with a wooden pick. While beets are boiling, wash leaves and chop fine in a wooden bowl. The stems may be used, too. Strain liquid from beets into a bowl or soup pot. Slip skins from beets and grate them using a fine grater. Grate onion into grated beets. Add this to the strained beet juice, boiled water and chopped beet tops. Add salt and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and cook 5 minutes. Add vinegar sweetened to taste with brown sugar. Cool and chill in closed jars.

Add a boiled potato, 3 tablespoons diced cucumber and 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream to each bowl just before serving. Use fresh dill for garnish, if desired.

Variations:
Add 1 hardboiled egg, diced or sliced, to each serving in addition to or in place of the other garnish;

For a fleishig (meat) borsht, use diced or grated cooked beets with 1 1/2 to 2 pounds brisket of beef. Cook 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add same ingredients including tops and seasoning 15 minutes before serving. Thicken hot borsht by stirring in 1 egg yolk per serving. Add boiled potato. Or substitute garnish of sliced hardboiled eggs;

Cook 1 cupful diced rhubarb with borsht and omit vinegar or lemon juice;

For a summertime cooler, serve strained meatless beet borsht (with or without rhubarb), in tall glasses topped with fresh mint after thickening with a little sour cream;

Make a borsht cocktail by adding sparkling water or lemon soda to strained chilled borsht.