Aunt eloise's borscht

4      Medium        potatoes -- cubed
   4      Tbsp.         margarine
   1      Medium        onion -- shredded
   1      Tin           tomatoes -- small, chopped
   2      Large         beets (or 3 small)
     1/2  Small         cabbage -- finely shredded
   1      Tbsp.         fresh parsley -- minced
     1/2  Tsp.          dried basil -- Rubbed To Powder
     1/2  Tsp.          Dried Oregano -- Rubbed To Powder
   3                    Sour Leaves Or Juice Of 1/2 Lemon -- * See Note

* Sour leaves are interchangeable with sorrel leaves.

Put the cubed potatoes into 3 litres (12 cups) of water in a pot and bring
to a boil.

Melt the margarine in a frying pan and sauté the onion until it is brown. 
Add the tomatoes.

Cook the beets, peel and then julienne. (Leave the root and 2-3" of stem on
the beets or the color will 'bleed' from the beets before they get into
your borscht.)

Add to potatoes and bring to a boil.

Add tomatoes and onions to the potatoes and beets and simmer.
Add cabbage.
Add the parsley, basil, oregano and sour leaves or lemon juice.

Options:
Simmer pork bones in water, remove bones and scum, add potatoes and beets.
Add garlic to tomato/onion.
Add lentils or small navy beans - can be added the second day.

Serve hot or cold with sour cream.

Aunty Eloise says that there are many different kinds of borscht. You make
lighter ones in the summer and richer heavier ones in the winter. Once,
while on vacation in Los Angeles, I was talking about borscht to a nice
American lady of German descent. She said that her family's borscht didn't
use any beets or sour leaves but that it did use sour salt. I had never
seen or heard of such a thing but when I searched a local (LA) supermarket
I had no trouble finding it. However, since then, I have not seen that
ingredient in a local (MA) store or seen a recipe using it.