Beefy Beet Borscht with Bone Broth

Beefy Beet Borscht with Bone Broth
Serves 6-8

For the broth:
3 lbs beef soup bones, with plenty of meat on them
6 quarts water
1 sprig fresh rosemary or other fresh herb such as thyme
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
2 tsp sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and set to low. Let cook for 24 hours. Let cool, then remove the meat from the bones and set aside. Strain the remaining broth to remove bones and herbs. Refrigerate until ready to use or immediately make into soup using recipe below.
 
For the soup:
2 Tbs butter or other cooking fat like tallow or lard
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs beets, scrubbed and diced
1 lb potatoes (I used red or blue), scrubbed and diced
3 quarts beef broth, made with soup bones (see above)
1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 ½ tsp Hungarian paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried dill
1 ½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Meat from soup bones (if using store-bought broth, sub 1 lb cubed stew meat)
To garnish: full-fat sour cream and fresh dill
 
In a medium stock pot, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Add the onion and garlic; sauté 5-10 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the beets and potatoes, cooking for 5 more minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover and turn to medium heat; let simmer 30 minutes until the beets and potatoes become tender. If using stew meat, add at this time.

Stir in  the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, dill, salt, pepper and soup bone meat if using. Keep heat on low and simmer for 20-30 more minutes until the soup has reduced and thickened slightly.
 
Season to taste and serve with sour cream and fresh dill.