Chilled Beet Borscht

First, carefully peel the beets and remove their stems and leaves, but leave the skin intact. Next, submerge the beets in cold water and bring them to a rolling boil in a large pot. Continue boiling until the beets are tender enough to pierce with a fork, which should take around 40 minutes.

Once the beets are cooked, drain them and set aside. Reserve two cups of the liquid that was used to cook the beets, as this will be useful later. Then, strain the liquid and transfer it to a large saucepan.

Remove the skin from the cooked beets and grate them using the coarsest blade of a grater. Add the grated beets to the saucepan with their reserved cooking liquid.

Add beef broth, a sliced onion, vinegar, salt, and pepper to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, after which you can remove it from the heat.

Allow the mixture to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until it has reached a cold temperature. This will help to set the flavors and make the dish easier to serve.

Ladle the chilled mixture into bowls and top each serving with sliced cucumber and a generous helping of sour cream.