Mom's Romanian Beet Soup...

My mother is a fantastic cook.  My favorites are when she makes simple and light romanian dishes (and yes, they do exist) like this gorgeous soup she makes.  She's will always be my mom, and to this day, despite the fact that I'm almost 33, she comes by with a pot of soup and treats me.  This is her soup, although I altered it by adding some garbanzos for protein.  It's light, filling, and a great blood builder to boot.  I love the play on sour (lemon) and sweet (beets) and hope you do too...

2 stalks celery, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 turnip, diced
1 tablespoon raw brown rice or 1 tablespoon cooked rice

3 medium red beets, scrubbed well, skin on

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons dried lovage

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans

In a deep sturdy soup pot combine the rice, celery, carrots, onion and turnip with roughly 6 cups of water, give or take.  Let it simmer until the veggies have softened, around 1/2 hour or longer if you like them softer.  When they're done, add the lovage and simmer the soup on low until the beets are done. 

At the same time you start the carrots/onion/turnip soup, and in another pot, cover the beets with water and boil until a fork pierces through well, roughly 1/2 hour. When the beets are done, discard water and allow to cool enough to handle and then peel and cube into pieces.  Add the beets to the soup, season with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and add more water if you need it more thin. At this time, I add 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans, and bring to a boil.   Turn the heat off and let it sit about 10 minutes or so until the flavors mix.  Everything will turn a gorgeous purple.  Taste to see if it is sour enough for you - if not, add a bit more lemon juice.   

Enjoy!  It tastes even better the 2nd day.