Russian-ish Beef Soup

So a while back, I bought this seasoning from Penzeys called "Tsardust."  It smells a bit like cinnamon and a bit like garlic (both are ingredients), and the label calls for it to go with beef or pork.  I was a little fascinated by the idea of a savory item incorporating cinnamon, so I bought it.

Fast forward six months, and I have never used it.  (This is not the first time I've been guilty of buying a spice mix from them and completely forgetting about it for forever.)  But, lo and behold, I created a recipe today to go with it, and it was more or less a hit.

Now, what do I know about Russian cuisine?  Not much.  I don't know much more than potatoes and vodka.  I mean, you don't exactly see Russian cheese in the grocery store, or Russian tea or Russian honey or a Russian can of soup.  So I kind of made this up as I went along.  I'm sure it could use some tweaking (or maybe a lot), but since Nathan liked it, I wanted to have some reference to what I did so I can do it again.

--

Russian-ish Beef Soup

1 tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 lb. ground beef
generous 1/2 tsp. Tsardust seasoning, divided
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
3 red potatoes, cubed (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1/3 head of cabbage, sliced into bite-sized strips
2 bay leaves
64 oz. (two boxes) beef broth
1/4 c. heavy cream

In a large stock pot, sprinkle the ground beef with 1/4 tsp. of seasoning and brown it.  Drain off the excess fat and set the beef aside on a plate.  Melt the butter in the pot, then add the mushrooms, potatoes, celery, and onion, and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the cabbage.  Sprinkle the remaining generous 1/4 tsp. of seasoning over the veggies, then add the bay leaves and the broth.  Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the beef back in and simmer until warmed through and the cabbage and potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes more.  Turn off the heat, discard the bay leaves, and stir in the heavy cream.