Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Russian Cold Beet Soup

After buying beets at the Dupont Farmers' Market, I was talking with my dad, and he suggested I make cold beet soup. He then put my mom on the phone, and she gave me directions. Thanks, parents!!!

Note: I am not providing the amounts, because everything depends on how many people you are feeding, and your preference for each of the ingredients: beets, beet greens, cucumbers, green onions, eggs, buttermilk and dill.

Do ahead: 1) peel, slice and cook beets in salted water 2) once the beets are almost tender, add sliced beet greens and cook for a few more minutes 3) let the mixture cool 4) separately hard-boil eggs, and let them cool too

Assembly:
1) Place cubed cucumbers and sliced green onions on the bottom of the bowl

2) Add cooked beets, beet greens, and some of the liquid

3) Add a few pieces of a hard boiled egg

4) Pour in some buttermilk

5) Mix everything, add dill, and season with salt & pepper

14 comments:

Marlin and Barbara Ann said...

Yum, good idea and execution. If you want something unhealthy to balance it try a buttermilk ice cream to use up the rest of your buttermilk. I just made it and it is amazing. 1 c whipping cream, 6 egg yolks, 1/2 c sugar, and 1 c buttermilk. I'm going to serve it with strawberries, rhubarb and a streusel topping.

Valeria said...

You should make окрошка!! Learn how to make квас, that'd be so awesome in the summer!

Anonymous said...

Wow, chiff0nade, what an ignorant comment. This soup sounds great (although no egg for me, thanks!) and I'll make it for sure, despite me being, oh I don't know, American.

Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!

Olga said...

There have been an unnecessarily rude comment left on this post, which I deleted.

If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Thank you SO much to those of you who have left positive feedback, and to those of you who decided not to post your possible dislike of beets.

Anonymous said...

Actually beets are one of the foods that you're most likely not eating but should be. The best way to eat them is raw in a salad (I shave them on a mandoline, but you could julienne or dice them just as well). They pair very well with goat cheese, and/or candied nuts.

Anonymous said...

The soup looks great. I enjoy a nice holodnik in the summer as well. We usually grate the beets in my family and sub yogurt for buttermilk. Just shows that not all Russian food is heavy and bland. In the summer, it's all about fresh produce off the farm.

Anonymous said...

The rude commenter makes the rounds across lots of food blogs leaving similar comments. I'm not exactly sure what is wrong with him/her...

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if this soup looks delicious or scary. I'm leaning towards delicious though! I do love beets, I should be adventurous and give this a try sometime this summer. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a refreshing summer soup!

alien man?! said...

i'm so thrilled to have discovered tastespotting. otherwise, i wouldn't come across awesome healthy and delicious-looking recipes like this. thank you so much for sharing w/us!

rusvaplaukė said...

This was the only soup I would eat as a child (however, I've never put beet greens into it). And may I say so, I was an avid eater. I'd finish three or four huge bowls in one sitting. Those were the days.. I do not eat eggs nor dairy any more,though, so this ain't an option. However, I still have extremely fond memories of it.

Oh, by the way. You simply HAVE TO serve it with boiled or boiled and lightly pan-fried potatoes and dill. Yum!

Pille said...

We eat something similar here in Estonia - and I'll be certainly eating it in June-July, when the sun is shining and it's hot outside.
PS Love-love-love beets!!!

Anonymous said...

This sounds really delicious. I'm going to make that his weekend!

Anonymous said...

This is going to be PERFECT for an informal "lunch for a bunch of beet-loving ladies" this coming week. Looks just gorgeous, thanks!!!