Cold borscht

Ukrainians call this cold borscht kholodnyk (kholod means “cold” in both Ukrainian and Russian). It is incredibly refreshing, and we eat it during the blazing-hot Ukrainian days of summer. When the weather is simply unbearable, eating a bowl of this soup makes you feel invigorated again.

Credit: Rizzoli

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

I always use a lot of fresh, crisp vegetables and flavorful herbs to add more texture and to introduce even more vibrant colors.

Ingredients

• 2 medium red beetroots, about 350 g (12 oz) total weight
• 5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 3 cups plain kefir or buttermilk
• 2 medium-sized short (Persian) cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 3 medium radishes, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill and flat-leaf parsley, in equal parts, plus more for serving
• Distilled water, chilled, if needed for thinning
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced
• ½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Cooling time: 10 minutes. 

Chilling time: 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the beets with water to cover by about 5 cm (2 in). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the beets are easily pierced with a knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain the beets and let them sit for about 10 minutes.
2. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and then coarsely grate them. Return them to the pot. Coarsely grate two of the eggs and add them to the beets. Add the kefir, about half each of the cucumbers and radishes (reserve the remainder for finishing the soup), and the dill and parsley. Mix together everything with a spoon and then add a bit of the chilled water if the mixture is too thick. It should be the consistency of a yogurt soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Cover the pot and chill for at least 30 minutes or for up to 2 hours before serving.
4. When ready to serve, halve the remaining three eggs lengthwise. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with some of the remaining cucumbers and radishes, the green onions, egg halves, a dollop of yogurt, some dill and parsley, and a generous drizzle of oil. The soup needs to be eaten very cold, right from the fridge. It tastes best the day it is made.

 

Recipe and image from by Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen by Anna Voloshyna (Rizzoli, HB$85) 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I always use a lot of fresh, crisp vegetables and flavorful herbs to add more texture and to introduce even more vibrant colors.