Saturday, June 27, 2009

Shots of Summer Borscht

It's summer. Because I say so. No, it's rainy and ridiculously humid today, so I imagine it must be Monsoon season in Germany. It happens. There are hot humid days when everyone and everything is sticky, and then it rains and stays gray for a while. It's a summer thing.

I was just at the market and I saw beets. Normally, I think of beets in winter but to be honest, what really grows in winter? Frost? Yes. Root vegtables? I'm not so sure.

In winter, I make a seriously mean borscht. It takes over 16 hours and involves me being the weirdo in the butcher shop asking for bones (based on the facial expression of the woman working there, I think this is not a frequent request). It's sticky outside, there is no way I'm leaving the stove on for 16 hours, I'm making a summer borscht.

Summer Borscht

500g beets, peeled & cubed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 L chicken stock
3 Tbsp lemon juice
yogurt
dill

In a big pot, sautee garlic & onions in olive oil. Add beets. Stir around for a few minutes, coating beets. Add stock. Cover pot, bring to boil. Turn down heat & allow to simmer for 30 minutes, or until beets are cooked through. Puree soup & chill. Garnish with yogurt & dill.

For a clear soup, cut beets into thin slices & do not puree.

Normally, I could drink liters of soup. Shot glasses keep me in check so I don't eat so much soup that I'm sick. It's also a fun way to serve appetizers. I mean, who doesn't like doing shots?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Looks lovely. How do you get the yogurt to float on top? We've been trying with creme fraiche, but can't get it to work.

taste traveller said...

It's both cold & pretty thick so the yogurt floats for a few minutes before serving. It will sink after a while. Creme fraiche has a higher fat content which I thought would make it easier for it to sit on top. Is it all cold?

Unknown said...

We've been using a slightly different recipe for the soup (yes, cold) which might not be as thick. Also different glasses. I'll try something more similar to yours. Thanks.

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