Making soup is simple, but there are some who make truly fantastic soup, and my friend Dorata is one of them. She’s been doing my hair for over 20 years, and every time I see her we spend all our time talking about food. Eventually I convinced her to invite me over, and she fed me this brilliant pink chilled beet borscht (and a thick, creamy white borscht too, and peroghies, and croquettes, and crepes…), something you can make by just throwing stuff in, she says. Except that hers somehow comes out tasting unbelievably delicious. I’ve never really appreciated the appeal of cold soup, until I tried Dorata’s on a 30 degree day – it’s like a creamy bowl of salad I just wanted to pick up and drink like a savoury smoothie.

Since the markets are loaded with beets right now, and yet it’s hot enough to still feel like summer, it seemed a good time to make a batch. “Just look it up,” she told me – of course like all good cooks, she follows her instincts rather than a recipe. Most cold borscht is made with tangy buttermilk and sour cream, and I’m a fan of the addition of dill pickles to soup. Beyond the beets (buy them with their greens, if you can, and use them too), the veggies tend to be the crunchy, juicy kind you’d normally see in salads, on sandwiches and crudité platters – snappy cucumbers and peppery radishes. But I imagine you could draw inspiration from your garden and the farmers’ market, or just use what you like.

Dorata’s Cold + Creamy Beet Soup (Chlodnik)

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

2-3 beets, peeled and coarsely grated

chicken or vegetable stock or water

1/2 large (or 2 small) cucumbers, finely chopped or coarsely grated

1 dill pickle, finely chopped or coarsely grated

a few radishes, finely chopped

a few green onions, finely chopped

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper, to taste

Vegata, if you have it, to taste

chopped fresh dill and/or chives

hard boiled eggs, halved, for serving

Place the beets in a medium pot or Dutch oven. If there are greens still attached, wash and chop them (and the stems) and add them to the pot too. Cover with water or stock and bring to a simmer; cook until the beets are tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

Stir in the cucumbers, pickle, radishes, green onions, buttermilk and sour cream, and add more stock if the soup seems thick. Season with salt and pepper and Vegata, if you have it. Stir in some dill and/or chives, saving some to sprinkle on top. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or for up to a few days.

Serve well chilled, garnished with hard boiled egg halves. Serves 4.

Categorysoup

Ingredients