Summer Borscht

My favorite thing about New York in the summertime?  The cold borscht--served only seasonally--by the Polish and Russian restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  I've been a lover of Little Poland's summer borscht since I started trekking to the East Village back in college, and on my most recent stop through the city, I sampled the Russian borscht served at Ocean View Cafe in Brighton Beach (thanks for the great reviews for me to link to, NY Mag!).  It may look like an unnatural shade of pinkish-purple (beets really are this saturated in color), and you may have thought cold soups were reserved for tomato and melon bases (a falsity!), but this sweet beet appetizer is a-mazing.   

Made from shredded beets, cucumbers, fresh dill, and a lot of sour cream, this soup is a deliciously bright magenta and is filled with the amazing nutritional qualities of some very colorful root vegetables.  

I knew I wanted to pair this refreshing Eastern European summer treat with a Gogol Bordello song, but I've been torn between two.  The most logical choice is their song "Start Wearing Purple" (which you *absolutely* will be doing if you spill any of this soup), but then again, I just love their "Through the Roof 'n' Underground."  So, you decide. 

Ingredients:

--5 large beets, washed

--1 large cucumber, chopped

--1-2 tbsp. fresh dill, plus additional for garnish (I always opt for more dill; I love it)

--3 c. chicken stock (you could easily use veggie stock if you're making this vegetarian)

--1 c. sour cream, plus 1/2 c. additional for serving (use a reduced-fat version for a more nutritional soup)

--1-2 tsp. salt

--1-2 tsp. pepper

--3 tbsp. granulated sugar

--1-2 c. reserved beet cooking liquid

--*Optional: some Russian versions of this also call for chopped hard-boiled egg--your choice!

Remove stems and greens from beets, leaving about 1-2 inches of stem on the beet.  (Save the greens--you can saute them!)  In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, cook beets for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until soft (you'll be able to poke a fork easily into them when they're done).  While the beets are cooking, in a large bowl combine the chicken stock, 1 c. sour cream, salt, pepper, dill, and sugar.  Set aside.

Once beets have cooked through, allow to cool.  Reserve their cooking liquid by pouring it through a mesh strainer and allowing it to cool, too.  Once the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins (they'll peel off very easily) and the extra stem.  Be careful: the beets and their cooking liquid will stain anything and everything!  Using a large grater or a food processor attachment, shred the beets.  Add the beets and the chopped cucumber (and the hard-boiled egg, if you've chosen to use it) to the chicken stock mixture and mix.  Slowly add in 1-2 cups of the beet cooking liquid until the soup has reached a desired consistency (add more liquid for a thinner soup and less liquid for a thicker soup).  Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or so before serving.  

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of freshly chopped dill.