How to Make Traditional Russian Borscht

With its simple, soothing taste and brilliant magenta color, chilled Russian Borscht is one of the ultimate summer comfort foods. It is rich in history, vitamins and anti-oxidants and provides delicious relief from the summer heat. Here is an easy way to make a chilled Russian Borscht.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3 cups of water
• About 1 teaspoon of coarse salt such as kosher salt or sea salt
• 3 to 4 large beets
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• Sour cream, to taste

1. Pour 3 cups of water into a large saucepan and add course salt. Bring to a boil.

2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, wash and peel the beets. Then chop them into small, bite-sized pieces. You can also chop some of the colorful beat stems to add to the soup if you like. Save the beet greens to add a hearty touch to your next salad.

3. Add chopped beets (and stems if desired) to boiling water. Cover and simmer until the beets are soft, about 25 minutes. The water will take on an intense magenta color and pleasing flavor from the beets. When a fork goes through the beets easily, you'll know they are done.

4. Remove soup from heat and pour into a large serving bowl. Stir in honey, fresh dill and fresh lemon juice. Cover the bowl and chill soup in the refrigerator until cold.

5. Serve with sour cream, mixed in to taste. You can also add cucumber slices, boiled potatoes or scallions at serving time if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also enjoy borscht warm or hot during the colder months.

[kmspoetry]

on 9/4/2009 Good article. I'm going to try this. I already got the beets!

[bevsue]

on 2/27/2009 This sounds good and simple, too.