We like cold beat soup in the summer borscht 5 medium fresh beets (about 2 pounds without tops) Kosher salt 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 16 ounces sour cream, plus extra for serving 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 cups medium-diced English cucumber, seeds removed 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus extra for serving Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets with a small paring knife or rub the skins off with your hands. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.
My Dad used to serve cold beets in their own liquid with sour cream on top...I liked it a lot and actually boiled up a pot of beets the other day and have been having it for dinner as a break from all the tomatoes I've been cooking with.
I haven't tried dredging the meat in flour like that; would be an interesting variant. Usually when I make stew I let it really stew on simmer for hours so the meat is falling apart...I really like it that way and so do my somewhat sensitive teeth.
OK; I knew there were more complicated versions of borscht than what my Dad did, and this looks like one! Will be fun to try... Dad's Mom worked when he was a teen, and his older brothers did as well. Since he would get home from school first, it was his job to prepare the family dinner, and he became a pretty good cook. One of my favorite recipes from him was his cornbread, which he liked to make with a grainy texture--that was accomplished by not stirring the batter too long. He always used Quaker corn meal, which is yellow and almost s granular as grits. The best recipe IMO is Quaker's older one, in which you mix a cup of cornmeal with a cup of flour (I use Bisquick, which already has baking powder in it), a cup of milk, a fourth cup each of sugar and oil, as well as an egg--I usually use two eggs, as it makes it moister. Mix dry ingredients first, then add the liquids and stir just enough to moisten everything, then pour into a preheated 9 inch cast iron frypan and cook in a 400 degree F oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Cut like pie to serve...best with butter or Olivio when still hot, or cold can also add jelly or preserves.
The flour creates a thicker stew and I usually brown the meat pretty well at a higher heat that puts a thin crust around the meat (cook it to rare) it makes for tasty little meat nuggets that melt in your mouth without requiring cooking for hours and hours. Browning that way caramelizes the sugars in the meat for more flavor as well. If you are worried about fat, make sure to drain the meat on paper towels before putting them into the stew-pot. BTW the spice tarragon works well with beef stew. Also I really want to try that chicken and dumplings recipe. I have never heard of dumplings with eggs. Does it make them more like pasta? Sounds interesting. I do make dumplings with my beef stew but they are from scratch. 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsps of baking powder, 1/2 cup milk and 2 tblsps of olive oil.
Cumin is a great spice!! Lately I have been using Cumin seeds instead of ground Cumin. They seem to add a bit of pizzzaz.
Thank you for that added detail on the flour. Sometimes I do add flour directly to stew toward the end to thicken it a bit, but the cube browning sounds tasty. My PGM taught me to add an egg to dumplings to make them less absorbent. They hold together better while simmering and don't get as soggy. They are not at all pasta-like; they usually spread out a bit and get puffy. Here in Pennsylvania Dutch country, though, many of the family restaurants and diners serve "chicken and dumplings" as a special every so often, and the "dumplings" usually do turn out to be one inch or more squares of thick pasta (about as thick as a lasagna noodle). I have never seen pasta like that in the grocery stores; I don't know if they make it from scratch or not. My mother-in-law used to make noodles from flour, salt, and an egg ...as long as it's not too humid for it to dry out properly it's really not that hard to do.
Definetly I grow herbs and snip them in combinations that have a fragrance I want. Fresh herbs go great with dumplings.
Why would you remove the seeds from cucumbers though? Aren't these things very soft and they become even softer when cooked? Also they are quite nutritious I believe.
More mature cucumbers and squashes have larger seeds with tough seed cases. Coring a young cucumber is probably not necessary.
The recipes always call for it. Remember these are cold soups, nothing is cooked. Ive forgotten a couple times and haven't even noticed.
I've been looking for an Indian pureed vegetable soup that is forest green and has cardamom in it. If anyone has one or knows where to find a recipe for one let me know!
