My parents came from the tiny Baltic nation of Lithuania. Like many Eastern European countries, borscht is a common and very popular meal in
Lithuania. One variation of Borscht, however, is peculiar to Lithuania and Latvia .... Saltibarsciai or "cold beet soup".
link to a video demonstrating how to prepare this simple
delicacy
It's very easy to make, in fact my mom taught me how to make "cold borscht" when I was just a youngster.....
Ingredients:
About 5 large grated beets that have had skins removed after being well scrubbed and boiled. (You know – just rub the skins off when the beets are
cool enough to handle)
Reserve 2 cups of the water used for boiling the beets.
1 larger size cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill depending on taste
About 1/4 cup chopped green onions, otherwise known as scallions
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 quart of cold buttermilk (Do not use low fat buttermilk!)
salt and pepper to taste
1 hard boiled egg, chopped (I like two eggs.)
Assembly:
Grated beets, chopped cucumbers, chopped dill, green onions and reserved cooking water are all gently blended in a large bowl.
Whisk together lemon juice and buttermilk and slowly pour over the beet mixture until the consistency satisfies you. Go slowly; you might not want to
use the entire quart.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Gently blend in the chopped egg.
Caution on the reserved beet water – the beets will have to be ultra clean before boiling – grit in the soup would be terrible.
Refrigerate until well chilled.
Don’t forget to have some boiled potatoes ready to go with, sprinkled with some chopped fresh dill of
course.
source
It's great in the Winter when served cold with a hot, boiled potato placed in the center of the bowl. It's an absolutely delightful blend of hot
and cold. But, of course, cold borscht is really at it's best in Summer. It's incredibly filling, refreshing and all of the ingredients are at
their freshest.
