I have
never been the biggest fan of winter. Frost is not my favorite atmosphere
disaster of all times. Personally, I
believe snow should only appear in selected mountain chains. I hate when
I’m cold, when I’m forced to wear ten thousands kilograms of clothes and I
can’t drive… In the country I was born and raised in, white flakes are always a huge
surprise for the adequate services god dammit.
Never the
less, that’s why even when it’s over
+40C/104F… I will survive.
Besides, spring and summer, ok, early autumn too, let’s be fair, give us all
the amazing fruits and vegetables! They are fresh, there are tons of them and
they’re cheap – at least comparing to what I have to pay for some poor
imitations of veges in the winter! Some artificial creatures made of water and
antibiotics, grown in glasshouses of Netherlands or other Spain.
Perhaps I’m
not a soup person, I like solid food, not just liquid, unless it contains
alcohol, however my grandma Pélagie, an extraordinary woman, was a world
champion in that field of culinary art. I actually stopped eating soups after
she was called in to the heaven’s kitchen, to prepare meals for Jesus and his
holy friends and family…
There is one soup I especially enjoy while we
have the Sahara’s heat over in Poland – ‘chłodnik’! It’s a clod borsch and
according to Wikipedia, it’s served in many different culinary traditions,
including Belarusian (Chaładnik, Хaлaднiк), Latvian (Aukstā zupa), Lithuanian
(Šaltibarščiai), Polish (Chłodnik, Chłodnik litewski), Russian (Свекольник) and
Ukrainian (Kholodnyk, Холодник)!Blimey, that’s a lot of soup!
My personal
success and contribution towards cultivation of local culinary heritage, was
converting my friends to actually like it, and even prepare it later in their haciendas!
God dammit I’m good.
Now, there’s
no need for you to travel to Belarus to cook it, all you need is
love and:
·
young beetroots with leafy tops – few
of them 4-6 – depending how big they are – the younger, the better
·
05l/1pint of vegetable stock
·
one spoon of vinegar/lemon juice + a
pinch of sugar – add it to stock while
cooking beetroots – this will keep the color and the color my Dear is the key
here
·
sour cream 12%-18%, soured milk,
kefir, or yogurt – I mix them all, it’s better that way – you want to get 1l/2pints
to 1,5l/3pints of it together, I normally go (or dig in the fridge) for 3 different kinds - each 0,5l/1pint
·
bunch (or two) of chives and dill – I
like when there’s more of it
·
bunch of radishes
·
garlic – I use 4 big gloves, because I like
it, and I know that fresh parsley kills all the odor – but use as many as you
like, at the end of the day, I’m not the one who’ll taste it
·
3-4 English cucumbers – not to long/big
though
·
sea salt and freshly grounded black
(should I write ‘Afro-American’?) pepper
·
eggs (not balls) – boiled - one per
portion – to serve
First of all, put some latex gloves on
sunshine – yes, I know how it sounds, hold your horses, it’s
only to keep your hands clean while dealing with beetroots. After washing them –
also leafy tops and stems – grate the beetroots on the large slot. You can also
chop them, but it can be a messy… we like it simple! Chop what is left. Use only
the nice and fresh leafs, all the ugly ones give to pigs or other pets you have
at close hand, they’ll love it.
Bring the
stock to boil, add vinegar/lemon juice
and sugar – that’s crucial, otherwise beetroots will lose all the color and
your ‘chłodnik’ will be greyisho-dark-olivy-green. Trust me, you don’t want
that on your plate. First add grated beetroots and chopped stems, cook for few
minutes, then add leafs and cook for further 2-3 minutes, not too long, we don’t
want to have puree. Take off and cool down. It can’t be hot while adding to dairy
products, otherwise it will all go wrong. And I ain’t mean ‘girls/boys gone wild’
kind of thing, but you will get all curdled, even your pig won’t eat it.
Now, take
the cucumbers, peel them and cut in half lengthwise. I always get rid of seeds –
they’re just to watery. There is a very simple way to do it. Find somewhere
small spoon and literally scrape the center out. You don’t have to chuck it
away. Take a blender, put couple of ice cubes, cucumber seeds, mint leafs,
lemon juice, watermelon (optional) and a
lot of vodka, you deserve it god dammit, it’s not only refreshing, but also healthy.
While you’re
still sober, you can cut the cucumbers into small dice, and place in a large
bowl. Always take larger blow or pot you think you may need. Julia Child taught
me that, and it’s always true! Grate radishes also on larger slot and add to
the bowl. Yes, you can chop them, but it’s
like counting Polish ‘tourists’ in Egypt – way too much work. I also grate garlic on the smallest slot,
I’m too lazy to use the squeezer and later deal with all the bits in it, while
washing up.
Last, but not
least, chop well the dill and chaves – you can live some for garnish. Mix all
with sour cream , soured milk, kefir, yogurt or whatever you’ve managed to conquer
in you shop or fridge. If your beetroots & Co. (with the stock it was
cooked in) is cold, add it too. Now it’s time for seasoning. Please taste it
before and during adding the salt. With grounded black pepper you know yours
and your family/friends limits. My
grandma would add crawfish flesh… worth trying, be like Alexis Carrington, give
yourself a drop (or seven) of luxury.
Put it all it
in the fridge for few hours, it’s best when served really cold in a hot
afternoon, or even morning – beetroots are good for hangover, as well as
yoghurts – and have yourself another glass of cucumber cocktail…
Before
serving, boil the eggs in salted water - this prevents the eggshell to brake. 10
minutes when put in boiling water, 4 minutes when starting in cold, counting from
the moment, water will start boiling. When
ready, put them in cold water to cool down, it also makes it easy to peel them.
Serve cold borsch in deep plates or bowls, or even jars, with quarters of eggs
on it. Voilà! Bon appétit!
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