Chilled Summer Borscht

Summer has arrived, and I’m getting inspired again in the kitchen, as you can see from my recent blog posts. This weeks vegetable box inspired this recipe. Beets with the loveliest greens atop them were the centerpiece of box. Pickling was out of the question and I got to thinking of  the refreshing chilled soups you find particularly in Eastern Europe ( Hungary and Russia). I remembered I loved the beautiful beet based winter borscht with its beautiful ruby-red sheen. So what if  I made a more tourmaline hued  like borscht  with a cream base ,seasoned with fresh crisp apples, dill, and cucumber? A beautiful starter , with crisp bright flavors perfect for summer brunch ?

I played around and this is what I got. You will find it light yet filling. The perfect chilled soup for a lovely summer day. As Borscht is really nothing but a seasonal soup ,play around with your produce and combos.  I used chicken stock as a base, however vegetable stock can be used as well.

Chilled Summer Borscht
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A chilled soup.
Author:
Recipe type: soup
Ingredients
  • 2 apples peeled , cored and diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 red onion diced
  • 2 plum tomatoes chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 beets with leaves intact
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
  • fresh dill weed and thinly sliced cucumber for garnish.
Instructions
  1. In a heavy bottomed stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  2. Add diced apples, carrots, and red onion.
  3. Saute on medium high for about 10 minutes until the vegetables become soft and onions translucent.
  4. Season with salt and pepper, and dill.
  5. Add chopped tomatoes.
  6. Saute for 5 for minutes.
  7. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  8. Take an immersion blender and puree the soup mixture.
  9. Add the sugar and stir in. Continue to let the soup simmer.
  10. Cut off the greens of the beets and chop up. Add to simmering soup mixture.
  11. With a vegetable peeler , skin the beets and chop into small pieces.
  12. In a small fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  13. Add the chopped beets and saute for about 10 minutes on medium high, until they are softened.
  14. Remove from heat and add the beets to the soup mixture.
  15. Quickly blend the beets into the soup with the immersion blender.
  16. Turn off the soup. You don't want to overcook the beets once added to the soup as the color will darken.
  17. Let the coup cool down.
  18. Add the sour cream and Sherry Vinegar to the soup. Blend with immersion blender.
  19. Strain soup through a fine mesh wire strainer. There will be pulp. Push out the liquid from the pulp. You want a fine strained liquid, without the thick pulp.
  20. Chill the soup overnight or for at least 6 hours.
  21. Serve cold with chopped fresh dill garnish and thinly sliced cucumber.
  22. *Soup may separate after a few hours while chilling. Just whip up with blender again before serving.
Notes
Equipment A fine mesh wire strainer. Immersion Blender You can make this the day ahead. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Serve in small cordial or shooter glasses or bowls. Servings may vary depending on how served.

Tastes of Summer…Cherry and Apricot Ideas

Most of us in this hemisphere are reveling in the beautiful bounty of summer. I don’t know about you but my eyes get bigger than my stomach and I want to buy up the whole  farmers market, yet can’t  eat the produce quick enough. Here are some ideas for summer fruits. Enjoy!

Apricots in Brandy

Brandied fruits were and still are considered a delicacy. Alcohol paired with sugar preserve the fruits year round.Peaches, berries, plums all work well. Use your imagination. The longer the period to ripen and mellow (a few months), the better. So start now.

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Apricots in Brandy

Makes 2  1/2 liters

  • 2 punnets of apricots halved and stoned ( peeling or unpeeled optional)
  • 1 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 3/4 cup of Water
  • Brandy  to fill half of each jar
  1. Prepare and sterilize your jars and lids.
  2. In a heavy sauce pan  make a heavy syrup of sugar and water. Boil and reduce a bit .
  3. Neatly pack apricot halves decoratively in sterilized jars.
  4. Pour brandy until it comes up half way.
  5. Pour in hot sugar syrup to fill the other half. Make sure apricots are covered .
  6. Seal with lids.
  7. Process in a water batch for 10 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool and store.

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Michigan Sour Cherry Syrup

Confession. This was a delicious mistake. My intent was to make a pectin free cherry jam, as I could not find any pectin, nor had any apples laying around. I used the method of lemon juice and sugar,  yet couldn’t get it up to jelling stage for various reasons ( too much water mainly). I didn’t want to waste my beautiful Michigan cherries that were bursting with ripeness.  So a syrup was born. It is on the sweet side with a huge sugar content. But goes well mixed with fresh blueberries on pancakes. I also suggest adding a spoon or two to your next vodka or bourbon based cocktail. Ice cream, cheese cakes, the possibilities are endless.

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Michigan Sour Cherry Syrup

  • 2 punnets of cherries, washed and pitted
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1  cup water
  • Brandy or Rum optional
  1. Bring cherries , water, and sugar to boil.To about 210 degrees.
  2. Pack into sterilized jars.
  3. Top with brandy or rum *optional
  4. Seal.
  5. Allow to cool.
  6. Store.

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61st Farmers Market Demo on Canning


I was fortunate to get invited back to the 61st Street Farmers Market to do another demo. I’m quite honored as the market attract some pretty heavy hitters in the Chicago culinary world. For this opportunity I decided to talk about canning and preserving the taste of summer . I spoke about two recipes I posted before, Giardiniera and Bread and Butter Pickles. Enjoy the videos. Each is about 10 minutes in length. Certain Someone was kind enough to film. The first frames sound is a little off but the majority of the clip is much better. My favorite part is naturally towards the end and the satisfaction and delight the people had tasting my Giardinirera and Pickles.

Bread and Butter Pickles…My Way

A few of you may know I volunteer at the 61st Street Farmers Market when my schedule permits. It’s been  a few weeks since my last shift and I was so happy to see such an abundance. What a difference a few weeks make in the growing season. Naturally I loaded up and went to town preserving the taste of summer with my beautiful Weck jars.

I don’t particularly care for sweet pickles. Give me a big sour Kosher dill pickle and I’m happy. But I decided to do a sweet pickle because I purchased a combination of various cucumbers. One being a beautiful sweet white variety. I looked at some recipes and played around and I decided to use all white vinegar, as I don’t like the taste of apple cider vinegar when I’m pickling. Odd, but that’s me.

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Bread and Butter Pickles

makes 4  1/5 liter jars

  • 8 or nine small cucumbers for pickles ( equivalent to 2 punnets in size) ( try to get a variety )
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 onion sliced thinly in rings
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon  whole all spice
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoon hot mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  1. Slice cucumbers into rings , preferably with a ripple cut. Slice onion thinly.
  2. In a bowl, put the cucumbers and onions. Add salt and cover with  cold water to cover. Cover with lid and let sit for about 3-4 hours.
  3. Sterilize your jars and lids according to manufacturer instructions. Prepare your hot water bath.
  4. Drain the sliced cucumbers and onions.
  5. In a non reactive sauce pan, heat sugar, vinegar and spices.
  6. Pack your cucumber and onions.
  7. Pour hot vinegar/sugar solution with spices over the vegetables and  seal according to manufacturer instructions.
  8. Process in a  hot water bath for 10 minutes.
  9. Allow to cool on a rack  and leave undisturbed t seal overnight.
  10. Test/ check seals. Read how to see if sealed according to your jars manufacturer instructions.

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Don’t forget you have until next week to win a set of Three Nordic Ware Bundt Pans for my Housewarming Party for Coco-Cooks.com.

61st Street Farmers Mkt demo


Here is the video coverage from today’s demo at 61st Street Farmers Market. It was an honor that a few fellow bloggers and friends turned out. Also Stephanie Izzard was at the Market doing Market School on behalf of the Common Threads Organization. I made Lamb Sliders with Rhubarb Onion Sauce where you can find here. Note I used Brown sugar in today’s demo.