Cold Borscht - Svekolnik (Свекольник)
Svekolnik (Свекольник) is a vegan cold borscht recipe, much loved and full of vitamins. Like Holodnik, Okroshka, or Gazpacho, cold summer soups are perfect on a hot summer's day. A refreshing lunch or dinner. In Russia, it's all about the beets.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets with leaves if available
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green onion sliced
- 2 pickling cucumbers fresh not pickled
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Garnish
- sour cream omit for vegan
- 4 tablespoons chopped dill
- 2 hard boiled eggs optional, omit for vegan
Instructions
Beet Broth
- Peel the beets, chop into thin long straws or julienne them. Finely chop the beet leaves and set aside. Peel and chop (julienne) the potatoes.
- Place beets and potatoes in a saucepan with around 1½ litres of water (6 cups), vinegar and minced garlic. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the beets and potatoes are tender.
- Mix in beet leaves, sugar and salt and continue cook for 2 minutes. Place soup in the fridge to cool.
Preparation
- Slice the cucumbers into thing long straws, about the same length and size as the beets. Set aside.
- Peel the hard boiled eggs and cut in half. Set aside to be used as garnish for each bowl when serving.
Making Svekolnik
- Remove cold pot of beet broth from the fridge. Mix in sliced green onion, sliced cucumbers, chopped dill to the cold Svekolnik soup. Taste and add extra sugar or salt if necesary.
Chill
- Chill Svekolnik Soup in the fridge for a few hours before serving until all vegetables are cold. Garnish with sliced hard boiled egg, sour cream and Russian rye bread.