Chilled Borscht #SoupSwappers

Today’s recipe is filling two roles: first is Soup Saturday Swappers hosted by Paula at The Saucy Southerner, who chose the theme Chilled Soups.  The second is this month’s Cook the Books Club hosted by Simona from Briciole who chose the book Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya von Bremzen.

I have to tell you - I cringed immediately, anytime there's a title that  long, I nearly always find the book loathsome and pretentious. 

In the book, the author strives to meld a history lesson, memoir, and food into a seamless, touching story.

Instead, the book read like a dry textbook, followed by a memoir with too many people to keep track of.  I nearly quit reading a quarter of the way through.  I actually stopped about half way because I just did. not. care!

You can see my full review on GoodReads if you're interested.

However, I did get my foodie inspiration in the form of Borscht, which is mentioned several times as a warm winter meal and once as a light, chilled summer meal.

I recently made a delicious Roasted Root Vegetable Soup that featured beets, so I warmed quickly to the idea of borscht.  Chilled soups though?  Those are pretty far out of my comfort zone!

So here’s what I did: I made my recipe for chilled borscht and served it hot for dinner (oh my gosh amazing!), then I served the leftovers chilled the next day for lunch (meh).

Yeah, the amazing soup was not quite as amazing served chilled.  I nibbled the cucumber pieces out of my bowl, then stuck it in the microwave.  Much better!

The verdict?  If you’re a chilled soup sort of person, you’ll probably dig this, it’s pretty amazing.  If you aren’t sold on chilled soups, make this anyway, because it’s fantastic as a warm soup!  Oh, and unless you’re a Soviet Union enthusiast, go ahead and skip the book.

Chilled Borscht

Adapted from AllRecipes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled & diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 medium beets, peeled & diced

Salt & pepper

1 tsp dried basil

6 cups beef broth

Sour cream, to top

diced cucumbers, to top

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and carrots and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and beets and cook for another minute. 

Season with salt and pepper and basil.  Stir in the beef broth and simmer until the beets are tender, about 30 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to lightly blend the soup (it should still be a little chunky).

If desired, serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream.  Otherwise, cool and refrigerate overnight.  Once chilled, serve with a dollop of sour cream and diced cucumbers.

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Chilled Borscht

by Amy's Cooking Adventures July-15-2017

Chilled Borscht is perfect for hot summer days (and it's delicious warmed up too!)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 beets
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 6 cups beef broth

Instructions

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and beets and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper and basil. Stir in the beef broth and simmer until the beets are tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to lightly blend the soup (it should still be a little chunky). If desired, serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream. Otherwise, cool and refrigerate overnight. Once chilled, serve with a dollop of sour cream and diced cucumbers.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4 servings