Cold Blender Borscht Food

COLD BLENDER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Put all of the above except the sour cream in a blender and blend for 1/2 minute until smooth.
• Chill and then serve in chilled bowls and top each bowl with 1 TBS of sour cream.

SUMMER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets with a small paring knife or rub the skins off with your hands. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.

COLD CHERRY BORSCHT

Steps:

• Set aside 18 cherries. Pit the remaining cherries, holding them over a bowl to catch the juices. Place the pitted cherries in the bowl with the juices, and place the pits in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup of the water, the rose geranium sprig, the sugar and the lemon zest. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Strain the liquid in the saucepan into the bowl with the pitted cherries. Discard the pits.
• Transfer the cherries and liquid to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Working in batches and covering the blender top with a kitchen towel to avoid hot splashes, puree the soup, about 1 1/2 cups at a time. Strain through a medium strainer into a bowl, pushing the soup through with the back of a ladle or with a rubber spatula. Stir in the almond extract, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Chill the soup by placing the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water, or refrigerate.
• When the soup has chilled, whisk in the yogurt. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired.
• Serve garnished with the cherries you set aside.

UKRANIAN PEASANT BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, brown bacon and render fat.
• Add beef and brown.
• Cut the onion, carrot and celery in half cross-wise and add to pot with beef.
• Also add beets whole with skin, shredded cabbage and water.
• Add pepper corns and bay leaves.
• Bring to boil, then turn heat to medium low, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
• After an hour of cooking start boiling potatoes whole (skin on or off your choice) in a separate pot until soft (45 minutes).
• When soup is ready turn off heat, with a slotted spoon remove the celery carrot and beets.
• Discard celery and carrots or use for something else.
• Leave beets on a separate plate or bowl until cool enough to handle (10 min).
• Peel and grate beets back into the soup pot.
• Add grated carrot.
• Bring soup back to boil.
• Add vinegar and lemon juice.
• Cook 5 minutes longer.
• To serve place a boiled potato in bowl and ladle soup on top.
• Add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl.
• Enjoy.

UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cook beets, carrots and onion in the 3 cans beef broth for 20 minutes.
• Add cabbage and butter, and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.
• Season to taste.
• Stir in lemon juice.
• Now let it sit (but you don't have to), for an hour or so. Reheat or leave at temperature and serve with sour cream.
• This is better the next day!

BLENDER BORSCHT

Steps:

• Combine the 2 cans of beets and 1/2 cup of beet liquid in blender jar.
• Puree until mixture is smooth.
• Add chicken broth, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper and puree again until mixture is smooth.
• Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
• Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

COLD RUSSIAN BORSCHT

Steps:

• Remove stems and leaves from beets, but leave on skins. In a deep pot, cover beets with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
• Drain beets, but reserve two cups of the liquid. Strain the liquid and add to a large saucepan. Remove skin from beets. Grate beets through coarsest blade of grater. Add to beet liquid. Add beef broth, onion, salt, pepper and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Chill in refrigerator for one hour, or until cold before serving. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with cucumber and a big spoonful of sour cream.