Cold Cherry Borscht Food

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.

COLD BORSCHT

Steps:

• Place the beets in an 8-inch-by-8-inch-by-2-inch dish, with the smaller ones toward the center. Cover the dish tightly with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Cook the beets at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700-watt oven for 16 minutes. Prick the plastic to release the steam.
• Remove from the oven and uncover. Allow the beets to stand until cool.
• Wearing rubber gloves to prevent staining your hands, peel and grate the beets. Reserve.
• Combine the vegetable broth, sugar and vinegar in a two-and-one-half-quart souffle dish or casserole with a tightly fitting lid. Cover and cook at 100 percent power for three minutes.
• Remove from the oven and uncover. Stir to dissolve any remaining sugar. Stir in the reserved beets. Refrigerate until cool.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients and season. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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.

VESELKA'S FAMOUS BORSCHT

Steps:

• To make the "beet water," roughly chop 2 pounds of the beets (select the smaller ones), preferably in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Place the chopped beets in a large stockpot. Add 10 cups of water and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
• Place the stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours. (If it seems like the liquid is evaporating too quickly, you may need to cover the pot partially with an offset lid.) The beets should be extremely soft and the liquid bright red.
• Strain the liquid, pressing the cooked beets against the side of the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp or reserve. Set aside the beet water. You should have just about 4 cups.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 pound of whole beets in a separate large stockpot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beets are tender-firm, about 40 minutes. When the beets are cooked, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar and set them aside to cool.
• When the whole cooked beets are cool enough to handle, peel them; the skins should slip off easily. Grate the peeled beets on the largest holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the grating blade.
• To make the broth, place the pork butt in a large stockpot and add the beef stock. If necessary, add a little more stock or water to cover. Add the bay leaf, allspice berries, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the meat is tender and beginning to fall apart, about 2 hours. Set the pork aside to cool. When the pork is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pot and cut the meat into ½-inch cubes. Strain the broth and discard the bay leaf, allspice berries, and peppercorns. Reserve the cubed meat and 4 cups of the broth.
• To cook the vegetables, place the carrots and celery in a large stockpot and pour the reserved meat broth over them. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the carrots and celery are just tender, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage and potatoes and continue to cook until the potatoes and carrots are easily pierced with a pairing knife but keep their shape, 15 to 20 additional minutes. Add the lima beans and cook for 5 additional minutes, just to meld the flavors. Gradually add the remaining 7 tablespoons white vinegar, tasting between additions and stopping when the flavor is to your liking. Remove the soup from the heat and set aside.
• To compose the soup, in a large soup pot combine the "beet water" and meat broth with the vegetables. Add the cubed pork and the grated beets. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over low heat. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.