Cool Beet and Cucumber Soup

I love this soup recipe in the heat of summer - especially Polish style, ladled over a hard-boiled egg. It is fetching with its pink color, and surprising in its not-really-borscht-but-still-a-cold-beet-soup. It's also perfect for the early summer produce: beets and their greens, green onions, cucumbers, and dill.


This recipe is from ReBar, a veggie restaurant/bistro in Victoria, Canada that has a great cookbook. I made the broth on day one so that it would better chill in my fridge, and then finished it off to eat for dinner day two. I sort of wonder if bunches of veggies are a little smaller in Canada than they are here - I inevitably need to add more buttermilk, lemon and pickle juice, and I still end up with a pretty chunky final product. So, when they say adjust the seasoning, I guess they mean ADJUST. you know?!

Serves 4-6 (or closer to 8 if you add in the extra like I do)
2 small beet bunches, with greens
water to cover
1 T salt
2 T sugar
3 c. buttermilk
1 c. yogurt, kefir, or sour cream
2-3 lemons, juiced
1/4 c. pickle juice
lots of cracked pepper
1/2 long English cucumber, 1/4" dice
1 bunch scallions, minced
1/4 c. fresh minced dill

1. Cut greens from the beetroot and and wash both well to remove any clinging dirt. Peel beets, quarter, and thinly slice. Place in a pot and cover with water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil. Add salt, partially cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until beets are just tender.


2. While the beets are simmering, finely shred the greens and stems. When beets are tender, stir the greens and sugar into the pot. Cover and turn off the heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Uncover and cool to room temp; then chill thoroughly before proceeding. (This step can be prepared up to days in advance or frozen up to 1 month!)

3. In a large bowl, combine the beets/greens/cooking water with buttermilk, yogurt, lemon & pickle juice. Season with salt, cracked pepper, sugar, or more lemon to get the right balance for your taste. Chill the soup for at least one hour before serving.


4. To serve: stir in the cucumbers, scallions, and dill and taste one more time to adjust the seasoning. Serve in chilled bowls. (Or in my case, jars!)