Chlodnik - traditional cold borscht recipe 1

photo by k-Blox

  Ingredients in this recipe:

• 0.25 l of beet sourdough or fresh cucumbers sourdough
• 0.25 l of sour cream
• 0.5 l of yoghurt
• 1 medium beetroot
• 1 bunch of dill
• 1 bunch of chives
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch of red radishes
• 1 pinch of powdered sugar
• salt, pepper
• to serve: hard-boiled eggs

Recipe:

1 Mix 0.25 l of beet or cucumbers sourdough with 0.25 l of sour cream and 0.5 l of yogurt.

2 Time to make chlodnik soup pink coloured - we need some fresh beet juice. Most probably you can't buy it in grocery. Since beetroot is more like a potato, than a juicy fruit, electrical juicer cannot be overestimated :) I should mention salutary effect, that a red beetroot juice has on your health.

3 Add some salt to taste, and do not forget a pinch of powdered sugar. Soup should be gently but firmly sour.

4 Vegetables: add a big bunch of finely chopped dill and a small bunch of finely chopped chives.

5 Peel one fresh, green cucumber and dice it. Cut a bunch of red radishes into slices. Both diced cucumber and sliced radishes are another necessary addition to chlodnik.

6 Chlodnik should be left to 'mature' in a cool place for 2-3 hours (put it into your fridge).

7 When ready, serve chlodnik in bowls with a hard boiled egg, cut into quarters. Both eggs and chlodnik should be cold.

I prefer to eat chlodnik as stated above - cold, pure, simple and with no meat. However, some people like to add small pieces of good quality cold cuts, or roast veal. For sure, there's a reason if chlodnik is going to be served as a main dish. Therefore it should has some more sustenance. More exquisite addition is a cooked shrimp, but it isn't Polish tradition at all. And remember that chlodnik should always be served cold (almost directly from your fridge).

I hope that you find this traditional Polish and Lithuanian cold borscht recipe / chlodnik recipe useful. Enjoy your meal! Smacznego! :)