When I asked my Russian former colleague for some recipes, she sent me this recipe for svekolnik. She said this is a very popular dish for Russians. In fact, I thought beetroot soup was called Borscht, but I learned that there are some key differences. First, svekolnik is served cold, not warm. Second, Borscht usually has meat broth, whereas svekolnik is vegetarian.
Luckily, it was easy to find the ingredients in London, and is perfect for a warm summer’s day. I sent Natalia a photo of my version and she said it looked right. However, she lives too far away to taste my version of her recipe for svekolnik.
Ingredients
4 beets, washed and cut in half
2 small carrots, julienned
2 potatoes, peeled
1/2 lemon
1 tsp + a pinch of salt
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped into small squares
1 bunch spring onions, sliced thinly
5 Tbsp soured cream or more to taste
Handful of dill, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. First, roast the beets on a baking tray until they are soft, about an hour. Then set them aside to cool. When they are cool enough, cut the beets into thin julienne strips.
Julienne the carrots and make sure these are short lengths about 1.5 inches. Next, dice potatoes into small cubes. In a medium-sized pot add potatoes and salt. Cover with cold water and cook until the potatoes are almost done. Then add the grated carrots and julienned beets.
Let all the vegetables simmer for no more than 5 min together. Turn off the heat and squeeze half a lemon into the pot. Add a pinch of salt.
Cool the soup in the refrigerator. Finally, serve the soup with chopped egg, chopped cucumber, spring onion, soured cream, and dill (optional).
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