Holodnik - a Cold Summer Soup

Method7 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Put the 3 large raw red beets in a pot with enough of the separate beet-boiling water to cover them. If desired, add the optional 1 tablespoon beet-boiling sugar. Boil until the beets are tender when pierced: fresh beets may take about 35 minutes and older beets about 1 hour. Drain and discard this cooking water, cool the beets promptly, then peel them.

   Beets: check tenderness from 35 minutes · 60 minUses 3 large red beets, raw, to boil and cool · Water for boiling the beets, enough to cover, amount unspecified · 1 tablespoon sugar in the beet-boiling water, optional

2. 2

   Step 2: Boil the separate 2 US quarts (8 US cups) soup-base water and cool it promptly. Once cool, mix all this water with all 1 US quart (4 US cups) buttermilk in a large pot; do not use the drained beet-boiling water.

   Uses 2 US quarts water for the soup base (8 US cups), to boil and cool · 1 US quart buttermilk (4 US cups)

3. 3

   Step 3: Coarsely shred all the cooked, cooled and peeled beets from step 1. Add them to all the cooled water-and-buttermilk base from step 2.

   Uses All cooked, cooled and peeled beets · Entire cooled water-and-buttermilk soup base

4. 4

   Step 4: Stir the 1 tablespoon soup sea salt and 1 teaspoon soup sugar into the beet-and-buttermilk mixture. Taste and add a little of the separate extra sea salt or extra soup sugar only if desired.

   Uses All shredded beets and buttermilk base · 1 tablespoon sea salt for the soup · 1 tsp sugar · Additional sea salt to taste, optional, as needed · Additional sugar to taste, optional, as needed

5. 5

   Step 5: Slice all 3 green onions, chop the 1 bunch dill and dice the 4 cucumbers. Stir all these vegetables and herbs into the seasoned soup.

   Uses Entire seasoned beet-and-buttermilk soup · 3 green onions, sliced · 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped · 4 cucumbers

6. 6

   Step 6: Refrigerate all the completed soup promptly until completely chilled. Keep it refrigerated until serving.

   Uses Entire completed holodnik with cucumber, onion and dill

7. 7

   Step 7: Serve the fully chilled soup in about 10 portions. If desired, top EACH selected portion with ½ of an already hard-boiled egg and a dollop of the optional sour cream. Use the 4–6-egg garnish stock as needed; keep any remaining eggs refrigerated.

   Uses All fully chilled holodnik · ½ already hard-boiled egg PER topped portion, from the optional 4–6-egg stock · Sour cream for serving, optional, as desired