Cold borscht, or chilled food, is very popular in the Baltics, Belarus, Poland and some regions of Russia. In Russia, for a long time, they have been preparing cold borsch with fish, not only fresh, but also smoked. And in Udmurtia, for example, they like summer soup - mushroom borscht with croutons.
Summer cold borscht is prepared in different ways in different countries and regions of Russia, this makes it possible to feel the originality of each dish. The ingredients that make the recipe stand out from the others change the taste of the fridge. For example, Lithuanian cold borscht is prepared in almost the same way as is customary in Russia, but it is served with hot boiled potatoes with butter.
Chill is considered a national dish in Lithuania. In summer, it is on the menu of all cafes and restaurants.
Lithuanian cold fridge recipe
Ingredients:
- 400 g of boiled beets;
- 1 medium fresh cucumber;
- a small bunch of green onions (about 3-4 onions);
- dill;
- 4 hard boiled eggs;
- 1 liter of kefir (preferably fatty);
- sour cream, lemon juice (or vinegar);
- salt to taste.
Chives and dill should be finely chopped. A little of the chopped greens can be left to serve, the rest can be placed in a saucepan. Lightly salt the herbs in a saucepan and crush with a spoon to reveal their flavor and soften the texture.
Grate the beets and cucumber on a coarse grater. Add beets, cucumber and kefir to a saucepan with herbs, mix everything. Eggs can either be chopped and added to the pan, or cut into halves and put on a plate for each.
If kefir is sour, you need to mix it with sour cream. Beets can be used pickled in jars, but if the beet brine is not too sour.
Put the saucepan with the fridge in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours. Serve with boiled potatoes and sour cream.
Cold borscht options
The recipe for the most ordinary cold borscht, which is also called beetroot, does not differ much from the Lithuanian recipe, only sausage or ham is sometimes added to the ingredients, and kefir is diluted with yogurt instead of sour cream. The water in which the beets were boiled is left and, while it is not yet completely cooled, the beets are taken out, peeled and cut into small cubes, and vinegar and sugar are added to the water. Then put the finely chopped ingredients in a pot of beetroot water and pour over the dressing as desired.
In summer, in the heat, a cold vegetable dish with fermented milk products and fresh herbs is both pleasant and healthy. And how beautiful it looks on the table! The colors on the table will be added if you put a dish with different herbs and radishes next to it.
Udmurt summer mushroom borsch with croutons is very tasty, but you can't call it cold. However, in Udmurtia, they also prepare a cold soup based on kvass like okroshka from young leaves and stems of a herb called hogweed. Only in this soup they do not put, as in okroshka, potatoes, cucumbers and meat.
