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08/10/2017 12:01 AMNot everyone likes beets. This is hard for me to understand. What’s not to like with beets?
My mother didn’t like vegetables. I found this later in life, when I asked my mother why we I didn’t have vegetables, canned or fresh, except for sweet corn and tomatoes in the summer and canned green beans and canned peas in the fall, winter and spring.
Simple, she explained. She didn’t like vegetables.
She did, however, like borscht. It was one of five or six dishes she actually made. Even later in my life I found out that she did like borscht but that she never made it from fresh beets. Rather, she used canned beets.
I love beets and I especially love borscht. I make it often and, in my everlasting quest for fresh tomatoes (maybe by the time you read this, there will be local and fresh tomatoes), I am finding beets. Last week I went to White Gate Farm in East Lyme (a place I visit rarely because I find the prices exorbitant) figuring that if any place had tomatoes, they would. They didn’t, but I did see beautiful beets. I bought two bunches (beets are always inexpensive), and that evening I made borscht.
This is my mother’s recipe and requires three ingredients: beets, onions, and lemons. To this, you add water, salt, and pepper. If you want a bit of sophistication, top it off, perhaps, with fresh dill fronds. My family ate this icy cold, with a warm boiled potato, and a big dollop of sour cream. I dispense with the potato and just spoon a tablespoon or two of the sour cream into the soup. It turns it a gorgeous dark pink.
While we’re on the subject of beets, do you have any good recipes for beet greens? I usually just throw them in the disposal, but I know many think that is sacrilegious. If you do have a good recipe, please send it along to me at leeawhite@aol.com. Thanks!
Lee White has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Borscht
Yield: serves 6
6 good-sized beets, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fronds of dill (optional)
Sour cream for serving
Place beets and onion into a good-sized soup pot, with cold water to cover.
Bring to a boil, then bring to a simmer for about 45 minutes, or until beets are soft. Add lemon to soup and allow it to cool. Using the grating or slicing tool of a food processor, process the beets and onions. Add vegetables back into the dark, red broth, and warm the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. To serve, pour cold soup into bowls (I love to use white bowls), stir in sour cream, add dill fronds, and serve.