Kristina's Cold Beet Borsch (Saltibarsciai)

Kristina made this incredible Lithuanian dish for me yesterday. Another wonderful summer soup recipe. Saltibarsciai (roughly pronounced "salchi bars chay") means cold borsch. Traditionally it is served with hot boiled potatoes.

Kristina describes it as a combination of soup and salad. She serves it as an appetizer and welcoming cooler to guests.

The first beets of summer, cucumbers, dill and green onion are all ready in the garden now or available at farm stands or your local produce store.

Equipment tip: Paring knives

The skin of beets usually falls off pretty easily if you slide your fingers across it with a little help from your "bird's beak" paring knife. I just found out that those small curved knives that are so handy in the kitchen are called "bird's beak" knives. They are not very sharp but they are pretty handy for so many things, including testing beets and potatoes. Just poke the knife into the centre of the beet or potato or whatever, pull it out and if the vegetables slides off with no more than a shake, it is done. I use mine for peeling and paring and trimming fruit and vegetables.

After cooking I make sure to wash all my knives and put them back in the knife block. Actually, I probably do that several times during any cooking session. Those little paring knives have a way of disappearing so I make sure they are all back in place.

Equipment tip: Graters

Those box graters are the best for grating almost anything (cheese, carrots). I hate getting my food processer or blender and use the box grater whenever I can. They provide the right support and leverage but still give your arms a workout. I can't imagine Giada doing it, she is such a little bird, but real cooks do it. Make sure to wash your grater immediately after using because cheese and carrots turn to cement on them very quickly.

I also have one of those microplane things that look like a ruler and is fabulous for nutmeg, garlic and ginger right over a cup, bowl, or pot and easy to wash. Wash right away --- again, garlic and ginger have a way of turning into cement.

Cold Beet Borsch

Ingredients:
5 to 6 medium beets
1 litre buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
2 boiled eggs
2 small pickling cucumbers
1 bunch fresh dill
4-5 green onions

Instructions:
Cook the beets in advance to make sure they have time to cool.
Wash the beets (not too carefully as they are peeled later).
Trim the stem to about 1-2 inches long. Don't trim the root. Leaving the stem and root prevents bleeding and makes sure the beets retain their flavour and makes less mess.
Boil the beets. It can take up to 45 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Do not overcook the beets as they won't taste good. Stick them with your bird's beak paring knife and when they fall off the knife with a shake they are done.
Cool the beets, preferably in the frig for several hours.
Trim the root and stem and peel the beets.
Shred the beets on the large side of a box shredder into a large bowl.
Trim the end of the cukes but don't peel them, and shred them on the large side of the box shredder.
Chop the dill and onion very finely.
Peel and slice the eggs on an egg slicer.
Add the eggs, cukes and herbs to the bowl.
Add a liter of buttermilk to make a thick soup or soupy salad consistency.
Add the salt and stir well.
Put in the frig for 2 hours and serve ice cold.