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.

Jambalaya with Sausage and Prawns

This recipe is adapted from Delia's book. I've made it dozens of times and it often requested by students and houseguests. It is a "fancy" meal using what you have on hand and it's very easy to make.


You don't even have to remember to take the sausage and prawns out of the freezer in the morning. You only use one pan and leftovers are great too.


Jalapeno peppers are the small green peppers (1-3 inches long) you can buy in most produce stores. They are not very hot, but you still have to be careful after you handle them not to touch your face especially your eyes (even after you wash your hands) for at least a few hours. The heat varies with each individual pepper. Generally, the larger the pepper, the sweeter (i.e. milder). Also, the pith and seeds carry more heat so, if you want less heat, cut them out. You can use a small dash of hot chili sauce if you don't have jalapeno peppers on hand.


The key to this dish is using stock made from the prawn shells. I put a communal dish for the shells on the dining room table and then use them to make stock for the freezer. Next time I make jambalaya I save time not having to make the stock.


Prawns and shrimp are best cooked unpeeled to preserve the flavour and juiciness. At the dinner table, it is permissible to remove the shell with your fingers or with a fork and knife. To peel a shrimp, pull off the legs on the underside with either your fingers or your fork and knife then pull off the shell, leaving the tail on. You can cook prawns with heads on too, and they can be eaten by those who like them or you can pull or cut them off.


Be careful not to vary the rice to liquid ratio and not to overcook this dish. You don't want the vegetables and rice to be mushy.


If you have lots of kale or spinach, you can use some of it up in this dish. Wash kale carefully, cut out the spines with a scissor, and tear into 2-inch pieces.


Equipment tip: Graters


For grating small items very finely (e.g. garlic, ginger, nutmeg), I use one of those micro-plane graters. They are just a one-sided grater with very fine holes. Mine is long like a ruler which is very handy for grating things over a pan or bowl.


Jambalaya


Ingredients:
3 hot Italian sausages, sliced in 1-inch pieces
extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow or white onion, coarsely chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped (half can of diced tomatoes is okay in a pinch)
6 oz. basmati rice
12 oz. prawn stock
1-2 bay leaves
2 yellow sweet peppers, coarsely chopped
Kale or spinach (optional)
12-20 large tiger prawns, unpeeled
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped


Instructions:
If the prawns are frozen, put run them under cool water to separate them and then lay them out on a plate or baking dish not touching each other to thaw for an hour or so. The sausages can be sliced frozen, in fact it is easier when they are frozen.
If you don't have prawn stock in the freezer, make the stock first as follows: cook the unpeeled prawns in 2 cups of water for 3 minutes or until they are pink. Save the water --- this is your stock. The shells give the stock its flavour. Set the prawns and the stock aside in two separate bowls.
Heat a large deep saute pan on medium heat.
When the pan is hot (touch the edge), add the oil.
Brown the sausage pieces and set them aside in a bowl.
Add more oil and the onion and brown for 3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
Grate the garlic directly into the pan, stirring to prevent burning.
Add the jalapeno peppers and cook 2 more minutes, stirring.
Add the sweet peppers, tomatoes, and kale or spinach.
Return the sausage to the pan.
Make a hole in the middle of the pan and add the rice.
Add 12 ounces of prawn stock (in a pinch, use juice from canned tomatoes or chicken stock to make up the required liquid).
Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer with lid on the pan 10 minutes.
If the prawns were not cooked at the beginning to make the stock, arrange a layer of prawns to the top of the rice and simmer with the lid on until the prawns are pink on both sides --- about 5 minutes.
If the prawns were cooked at the beginning to make the stock, simmer 15 minutes and add the prawns in a single layer just before serving and heat for 2 minutes.
Check to ensure the rice is cooked and turn off the heat.
Put the entire pan on the table on a heavy board or transfer to a casserole dish.
Garnish with parsley.


Don't forget to save the shells. After dinner, simmer the shells in a pot of water for 20 minutes. Discard the shells. Freeze in medium-sized glass jars, making sure you don't fill them full. Be sure to label them with "prawn" and the date.