Polish Chilled Beetroot Soup {Chłodnik}

Anna

7 years ago

70 / 100

Polish Chilled Beetroot Soup {Chłodnik}

” Pink soup? ” – asked my American husband with a sign of confusion on his face when he sat to a table set for dinner. Its my parent’s house in Poland, and he is home on R&R from Iraq for our daughter’s 1st birthday. He imagined he would spend the two weeks away from war(k) eating lots of roasted meats, pierogi and kapusta which he loved. Instead, its a light and perfectly appropriate hot-summer dish, cold beet soup – chłodnik. He looked at me, then at the soup, and at me again… and said “I’ve eaten some weird food, but I don’t know about this one”. He did eat it… and surprisingly enjoyed it, but I can’t say its his favorite. It is mine thought.

Chłodnik is a mildly salty and tangy, fresh tasting summer soup, with hints of dill and onion, freshness of a cucumber and a slight spiciness of the radishes and sweetness of roasted beets. The egg adds a creamy note. It is a spring garden on a plate. It is what all of our grandmothers collected from the garden that day, and made it into a soup on a hot summer day.

Polish Chilled Beetroot Soup {Chłodnik}

Yields: 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes + up to 1 hour for roasting beets

Ingredients

4 small beets (or 2 large)
4 radishes
3 tbsp of chopped dill
4 tbsp of chives
1-2 pickling cucumbers (or about ⅓ of an English cucumber)
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp of white vinegar
A squeeze of lemon
2 c / 500 ml of buttermilk
½-1 c / 120-230 ml of plain yogurt
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of sugar
3-4 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Wash beets and trim off the stems, but don't cut into the beet (we don't want the juices to flow out).
Roast in a roasting pan with a cover (or covered with tin foil) until soft (small beets about 30 minutes; large around 1 hour). Take out and cool completely. Once cool, peel and grate on the largest side of a box grater. Set aside.
Wash radishes and cut into thin slices. Chop dill and chives. Peel cucumber and dice.
Place all vegetables and herbs into a mixing bowl (or a pot) and add minced garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, and yogurt and stir. Also add salt and sugar.
Taste and add more salt, if needed. Soup should be relatively salty.
Chill well before serving. Serve with a hard-boiled egg.

I did spoil my husband with a lot of good food that summer. He did get a hefty share of some of his favorites: kapusta zasmażana, rosół and lots smoked sausage and bacon. After all, that’s how we show people we love them, isn’t it????

Smacznego!

Anna

70 / 100