I'm a big fan of cold soups during the summer (a gazpacho recipe will undoubtedly appear at some point), and this is a pretty and tasty soup that is easy to make and very good for you. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup by substituting veggie stock for the beef stock. There are a million ways to make borscht, but to me this is the most flavorful for the least amount of work.INGREDIENTS:
15 small beets, peeled and quartered (or 8 large beets)
2 cloves of garlic, whole
3 allspice berries
1 bay leaf
2 dried Thai chilies (this adds an extra layer of flavor, but doesn't make the soup spicy)
1 star anise
3 whole cloves
.5 t. black peppercorns
1 T. olive oil
1 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. honey
.5 T. kosher salt
.5 T. kosher salt
32 oz. beef stock
1 c. sour cream
GARNISH
Chopped dill
Grated radish
In a medium sized pot, combine beets, stock, garlic, oil, honey, vinegar and salt. Put all the loose spices and chilies into cheesecloth and tie closed with a string. Add to pot. Simmer all ingredients together for 20 minutes. Remove spice bag and discard.
Transfer beets and broth (including the cloves of garlic) into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to fridge to cool for at least 4 hours.
Right before serving, add sour cream and blend until combined. If you want this soup perfectly smooth you can strain it before serving, but I don't mind a little texture, so I don't.
Garnish with dill and radish.
