RECIPE: Chilled Borscht

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. red wine vinegar

1 T. honey
.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.