Saltibarščiai

This made me laugh as it came up while I was googling thing, it's like a cross between borscht and okroshka. It's beets, hence the gorgeous pink color, but chilled with radishes, cucumber, and keffir. Pretty simple to make, I recommend starting it the night before, boil the beets until tender while you are doing something else and then stick in the fridge to chill so all you have to do the next day is mix it together. 

While I was waiting between steps I started googling countries where this dish is a thing. I googled "(insert country) cold beet soup". I tried a few countries in the region and got nothing, the ones that did come up though were Lithuania, Ukraine, Russian, Poland, Belarus, and Latvia.I was also talking about it with some friends who know it simply as cold borscht. So I did a quick google and I laughingly discovered "saltibarščiai" literally just means "cold soup".

2 large beets

water to cover by several inches

salt and pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

1 - 2 tsp. vinegar

1/4 - 1 c. keffir (depending on personal taste)

1 cup cucumber

1 c. radish

2 green onions

1 small clove garlic

4 eggs

fresh dill to taste

pinch sugar (optional)

Simmer the beet until tender with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and add the garlic. Chill until the beet is cool enough to handle. Grate the beets and stir in the lemon, dill and keffir, chill until cold. Stir in everything else and check for taste. Do you want it creamier? Maybe more dill? I prefer mine with less creamy and more pungent vinegar, which meant the addition of a pinch of sugar to balance it out. A recipe for this is more a guide, however you like it.

Original Picture - Post Updated 10/3/2018