Sophie's Borscht Recipe

For years, my dad has expressed his fondness for beets--specifically borscht and Harvard beets. Raised by his grandmother who tended to overcook most things and didn't use much in the way of spices, he grew up eating a rather bland diet. But two things he remembers she made well: borscht and gefilte fish. So yesterday I decided to make borscht, the cold beet soup kind that's perfect for a hot summer day in south Florida, just to put a smile on his face.

And aren't there tons of borscht recipes on the internet? It wasn't too hard to narrow down the recipes. It should be Russian since Sophie was from Russia. It should be meatless since Sophie kept a kosher home and only made milchich borscht (my dad always puts sour cream in it) for lunch. It should be simple since Sophie was a simple cook.

After narrowing it down to three recipes, I called my Aunt Ethel just to be sure I was heading in the right direction. "Are you really going to make borscht?" she said rather incredulously. "I've never made it and never watched my grandmother make it." I guess Sophie's borscht wasn't one of Aunt Ethel's favorites. "Let's see," she said straining to remember, "I remember lemon and I'm pretty sure I remember sour salt." I asked if Sophie would have put cabbage or potato in it. "No, she always liked potato herself, but she always served the boiled potato on the side not in the soup." "Would she have put beaten egg or egg yolk in it?" I inquired. "No, Gram wouldn't have done that--it was a thin soup, not thick."

So here's what I've come up with. A cold borscht recipe that's as close to Sophie's as I can get.

Sophie's Borscht Recipe

3-4 medium fresh beets
Juice of 1 large lemon (to taste--you might want a little more)
Salt
Sour salt (if not in your grocery store, you can get it at a Kosher market)
5-6 cups water
Sugar, just a pinch (I used Blue Agave nectar)

Garnishes: Sour cream and/or fluffy, dry, hot boiled potato

Wash and peel the beets and grate them on the coarse side of a grater (I used my food processor fitted with a grating blade). Place in a saucepan with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a pinch each of salt and sour salt, and the 5-6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the beets are tender (about 40 minutes). Add the juice of the other 1/2 lemon and remove from the heat. Season with salt to taste. Pour into a container and place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. The hot boiled potato would make a more toothsome, filling soup.

Serves 4.

And Daddy's review? "It tastes like I remember Sophie's borscht tasting, except I don't remember it being as thick as this." I think mine has more beets in it, which makes it a little more filling.

Now to find a gefilte fish recipe. Definitely a project for another day.