photo courtesy joe lingeman. **we ate the soup before we took the picture.
Friday night, I did the unthinkable.
I made borscht.
By choice.
Worse, I made my boyfriend eat it.
For Shabbos.
Having recently reinstalled myself in the great white north, and anticipating the famously long and cold winters, I decided to experiment with this oft-dreaded dish.
I followed the Bittman recipe, which calls for boiling three pounds of chopped beets and one onion in six cups of water.
After the mixture softens, Bittman says to beat in two eggs. I used one. Then he says to add the juice of one whole lemon.
I upped the acid Bittman suggested, using champagne vinegar instead of lemon juice alone. I also served it with mini creamer potatoes and sour cream mixed with champagne vinegar and dill.
On the next go-round, I'm going to experiment with adding turnips to the broth. And I'll serve it warm, instead of as a vichyssoise. I'm also thinking -- per the advice of my collaborator and friend -- to substitute the traditional potatoes with a blue cheese crostini.
I'm also thinking about putting horseradish (homemade, from the root) into the stock. Is this suicide? Or worth a shot?
