Is Comrade Beet Soup, da

Well, yesterday was Mother’s Day and what did I do? Nothing. It seems to be what my mother likes best these days- when my brother Ben and I leave her alone. When they said, “Let sleeping dogs lie,” they were referring to my mother on Mother’s Day. Since this is a food-blog, it should seem appropriate that I should talk about my mother on Mother’s Day. (Ok, so it’s the day after. But technically, isn’t everyday Mother’s Day? Yeah, you’re right. It is a stretch.)

My mother was the main influence in my life when it comes to food. When I announced that I was leaving Arizona State University and my aspirations of building rockets to Mars to become a chef, she was more than thrilled. I’d like to think it had something to do with our mutual love of food, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the fact that I was no longer going to be playing with things that could kill me ( i.e. rockets to Mars. Can I help it if I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning?), had a small, significant part in her jubilation.

I don’t think there was ever anything my mom cooked that I didn’t like. Not sure if I could say the same thing about my sisters. We always sat in the same seats around the dinner table. My sister Elizabeth would always sit next to me. I was her garbage disposal. If there was anything she didn’t like she would pick it out and put it on my plate because she knew I’d eat anything. (He likes it! Hey, Mikey!) I guess this would explain my fondness for mushrooms. I always got more than my fair share of mushrooms, thanks to Elizabeth.

We had two rules at the dinner table at our house. One was on a plaque made of driftwood that hung in the kitchen. It said, ”Kwitcherbellyachin’ “ If you can’t tell what it said, I’ll translate - QUIT YOUR BELLY ACHING! In other words, quit complaining and eat! This leads to the second rule: If you don’t like it, there’s the kitchen. Help yourself. I don’t know if it’s a testament to my mother’s cooking skills or perhaps we were all just too polite, but I don’t recall these rules ever being enforced.

There was one incident, however, that has lived in infamy in our family. It is referred to only as, “The Borscht Incident.” I was too young to remember (I was 5 at the time, or so I was told), and my mom and sisters tell me I should be glad I didn’t remember. We’re talking full scale rebellion from the top down. It was the only time my dad ever objected to anything my mom made. That was in 1974. It wasn’t until the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City when my mom and I decided to celebrate by making a different ethnic cuisine everyday that I was able to talk her into making it again.

Borscht, like every other ethnic cuisine varies depending on the region. Think of the great American BBQ. There’s Texas, Memphis, St. Louis, Carolinas, Gulf Coast. There’s even a type of BBQ known as Santa Maria style from the central California Coast that uses only Tri-tip.

Borscht is more commonly known here in the U.S. as a cold red beet soup, but it is actually primarily served hot in Russia. Sometimes it has meat - ham, pork, a sausage of some type, or a combination of all of them - but it can also be vegetarian. I have here recipes for both kinds :

This one isn’t actually Borscht. It’s a Polish dish called Chlodnik (pronounced hu-WOHD-neek). I like it better than regular Borscht.

3 C buttermilk
½ C sour cream
½ tsp salt
1 15 oz can diced red beets plus juice (or 15 oz can whole or sliced beets, diced)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
1 bunch red radishes, washed, diced
2 T fresh chopped dill
Dash of fine ground black pepper

Whisk the buttermilk, sour cream and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes. Stir well before serving. Makes enough for about four people.

I have several recipes of Borscht that are really good, but some are very labor-intensive. Here is the one my mom had stashed away in a Russian cookbook. It’s actually a Ukrainian version. I think, but I’m not sure, that this is the one that caused the “Great Borscht Rebellion” :

Olive Oil
2 lbs beef or pork (or one lb each), cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced (1 - 1 ½ tsp)
1 stalk celery, sliced
4 oz sliced mushrooms
10 C water
1 bay leaf
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried dill weed
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 large potatoes, washed, diced small
2 carrots, diced
½ small head green cabbage, shredded
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 16 oz can white beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can shoestring beets, drained
1 T dried parsley
3 slices of bacon, diced and cooked crisp

Heat a large, heavy pot and slowly brown the meat. Add the onions, garlic and celery and sauté until the onions and celery are soft. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked. Add the water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, bay leaf and dill. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for one hour.

Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for a final 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you think it needs more dill, salt or pepper. You can serve it hot or cold. Don’t forget to garnish with sour cream!

You can see the difference between the two. They both make great soups for a hot summer day. Enjoy and Happy Mothers Day!