Four Nights A Week

We are finally getting some summer-like weather in New England, and to celebrate I took this opportunity to serve a chilled soup. This recipe was adapted by Tejal Rao, a NYTimes contributor, from an original by Erin French, founder of Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine.

I definitely will be revisiting this recipe for a couple of reasons, and high on that list is that I absolutely love beets. While this version called for golden beets, I will be playing with other varieties as well.

I had plenty of fresh basil on hand and used thick Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Not surprisingly, the macerated shallot-beet mixture was even tastier on the second day. A link to a gifted NYT article for the original (and comments/suggestions) is here.

Chilled Golden Beet and Buttermilk Soup

Original recipe from Erin French, Adapted by Tejal Rao

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
• Ground black pepper
• 2-½ lbs golden beets (I followed the recipe, but will definitely experiment with other varieties)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 c buttermilk
• ½ lemon, juiced (about 1 tablespoon) (use a fresh lemon!)
• Small handful of basil leaves, for serving
• Small handful of dill fronds, for serving (I skipped this b/c I didn’t have fresh dill on hand)
• ⅓ to ½ c sour cream, for serving (I used plain Greek yogurt)

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine chopped shallots and vinegar and let macerate for 20 minutes.
2. Whisk in 2 tbsp olive oil and season with a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
3. Put beets in a large pot over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to cover. Boil for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on size, until tender when poked with the tip of a knife.
4. Drain beets and let cool, then peel off the skins with your fingers.
5. Cut 1 beet into a small, even dice, then add to the shallot mixture & season with a pinch of salt (or to taste) and set aside.
6. Cut the remaining beets into large chunks and purée in a blender with buttermilk and lemon juice until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until completely cool. (As I mentioned in the headnote, this soup was even better cold and on the second day)
7. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Serve with marinated beets, herbs and sour cream (or in my case, Greek Yogurt) on the side.