Cold Borscht

Photos by Anna Voloshyna
Ukrainians call this cold borscht kholodnyk (kholod means “cold” in both Ukrainian and Russian).
It is incredibly refreshing, and we eat it during the blazing-hot Ukrainian days of summer. When the weather is simply unbearable, eating a bowl of this soup makes you feel invigorated again. I always use a lot of fresh, crisp vegetables and flavorful herbs to add more texture and to introduce even more vibrant colors.

Serves 6

2 medium red beets, about 12 ounces total weight

5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

3 cups plain keﬁr or buttermilk

2 medium Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

3 medium radishes, thinly sliced

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill and flat-leaf parsley, in equal parts, plus more for serving

Distilled water, chilled, if needed for thinning

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced

½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the beets with water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the beets are easily pierced with a knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain the beets and let them sit for about 10 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them and then coarsely grate them. Return them to the pot.
Coarsely grate two of the eggs and add them to the beets. Add the kefir, about half each of the cucumbers and radishes (reserve the remainder for finishing the soup), and the dill and parsley. Mix together everything with a spoon and then add a bit of the chilled water if the mixture is too thick. It should be the consistency of a yogurt soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and chill for at least 30 minutes or for up to 2 hours before serving.
When ready to serve, halve the remaining three eggs lengthwise. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with some of the remaining cucumbers and radishes, the green onions, egg halves, a dollop of yogurt, some dill and parsley, and a generous drizzle of oil. The soup needs to be eaten very cold, right from the fridge. It tastes best the day it is made.

Recipes excerpted from Budmo! by Anna Voloshyna. Rizzoli, 2022. Photographs by Anna Voloshyna.

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