Chłodnik: Polish Beet & Cucumber Soup
A vibrant cold beet soup from Poland, tangy with buttermilk and fresh dill, served icy cold. A refreshing, elegant first course or light meal perfect for warm days.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 145
- Protein
- 6g
Ingredients
- 4 whole medium beets, raw
- 1 whole English cucumber
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 whole hard-boiled eggs
Instructions
- 1
Place the 4 beets in a large pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches, because raw beets need time to soften completely.
- 2
Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 25–30 minutes until a knife pierces the thickest beet with no resistance.
- 3
Remove the pot from heat and let the beets cool in the water for 10 minutes until safe to handle.
- 4
Drain the beets and hold each one under cool running water, rubbing gently with your fingers to slip off the thin red skin; discard the skin.
- 5
Cut each peeled beet lengthwise in half from top to bottom, then lay each half flat and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons.
- 6
Lay the cucumber on the cutting board, hold it steady at one end, and slice it at a 45-degree angle (like cutting a carrot stick) into 1/4-inch-thick oval pieces.
- 7
Crack open the 2 hard-boiled eggs, peel away the shell and membrane under cool running water, and cut each egg in half lengthwise.
- 8
Pour the 3 cups of vegetable broth into a large bowl, then add the sliced beets and cucumber and stir gently to combine.
- 9
Pour in the 1.5 cups of buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, then stir slowly with a spoon until the broth turns a uniform pale purple-pink throughout.
- 10
Stir in the 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill until evenly distributed, then taste and add a small pinch of salt if needed (the broth should taste pleasantly tangy).
- 11
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until the soup is completely cold, or up to 4 hours.
- 12
Pour the chilled soup into 4 bowls, then float half a hard-boiled egg in the center of each bowl and serve immediately.
Tools you’ll need
- Large pot (at least 3-quart capacity)
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife (8-inch chef's knife)
- Large mixing bowl
- Large spoon for stirring
- Peeler (optional, for faster beet peeling)
- 4 soup bowls
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
