This recipe for cold Lithuanian beet soup or šaltibarščiai is made with buttermilk, sour cream, hard-cooked eggs, cucumbers, and dill. It's refreshing on a hot day.
This recipe easily can be doubled. And a 14-ounce jar of sliced or shredded beets can be substituted for fresh beets.
Compare this with Polish cold cucumber-beet soup recipe. There are plenty more beet recipes to try too.
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled and cooked red beets (reserve the cooking liquid)
- 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 peeled hard-cooked eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 green onions, trimmed and sliced
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 cups buttermilk
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Garnish: fresh chopped dill
Steps to Make It
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While the beets are cooking, chop the cucumbers and onions and egg whites finely.
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Un a small bowl, mash the egg yolks with 1/4 teaspoon salt, combine with sliced green onion, and reserve.
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When the beets are tender, remove them from the cooking liquid (reserve the cooking liquid) and cool them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. When cool, grate the beets coarsely.
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Strain beet cooking liquid and return it to the cooking pot. Add sour cream and buttermilk, blending well.
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Mix in grated beets, chopped cucumbers, chopped egg whites, and mashed yolk-green onion mixture. Stir until well blended. Adjust seasonings.
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Pour into a container and refrigerate until well chilled. Taste for seasonings again and adjust if necessary. Serve in a chilled bowl or glass topped with chopped dill.
More Thirst-Quenching Cold Soups
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Bulgarian Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe: Known as tarator, this soup is made with yogurt, walnuts, cucumbers, and dill. It's a refreshing no-cook summer offering that also can be left thicker and served as a dip.
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Hungarian Cold Peach Soup Recipe: This can be a sweet meal starter but it is often served as dessert. Except for the sugar syrup, this is a no-cook soup. The wine and brandy give it a nice kick. To save time, use canned peaches.
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Watermelon Gazpacho Soup Recipe: This no-cook recipe is a great way to get your daily recommended allowance of fruits and vegetables. It's perfect for summertime meals when you don't want to heat up the kitchen.
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Hungarian Cream of Green Bean Soup Recipe: Known as teifeles zoldbab leves in Hungarian, this soup can be eaten hot or cold. Either way, it's a delightful use of summer's bounty of green beans. You can make it with fresh beans any time of year, but there's something special about summer produce.
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Hungarian Sour Cherry Soup Recipe: This cold soup is a national dish of Hungary and made with tart dark-red Morello cherries, but any tart pie cherry, like fire-engine-red Montmorency cherries, will work in a pinch, as long as they are fresh or at the very least frozen (don't use canned). And never use a sweet Bing cherry.