Chlodnik (Cold Summer Beet Soup)

Chlodnik is a traditional Polish summer soup. At this time of year the young beets are starting to be harvested. The delicate texture of the beets and stems, as well as the quality of the young beet leaves makes this a summer favorite that can’t be made once the beets reach a more mature state. I absolutely love this soup. It’s tangy and refreshing. The soup tends to come out quite vegetable heavy so feel free to thin it out with more kefir if you’d like a less dense bowl. I have found the little salt is needed here. The kefir usually adds enough for the whole soup, so be careful with your seasoning prior to bringing all of the ingredients together. Last pro-tip, keep the hard boiled egg for the end. If you add it into the soup, as opposed to just prior to serving in individual bowls, the egg yolks will soon dissolve. This will give the soup a thicker texture. At the same time the egg whites will become stiffer and slightly gummy if they sit in the soup too long (ex. overnight). It’s best to think of the eggs as a non-optional garnish.

INGREDIENTS makes 8 servings

1 bunch young beets with nice leaves and stems

5 cups water or vegetable broth

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press

1 bunch breakfast radish (the pink outside white inside ones)

1 cucumber (or 2 small Persian cucumbers)

1 bunch chives or green onions

1 bunch dill

1 container  (32 oz) kefir 

4 to 6 hard boiled eggs

salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1 bunch young beets with nice leaves and stems
• 5 cups water or vegetable broth
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press
• salt and pepper to taste. 

1. Peel and dice the beets into small pieces. Dice the stems and leaves into roughly the same size piece. Place in a medium pot cover with 5 cups water (you can use vegetable broth if you’d prefer). Add the lemon juice and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually add about 2 tsp salt or 1 Tbs Vegeta (type of seasoning salt). Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 min until the beets are tender. Set aside or in the fridge to cool. Make sure the mixture is cooled to room temperature or colder before adding in the rest of the ingredients. 

• 1 bunch breakfast radish (the pink outside white inside ones)
• 1 cucumber (or 2 small Persian cucumbers)
• 1 bunch chives or green onions
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 container  (32 oz) kefir 

2. Finely dice or chop the radishes, cucumber(s), chives / green onions, and dill. Combine with the chilled beet soup . Mix in one container (32 oz) kefir. You can substitute half greek yogurt and half cream. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed. If the mixture is too salty after adding in the kefir, add in a pinch or two of sugar. 

• 4 – 6 hard boiled eggs

3. Chill the soup completely in the fridge before serving. When ready to serve, dice up the hard boiled eggs. Spoon the soup into bowls and sprinkle about 1/2 of an egg each into the bowls. Conversely you can skip chopping the eggs, and simply place half of a hard boiled egg into each bowl. The diced eggs taste better and can be incorporated more evenly, but the boiled egg halves do have a better visual appeal. This soup will keep in the fridge for 4 to 6 days.