This soup is very popular in Lithuania, representing for the locals the equivalent of gazpacho for the Spanish or onion soup for the French. You will find many Saltibarsciai recipes. In some they include cooked potatoes, so the result is closer to a puree than to a gazpacho. In other recipes they use sour milk while others opt for liquid yogurt or kefir.
INGREDIENTS (4 people) :
- Half a kilo (1.1 lbs) of canned beetroots
- 4 small cucumbers (or two large ones)
- 1 spring onion
- Half a liter (2 cups and a half) of liquid yogurt (or half a liter of kefir)
- Half a liter (2 cups and a half) of ice water or skim milk
- A tablespoon of chopped dill
- A pinch of salt
In a bowl, pour the beets, the peeled cucumbers, the chopped onion, the chopped dill and the pinch of salt. Then add the liquid yogurt without sugar or replace it by kefir.
To keep it from being too sour, I add ice water or very cold skim milk. Blend until a very fine soup remains and if the ingredients were already very cold, take it directly or leave it to rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Lithuanians often add boiled potatoes and also decorate the top with slices of boiled egg, sprigs of dill or parsley as well as using sour milk (not to be confused with sour cream) instead of yogurt or kefir.
The truth is that it is very refreshing and if you like beets, you will surely love it.
