Borscht drink
From Lori, Yorkville CSAWhen I was growing up, we didn’t think of borscht as soup. Borscht was this hot-pink beverage we made on Passover. Making it was a big deal—it took half a day and required a lot of consultation with my grandmother and aunts. I didn’t know anyone else who did this, though I have since found variations of it on the internet. The main event in the process was called schlugging-ooen, which translates to ‘tempering.’ It may have differed from my friends’ traditions, but I always thought it was entertaining.Use fresh eggs, preferably organic; the eggs are heated but not fully cooked, so don’t serve to people who can’t eat raw eggs. You can also cook down the broth after it’s finished, which makes the eggs a little safer. You can then add a few ounces of seltzer to each glass, for a borscht spritzer.
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb fresh beets peeled and sliced or quartered
- 1 large sprig each of parsley and dill
- Juice from 4 lemons
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar more or less to taste
Instructions
- Put the beets, parsley, and dill into a large (8-10 qt) pot. Add at least 6 qts cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until beets are very tender. Remove from flame and let cool slightly.
- Crack all the eggs into a large bowl and whip until frothy. Add a tablespoon of the hot beet broth to eggs and stir until combined. Let rest a few minutes, then repeat 3-4 times. This is the shlugging-ooen, or tempering, process; its purpose is to get the eggs to a temperature where they can be added to the hot soup without cooking them. Temperature is key; the eggs and broth have to be cool enough that the eggs don’t cook, but warm enough that they incorporate.
- Add the lemon juice, sugar, and salt to eggs and mix. Then add the beet broth, a ladleful at a time, to the eggs, mixing gently after each addition.
- Put the cooked beets in your refrigerator—they’re perfect for beet salads and other recipes.
- Adjust the sugar, salt, and lemon in the beet broth if needed. Transfer the broth to jars with tight lids and serve very cold.