Sample Seasonal recipe

 

 

Summer Borscht Bowl with SEA Spuds

borscht.jpg

Serves 4-6

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Moving to Brighton Beach has made my diet more magenta as I bond with the mighty borscht. Silken tofu blended with beets (and a few other things) creates a velvety purée that tastes like a bowl of borscht with sour cream, but vegan and with more protein. To top it off, baby potatoes are boiled in a minimal amount of the Atlantic Ocean (JK! Briny broth!). As the liquid evaporates, the potatoes cook perfectly and shimmer with salt like beach pebbles.

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 C gold marble potatoes (or any small variety, around ¾” in diameter)

  • 1 C veggie or chicken broth

  • 2 Tbsp kosher salt

  • 1 16-oz package (1 lb) of silken tofu

  • 5 pre-cooked beets, divided (about 215 g) 

  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar

  • 1 clove garlic, grated

  • Fresh dill, about .5 C chopped and packed, plus more for garnish

  1. In a lidded saucepan over high heat, add potatoes so they cover the bottom in one layer. Add broth and salt, stir, then cover and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. 

  2. Meanwhile, into a blender, add silken tofu, 3 of the 5 beets, vinegar, dill, and garlic. Blend until smooth and salt to taste, keeping in mind that the potatoes are already well-seasoned. If possible, allow the beet purée to chill in the freezer.

  3. Remove the lid from the potatoes and stir until the liquid evaporates and potatoes are coated in a thin layer of salt, 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

  4. Prepare garnish by chopping remaining beets, dill and scallions. To plate, scatter salt-boiled potatoes over a bowl of beet purée, and garnish. Enjoy with a spoon.