Kefir is one of the main ingredients in soups like cold borscht, borsch, okroshka, and solyanka.
The best soups come from the heart and cannot be written down.
Okroshka
3-4 cups plain Kefir
6 shallots/green onions, finely chopped
3 medium sized potatoes, 3/4 dice
1 cucumber, diced
1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dill, roughly chopped
salt to taste
Boil potatoes until fork tender.
While potatoes are boiling chop onions, radishes, and cucumber.
Chop potatoes in 3/4-inch cubes.
Combine all vegetables into soup dish/pot.
Add boiled eggs (if desired)
Pour kefir over vegetables, mix well, season to taste and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
When ready to serve garnish with dill.
Variations
Our dear friend Magda shares there is as many different recipes for okroshka, as there are Russian kitchens. Give your imagination free wings and come up with your own version of this Russian classic!
Spanish style Combine organic ham or chorizo sausage with roasted red capsicum, asparagus and apples. Garnish with seeded, chopped tomatoes and basil or halved grapes.
Baltic seas Combine prawns, smoked salmon and other smoked flaked fish with watercress, sorrel and braised wild leeks, topped with fresh lemon juice, kefir sour cream, and loads of dill.
Big Greek A dollop of creamy Greek yoghurt, garlic, a cup of lemon juice and a dollop of best quality olive oil.
Possibly Polish Add beetroot, steamed peas and smoked sausage. Garnish with marjoram, dill, caraway seeds, parsley, or pepper.
Skinny sweet
Mix fresh strawberries, cherries, peaches and berries with cucumbers and a splash of lime juice. Substitute generous bunches of chopped mint and tarragon for the dill!
Saltibarsciai / Chłodnik litewski / cold beet soup originally from Lithuania
What is in a name? It is easy on the tongue and eye. Many variations but here is a starting point.
4 eggs
1 litre kefir
A bunch of fresh beetroot (steamed) or we use our own fermented beetroot Kvass
1 large cucumber – peeled, quartered, and sliced
1/4 cup shallots / green onions
1 bunch fresh dill
salt to taste
Boil eggs with a handful of fresh mint leaves. Cool, peel and chop the eggs.
Put dill, shallots, cucumber and salt into a glass bowl and massage or smash everything together with a wooden spoon.
Pour kefir into a large bowl; add eggs, cool beetroot and cucumber mixture.
Stir gently to combine. Chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
It can be served with dill potatoes (boil / steam potatoes, then lightly fry in garlic olive oil and sprinkle with dill, salt and pepper to taste.)
Chickweed and pea soup
500g shelled peas
750 ml broth
Chickweed (2 medium handfuls) + flowers
3 dessertspoons Kefir
1 heaped tablespoon kefir butter
Seasoning (salt and nutmeg)
Bring broth to boil. Add peas and boil for about 10 minutes. Wash chickweed and flowers, drain, chop finely. Let peas and broth cool off a little. Put into blender with chickweed. Blend. Return to medium heat and gently cook soup for 5 minutes whipping continually. It should become foamy. Take off heat, stir in liquid kefir and kefir butter. Add salt and nutmeg to taste.
Garnish with a few fresh chickweed leaves and eat with fresh baked bread.
Cliff’s Witchetty grub soup
20 fresh grubs
1 clove garlic
80 ml best quality olive oil
Little chia seeds
100g sliced leeks
2 litres chicken broth
100 ml kefir / kefir cream
Seasoning to taste
Sautee leek and garlic add grubs and sauté slowly.
Add broth, gently cook for one hour.
Blend then bring back to boil, add paste made by mixing oil and chia seeds / flour, gradually stirring until thick (use only as much as required).
Add kefir / cream and serve.
Love and bacteria, Xo, Lynnie
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