Cold Beet Soup

No Polish meal is complete without soup. Although hot soup is served in the summer in most traditional households, this refreshing alternative combines favorite ingredients like beets and dill for a chilly first course. This recipe for cold borscht, adapted from Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans (Polanie, $10.95) is a streamlined version of Polish chlodnik, a chilled beet soup traditionally eaten with boiled potatoes in the heat of the summer.

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 cups cooked beets, roughly chopped or 2 15-ounce cans beets, drained

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and rough chopped

1 cup sour cream or plain yoghurt

4 cups buttermilk

10 sprigs of fresh dill

1/2 cup scallions, rough chopped

salt to taste

fresh squeezed lemon juice, to adjust acidity

2 tablespoons dill, chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Instructions
Puree beets, cucumbers, sour cream, buttermilk, sprigs of dill and scallions in a food processor until well blended and smooth. Taste and add salt and lemon juice - the soup should be slightly acidic.

Chill well. When ready to serve, garnish each bowl with fresh dill and a little chopped hardboiled egg.