Cold Borscht

On your next trip to Coney Island, I suggest you make a quick stop in Brighton Beach, just a 15-20 minute walk (or three short subway stops) away. This neighborhood is the heart of the Russian and Ukrainian community in New York City (it's also known as "Little Odessa"). Beneath the whoosh and rattle of the Q train overhead, sidewalk vendors sell Cyrillic-labeled produce, pickled things, and all kinds of baked goods on Brighton Beach Avenue.

Led by a tip from a friend's barber, I wandered through Little Odessa's main street looking for cold borscht (and warm blintzes and vareniki) on a hot and humid summer day. A couple weeks later, I had all the ingredients to make my own beet soup at home. While my homemade cold borscht was nowhere near as delicious as the cold borscht found upstairs at M&I International, it certainly was refreshing.

a few small beets
1/2 small yellow or white onion
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
a few cups of water or broth
1 small cucumber
a few radishes
1 c yogurt or sour cream
handful of chopped dill
handful of chopped parsley
handful of chopped scallions
salt

Peel and coarsely grate or chop the beets into small, thin strips. Finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a pot, and cook the beets and onions over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Add water or broth (as much as you want, depending on how chunky you want it to be). Let simmer until beets are soft and cooked through (about an hour).

Meanwhile, seed and slice cucumber into thin matchsticks. Slice radishes into thin matchsticks. After soup mixture has cooled, add cucumber, radishes, yogurt, and herbs. Season to taste with salt.