About Arthur: The New York Times Magazine called Arthur Schwartz “a walking Google of food and restaurant knowledge.” As the restaurant critic and executive food editor of the New York Daily News, which he was for 18 years, he was called The Schwartz Who Ate New York. Nowadays, he is best known as The Food Maven, the name of his website. Whatever the sobriquet, he is acknowledged as one of the country’s foremost experts on food, cooking, culinary history, restaurants, and restaurant history.
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Clear Summer Borscht
Makes about 4 quarts
Try to choose beets that are not too big. Very large ones tend to be woody and not always so sweet. On the other hand, tiny beets are too time-consuming and difficult to peel. And beets, like everything else that is natural, vary in flavor, so you may well want to adjust the seasoning after the soup has been made and well-chilled. Bottled borscht, while a good-enough product, tends to be over-sugared. This homemade borscht is more subtle and much more refreshing.
4 pounds beets (about 3 bunches), peeled and shredded or diced
4 quarts water
4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 slightly rounded teaspoon sour salt (or juice of 2 lemons)
Sour cream
Dill
Boiled potato
Hard-cooked egg
In a large pot, combine the shredded beets with the water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
When the water begins boiling, uncover the pot, adjust the heat so the liquid simmers briskly, and cook for about 40 minutes. At this point, the beets will have lost much of their color, but they will regain color as they sit in the soup.
Stir in the sugar and sour salt. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate and chill very well. Once the borscht has been well-chilled, you can adjust the seasoning, adding a bit more salt, sugar, or souring agent (sour salt or lemon juice) to taste.
Serve the borscht, mostly liquid but with some of the shredded or diced beets, in a bowl with a good dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of dill, and, if desired, a large piece of boiled potato and a hard-cooked egg. Or, blend the borscht with sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk and drink it from a glass.
