Chłodnik soup and heat wave in Ireland!...

It's unbelievable how hot it is right now... I wouldn't mind it normally, but now I really do (try to be 9 months pregnant and survive temp. around 30 C...). In normal circumstances I like and enjoy such weather, and now I'm really happy it's finally spring/summer here (at last!). 

We really miss sunshine here on The Green Isle and try to grab it any chance that we get, but surviving such weather being heavily pregnant is a different matter all together... I can't eat, I'm just not hungry, but we all know that I have to eat. So, there's a soup, cold soup to be exact, designed especially for such weather, simply ideal for hot days, as there's a lot of those where I come from - Poland. I admit, I had to call my Dad to ask for exact recipe, as in Ireland there's really not much need for it, usually that is. It was exactly as I remembered it, it was perfect for this heat, filling but I didn't feel heavy after eating it, it was delicious too. Hope you will try it, especially that it's not difficult, budget friendly and quite healthy too.

Feel free to use any natural yogurt you want, but make sure that it's not overpowering and neutral taste - plain soy might be the best here, I would stay clear of coconut one or similar.

"Cold borscht (borshch) or Cold beet soup is a cold variety of borscht — beetroot soup traditional to some Northern European and Slavic countries. In Poland it's called 'chłodnik' or chłodnik litewski'. Its preparation starts with young beets being chopped and boiled, together with their leaves, when available. After cooling them down, the soup is usually mixed with sour cream, soured milk, kefir or yoghurt (depending on regional preferences). Typically, raw chopped vegetables such as radishes or cucumbers are added and the soup is garnished and flavored with dill or parsley. Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are often added. The soup has a rich pink color which varies in intensity depending on the ratio of beets to dairy ingredients." - by Wikipedia.org

How to make it...
Ingredients:
- 800 ml plain yogurt
- 4 boiled, pealed and grated young beetroots
- 6 big red radishes, grated
- 1 fresh cucumber, pealed and grated

- few leaves of young, fresh Swiss chard
- 3 hard boiled eggs, diced (if using, which is a tradition, but if you omit them you won't miss much)
- spring onion or dill, chopped
- salt, pepper, caster sugar
- lemon juice

In a big bowl or pot mix all the grind veges, spring onion and eggs. Add all the yogurt (if it's too thick, just add some more). Season to taste with salt, pepper and a little of lemon juice. You may also want to add some sugar to 'break' the taste. It's ready - literally 10 min. :) Put your soup into the fridge for min. 30 minutes. Serve cold.


Smacznego!