Polish Beet Soup

When the bitter cold seeps into your bones, nothing is more satisfying than a warming soup. As we have been under a historic freeze in Texas, we were fortunate to have had stocked up on supplies and firewood before we were housebound. It is critical to have simple pleasures to keep the belly warm and bring some hope. The dark cold never lasts forever and we are now finally getting glipses of the sun shining this morning. Miracle! 

This recipe was inspired by my dear Polish friend Krystyna, who is always such a great cook. On a cold winter night, my husband of Polish ancestry experienced the soup as heartwarming. 

This soup was fantastically easy to make. The trick is not to add too much lemon juice. To make it even more colorful, I added yellow beets instead of all red ones. I hope you can find yellow beets in your area. 

This recipe serves 2 generously. 

Ingredients

4 cups of chicken broth 

4 beets (3 yellow + 1 red)

1 small potato (Optional)

1 yellow squash (thinly sliced)

1 garlic clove (sliced)

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice 

Pinch of lemon zest

Two pinches of Chopped fresh dill (for garnish)

Pinch of salt and pepper  

2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt or greek yogurt (for garnish)

Instructions

First, boil the 4 beets until tender. Once cooled peel and slice the beets so they are bite-size. Since my beets were small, I diced them into discs. Set aside for later.

In a medium-pot add chicken broth, yellow squash, and garlic. On high heat, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Add the beets stirring and simmer for 5 minutes. I had a previously boiled potato which I also added at this point. Add this point also add lemon juice, pepper, and salt and stir for 2 more minutes.

(Side Note: I like to warm my bowls up so that it does not chill the soup). 

Ladle soup into warm bowls. Add a big dollop of yogurt to the center. Finally, garnish with fresh dill. Serve warm to your loved ones! 

Be warm, be healthy, be happy, 

~Tarabud