Borscht Shooters for #Sunday Supper

I grew up eating a LOT of borscht. There are actually a few different soups known as borscht, and not all of them include beets. But when I was a kid, the only borscht I knew was my mom's beet soup.

While mom  made her soup almost the same way every time, there was one thing that varied a lot - temperature.

You see, I grew up with my own weird version of The Three Bears. My dad liked his beet soup steaming hot. My mother liked it cold, straight from the refrigerator. And I liked it juuuuuust right. For me, that meant just warm enough to be warm. But not hot.

Since then, I've made a lot of different versions of beet soup, including some that are so different my mom probably wouldn't recognize them any more. I've also come to love it at any temperature - chilled, hot, or warm. I've even turned beet soup into a salad.

This time around, I made beet shooters - little chilled shots of soup. This isn't meant to be a big appetizer, but is just a small shot ot chilled soup that whets your appetite. That's what appetizers are supposed to be, right?

The beets I bought were pink, but after they were cooked, they were a little pink and a little yellow. Dark red beets would be fine, too - the color would be different, but that's fine, too.

This is a small recipe - just enough to serve two.

Borscht Shooters

1 beet, cooked and peeled
1/4 red pepper, fire roasted
Splash of red wine vinegar
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon sour cream

Put all the ingredients in your blender. Blend, adding just enough water to get it going, then add more water as needed, to get it to a drinkable consistency.

Serve chilled.

This post is part of  #SundaySupper. The other participating bloggers are:

• Scotch Eggs and Brotchen Rolls – The Meltaways
• Apple Kuchen – Mrs. Mama Hen
• Spaghetti Carbonara – Katherine Martinelli
• Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash – Make Dinner Easy
• Potato and Spinach Knishes – The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• German Potato Salad – Magnolia Days
• Sausage and Broccoli with Orecchiette – Daddy Knows Less
• Chicken Enchiladas Suizas – The Weekend Gourmet
• Strawberry Tiramisu – Chocolate Moosey
• Chocoflan – Juanita’s Cocina
• Egg Liqueur Cake – The German Foodie
• Rasmalai (Ricotta in Sweet Coconut Milk with Almonds and Pistachio) – Sue’s Nutrition Blog
• Mediterranean Couscous Salad – In the Kitchen With KP
• Rouladen – Midlife Road Trip
• Lemon Balm Roasted Chicken and Rum Raising Cupcakes with Maple Frosting – What Smells So Good?
• Keftikas (Turkish Meat and Leek Patties) – The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Croque Monsieur with a Béchamel sauce  – The Daily Dish Recipes
• Momma’s Meat Pie with Poutine Sauce – Momma’s Meals
• Polish Rustic Plum Tart – Comfy Cuisine
• Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes) – Cositas Bonitas
• Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding – The Lovely Pantry
• Borscht Shooters – Cookistry
• Shepard’s Pie – Big Bear’s Wife
• Parsnip Cakes – Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Roasted Curried Vegetables – Hot Curries & Cold Beer
• Portuguese Mussels and Shrimp in a Chorizo Sauce – Family Foodie
• Kalbi Steak Kimchi Grilled Cheese – Damn Delicious
• Wine pairings for all the recipes – ENOFYLZ

Cooking is all about sharp things and fire

I saw a quote somewhere about how great it is to cook, because you get to play with sharp things and fire. I have to agree.

When I got a chance to review the new vegetable knife by Wusthof, I was pretty darned excited. I like quality knives and I've been slowly building my collection of good ones while getting rid of the bad and the ugly.

Okay, I've got one big, bad ugly knife that I'm kind of fond of. Rumor has it that my grandfather made the knife. I have no idea if that's true or not, but I won't be getting rid of that one. Others, though, have slowly been disappearing from my knife block.

The Wusthof knife isn't just a blade and a handle - it's got some unique design features. When I posted a photo of the new knife, one of the comments was that it looks a bit like a Klingon weapon. I have to say I agree.

While knives with Granton edges have become common, this design caught my eye. This is from the description over at Williams Sonoma:

"Designed for slicing, chopping and trimming fresh produce, this German knife features holes along the cutting edge that reduce friction - ideal when you’re cutting potatoes and other firm vegetables - and a ridge that helps push food off the blade. The full-tang blade is forged from stain-resistant high-carbon steel and riveted to the nonslip polypropylene handle for peerless balance and control."

I've been using the knife for a while now, and I have to say it's been a pleasure to use. It slices through vegetables like a hot knife through butter. It's a nice size, with an 8-inch blade and the weight and balance felt good in my hand. That, of course, is personal preference.

When my mother-in-law asked me to bring an onion along to her backyard barbecue, I decided to bring this knife along, as well. Mom doesn't have any sharp knives, and the last time I saw her hacking at an onion with a dull knife, I was cringing. So I brought my shiny new knife over, demonstrated how easily it sliced through an onion, and then asked her if she wanted to try it.

And to my great surprise, she struggled to do the slicing. I think part of it was that she was afraid of the knife since she knew it was sharp. Part, I'm sure, was technique. For the life of me, I'm not sure exactly what she was doing wrong - maybe trying to push the knife through rather than slicing. But I guess the truth is that even with a sharp knife, you still might need a little bit of technique to get the job done.

I'm pretty sure my mother-in-law would have trouble with any of my sharp knives - it's just not something she'd ever be comfortable with. But it was interesting to see how she handled the knife - and the onion.

On the other hand, anyone who wants a good knife isn't going to have the same qualms. The only question, then, is whether this is the right knife.

Do I love thins knife? Yes. I'm still not sure if the ridge is a magical addition to the knife that would make anyone throw out a similar knife to buy this one. But if you're choosing between two similar knives, it might be enough to tip the balance.

I always tell people that before they buy a knife, they should handle it a bit, and better yet, use it for at least a test drive. Now that I've used this one, I've got to say that it would definitely be on my "to buy" list.

Disclaimer: I received this knife for review at no cost to me.

Whole Foods Friday: Salmon and Halibut Recipes

The fish counter beckoned to me this week, and I decided to find some fish that I could put on skewers. So I did the sensible thing - I asked at the fish counter.

I needed something that was at least an inch thick, and that would hold together on the skewer, and I knew that the fish guys at Whole Foods wouldn't steer me wrong.

The fish guy suggested halibut or salmon, so I got some of each - about 1 1/2 pounds total. But of course this is a recipe where you can get as much as you need.

My plan was to make enough for dinner and also have leftovers.

Halibut and salmon aren't required - use what your fish guy suggests. You could use just one type of fish, if you prefer, but I liked the idea of having two types of fish

Here's the thing. Fish doesn't reheat well. You have to be creative with it. But I had plans, and my grilled fish fit into those plans perfectly.

Halibut and Salmon Skewers

1 1/2 pounds firm fish fillets
1/2 large red pepper, fire roasted
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Cut the fish into even cubes. Thread them onto skewers alternating with pieces of the roasted red pepper. Brush the fish with lemon juice, then drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the thyme.

Heat the grill or a grill pan until it's hot. Place the skewers on the grill, leaving them just until they're willing to release from the grill. Grill on all four sides. By the time you've done that they fish should be done.

Serve the skewers as-is, or remove the fish from the skewers and serve plated. If you like, drizzle with additional lemon juice and sprinkle with more thyme before serving.

Grilled Halibut and Salmon Soup
The bacon fat adds flavor, but if you don't have any, use any neutral oil.

2 tablespoons bacon fat
1/2 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 pound baby potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 quart milk
Fish (leftovers from the previous recipe, plus any red peppers left as well)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh thyme

Heat the bacon fat (or oil) in a large saucepan. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables soften.

Add the potatoes and milk and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, stirring as needed.

Add the fish and the red peppers and simmer just until the fish is warmed through.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Serve garnished with fresh thyme. If you like, you can add some crumbled bacon to the top, as well.

For more information about Whole Foods Friday and Whole Foods, see the tab at the top.