Šaltibarščiai su Skilandžiu
Recipes with Skilandis
Šaltibarščiai is Lithuania's cold pink beet soup, eaten in summer when the weather is warm. It is not traditional to add skilandis directly to the soup, but a few paper-thin slices on the side of the bowl turn a light first course into a more substantial meal. The smoke and salt of the skilandis against the cool, slightly sweet beet soup is a contrast that works in the same way pickled herring does alongside borscht.
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
0 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 500 g cooked beetroot (boiled or vacuum-packed), grated or diced
- 1 litre cold kefir or buttermilk
- 200 ml cold water
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- Small bunch of dill, chopped
- Salt and a pinch of sugar
- 80 g skilandis, sliced paper-thin, to serve
- 4 boiled waxy potatoes, hot, to serve alongside
Steps
Combine the kefir and cold water in a large bowl and whisk briefly. Add the grated or diced beetroot and stir through. The soup will turn bright pink immediately.
Add the cucumber, spring onions, and most of the dill. Season with salt and a small pinch of sugar. Taste and adjust. The soup should be tangy from the kefir, sweet from the beet, and fresh from the dill.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The soup is best served very cold.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Add two egg quarters to each bowl and a pinch of extra dill over the top. Lay 4 to 5 thin slices of skilandis alongside each bowl, not in it. Serve the hot boiled potatoes separately.
Tips
The hot boiled potato alongside cold soup is a standard Lithuanian combination. Tear or cut the potato and eat it between spoonfuls of soup. The skilandis is eaten from the side plate rather than added to the bowl; the smoke and the cold pink soup should meet in the mouth, not in the dish.